Replies

1. 
   CharlieP | Jul 10, 2014 11:14am | #1

   White Oak is the standard answer, but I don't have personal experience. 

   Mahogany works well, either finished or bare (and I haven't found a finish that doesn't have to be re-done too often).

   Sipo is often sold as Mahogany since it looks and works like Mahogany, but it is technically a different species.  I built a small outdoor end table out of Mahogany and Sipo, and the Mahogany is distinctly better. 

   Ipe (that super hard wood sometimes used for decks) makes very nice furniture - I have made a lot of it - but the wood is so hard that I found I had to drill three pilot holes for the stainless steel screws - one full depth, a second for the shaft, and a separate countersink - anything less and the screw sheared off.  It is so hard that I killed a new set of HSS planer blades (I normally use carbide), and with lots of sharpening, I have been able to turn ipe on the lathe. 

   Cypress is presumably good.  I made an outdoor piece out of cypress, but as the lumber yard warned, the old growth cypress that gave it a good reputation doesn't exist any more, and the current growth cypress is okay but not spectacular.

   I have bought but not built redwood furniture, and have not been impressed.

2. 
   ashleyjohn | Oct 13, 2014 04:59am | #2

   re:

   To be honest, all woods are prone to damage from weather or decay. Routine maintainence of wood plays an important part in determining how long the wood would stay. You need to keep the wood dry or it would start decaying. You also need to apply good finish to the wood to protect from sun damage and make it water repellant.

3. 
   RickJefferson | Oct 23, 2014 10:38pm | #3

   Wood for the outdoors

   Western Red cedar is mostly used for outdoor projects such as furniture. Like cedar, redwood is used mostly for outdoor projects as well.  White oak and Teak are also resistant to moisture and can be used on outdoor furniture.

4. 
   ashleyforbes | Oct 27, 2014 03:15am | #4

   Yeah. I heard Cedars are one of the best wood type for outdoor furniture. That's what my cousin's lawn furniture set made of.

5. 
   rob_ss | Feb 11, 2021 04:41am | #5

   I made a pair of Tom Mclaughlin's Adirondack chairs in Western Red Cedar a couple of years ago. They have weathered well.
   He did his in cypress but there are many variants on that - in NZ I might use Marcocarpa.

   I make quite a lot of planters and trellis out of treated pine.

   You have to consider that outdoor furniture is not an heirloom piece. You are going to have to replace it after a while. How often will depend upon the circumstances. In my home area, rain is scarce, sunshine fairly plentiful all year round and the humidity is generally pretty low. This favours long life. If you store furniture out of the bad weather then it will last longer.

   What it is not going to do is look new for long, unless you paint it.

   My advice is to go for a wood that has some natural rot resistance and leave it untreated.