Railway sleepers are a readily available wood product, which will typically be a recycled piece of wood, which makes it both economical and ecologically friendly. They also come in a standard size, which makes them very dependable. Buying an easily worked material like wood, and specifically railway sleepers, can be a great way for an amateur to try doing some home and garden improvement. They can be used for constructing your own garden deck, building a patio, or building a pathway. It can be used for any number of constructions, all with very little technical skill required, and little labour as well.
Railway sleepers typically come in one size, although most suppliers will stock other sized sleepers as well. This size is 2.6 meters in length, 10″ in width, and either 5 or 6″ in width.
A few things to bear in mind when working with railway sleepers is to wear gloves and metal capped boots. This can help you to avoid injury, from either hurt fingers or toes, or from splinters, which are certainly a risk.