I am planning to make a couple of Adirondack chairs, and later on a bench or two, which will be left outdoors in sunny El Paso, TX. I started my project with Lowe’s pine, but got poor results…splitting and warping. I decided to start over with some better quality lumber.
I did some reading and thought that Spanish Cedar would be a good choice, but I can’t get any locally. One place has cedar decking material, but only up to 6″ widths, and I need a couple of boards 10″ for some pieces. I haven’t been able to find any redwood either, aside from the twisted garbage they sell at Lowe’s for fencing.
Any recommendations on a good wood to use for this project? I prefer a natural wood look (no paint).
Replies
Eric,
If you have an ipe decking supplier around it's a good material for outdoor furniture. It's a little heavy, though, so don't plan on moving it around much.
Steve
Ipe isn't a "little heavy," it's very heavy. Incredibly heavy, actually. I think it's great for decks, but it's so hard to work and has splintering problems that make it less desireable for furniture. And did I mention, it's heavy?
Teak is the wood for outdoor furniture, if you can afford it. Other very good choices are cedar, redwood, cypress, mahogany, white oak.
Rich
I would second the warning about the weight of ipe. We made an Adirondack chair out of ipe and it took two people to move it, it weighed over 100 pounds.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Yeah, John, but I bet it looked good. Thanks for the data point.Idea for English Garden Bench: Ipe, one that won't ever be stolen.
Edited 5/11/2007 4:29 pm ET by byhammerandhand
John,
Are you trying to say that Ipe is heavy!?
Rich
Wow John,The chair I posted the picture of used mostly 5/4" ipe decking and couldn't have weighed more that 30 lbs. The slats are 5/8" and I'm sure that helped but I can't imagine a chair weighing over 100 lbs even made of ipe. Must have been pretty stout!Steve
Steve,
Are you sure it's Ipe? A neighbor has an Ipe "love seat" about twice as wide as your chair. The construction is just slightly more "robust" than your design. It takes 2 of us to move it, just barely. The thing almost feels like it's made of cast iron.
Rich
Rich: I made 4 chairs and a table out of ipe 7 years ago. They have been outside in rainy Seattle and have stood up great. But your right. They don't get moved around very much. Lee
Hi Rich,Yes, it's ipe. It won't float in water. Ipe is heavy but it's also very strong. I think using thinner slats must be helping a lot. I put the top crest on the back just to make sure the back slats had a firmer feel and didn't warp out of shape. It's a heavy chair but it's not that hard for one person to move. Now this garden bench, that's a two person job. As you may have noticed, I like ipe.Steve
Very nice! Is there a finish on it or is it raw?------------------------------------
It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
It's finished with Cabot Australian Timber. It got really good reviews in a Consumer report study so I thought I'd give it a try. I've used Penofin in the past but I think I like the Cabot's better.
Hi all,
Intrigued by this thread I looked into ipe with my local supplier today and it turns out that they can get it but they only had a few boards on hand. My supplier also refers to it as ironwood... is this a misnomer or another name for it? My supplier also says (in his opinion) that this wood is about as suitable as teak for outdoor projects.
One thing that struck me right off was that it is pretty nice looking wood and definitely dense, as this thread indicates. The 1x4 boards they had were considerably darker than the 1x6's. The 1x4's looked almost as dark as walnut and the 1x6's looked more along the lines of teak. I don't know why the difference. I can order ipe no problem through this supplier but the guy I need to do it through is out on Mondays. Can those of you who use it please tell me about what I should expect to pay per BF?
That's very nice. On my screen the wood looks like teak, so my brain doesn't think it's too heavy. But if that's Ipe, it weighs a ton!
Actually, I used jatoba for the slats because I think it's a beautiful wood and it looks great with ipe. Jatoba is almost as heavy as the ipe though.
Steve, I just completed a garden bench very similar to yours in western red cedar. I'm trying to figure out how to finish it. Did you use a finish on yours, or is that how ipé naturally looks?The photo below is of the bench waiting to be moved outside. I love the setting for yours. Norman
Wow, that's beautiful Norman. I love that classic English garden bench design. I used Cabot Australian Timber oil on mine and it seems to be holding up well. It's very easy to apply but it needs to be refreshed every year.
I have used cypress and teak. Both seem to do well outside. Cypress is often recovered from rivers after many years. It holds up very well and seems quite stable. It is a little splintery when worked but not when finished.
Austin Hardwoods
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11630 Rojas Dr, El Paso - (915) 593-0126
Directions and more ยป
Adams Moulding & Lumber Co
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6002 Doniphan Dr, El Paso - (915) 584-1440
Try these guys.
Couldn't get 6/4 Cypress at Austin Hardwoods in Austin. Only 4/4. Had to go to Stock to get it, and they only had 8/4.
Built a bunch of swings. Had one now that's been out 3 years and looks gook. Deck screws and Gorilla glue.
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