I’m hoping all of you experienced woodworkers can help a new guy (me) select the right material for this job.
I’m planning to build a bench based on the design in the “A Garden Bench For All Seasons” article from the May/June 1998 FWW (this article is in the Bench section in the Projects & Design area). In the article, Spanish cedar and copper rivets are used, with marine epoxy for gluing the joints. Spanish cedar is not available in my area, and I live in a very dry climate anyway, so I’m not looking for the same level of water-proofing that is achieved in the article. My plan is to use a more common hardwood, dowel pins instead of rivets, and regular old wood glue instead of epoxy. My bench will be outdoors on my covered front porch. It will probably never get wet, but it will be exposed to seasonal temperatures (30’s in the winter, 100’s in the summer), and morning sunlight.
Looking at internet pricing, it appears that red oak, white oak, poplar, soft maple, and ash are the most economical. I would want the lumber to be 6/4 like in the article.
Can anyone recommend which of these woods might be best? I am a fairly novice woodworker, and this will be my first project that uses mortice and tenon joints, so I would want something fairly easy to work.
Replies
I'd go for white oak.
Eric,
You need a durable (rot and beetle-proof) timber for such a bench. Only white oak, from your list, is durable (and only the heartwood). All the others will rot, more or less speedily, as the fungus and insects have their dinners.
Cedar is also light, which makes moving the bench easier as well as durable. Some other cedars besides Spanish cedar are durable - are there any in your neck of the woods?
The glue also needs to be waterproof and not of the sort that rot likes to eat. Epoxy is best but some common-or-garden woodworking glues are sold as "outdoor" or "waterproof".
Dowels will go oval and may loosen or even drop out, if there is a lot of expansion and contraction due to humidity changes. Rivets or screws (SS, brass or other non-rusting) make more sense, especially if you bend over and bury any emergent tips.
Lataxe, maker of the ladywife's garden thangs.
I've made quite a few phone calls, and the only cedar I can find locally is aromatic eastern red cedar for closets and such. I'm not sure if that's suitable for furniture, but it's only available in 4/4 anyway.
One fellow I talked to asked where the bench would be. I told him it would be on a covered patio, and he recommended alder or African mahogany. He also can give me S2S and SLR, which some of the other guys cannot. Would either of these woods work?
Edited 5/29/2007 6:17 pm ET by EricT
Eric,
From the list you supplied white oak is the only species I would attempt to use for outdoor furniture. Most of the Cedar's such as Western Red or White would be a good choice, as would Cypress or Redwood.
Best of luck
I don't know if it fits your budget - or is available in your area - but consider Mahogany.
I built a yard bench of Mahogany (couldn't find Spanish Cedar) and it has been outdoors, sun and snow, for over 10 years. Still solid as a rock. I did not finish it so I would not have to RE-finish it. I would still go with epoxy.
Frosty
Frosty,
Mahogany is available. It's good to hear that it stands up well. I just need to get the wife to approve the cost at >$5 per bdft.
Tell the LOYL that Mahogany is a symbol of your love for her - everlasting!Epoxy is not difficult to use and it is tough. I saturated the leg-bottoms, up about an inch, to prevent any wicking of moisture. I know this piece will not be exposed to weather but (in Michigan) we have learned not to trust the weather.Frosty
Frosty,
I lived in SE Michigan for most of my life, so I know exactly what you mean. I much prefer the weather here in the southwest, where it is predictably sunny, warm, and dry.
Red and white oak as well as ash are commonly used in outdoor construction. My 40 yr. old canoe has ash thwarts, seats and some of my paddles are ash. We often use it for wood pickup beds when restoring vintage trucks or hotrods. Morgan uses ash for their car frames. Woody's often used one of the oaks. I built red oak ladder racks for my truck back in the early 70's. GMC changed their pocket holes as I changed trucks and the racks no longer fit. They spent many years out back in a scrap pile, in direct ground contact and the lumber is still solid. I also built some poplar saw horses long before the ladder racks. They spent their life outdoors with no finish. The very ends of the legs showed a little rot since they were always on the ground, but it was minimal. Soft maple I don't have experience with.
One of the reasons ash is so popular is that it won't turn black, like oak. It doesn't split or check and is strong. Another choice may be red cedar or redwood. They are much lighter than ash or oak. Many local lumber yards carry beautiful 2x4s and 2x6s in these species for deck rails. You won't find them at a big box.
With your conditions, most anything will be fine. You are not on the ground or in direct weather. The longevity of your piece will be more dependant on your craftsmanship and the finish you choose. If you want natural decay resistance, their are many native and import species that have this property. Osage orange, locust, walnut, cedars, cypress as well as mahogany's, teak, pau lupe are just a few well known choices. Look up decay resistant on the web and go look for something locally.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
While white oak is an excellent outdoor wood, red oak is distinctly not. The open pores in red oak allow a little moisture to penetrate deeply and generate rot from the inside out. The pores in white oak are closed after relatively short distances.
It may not make much difference in a dry climate, and a covered situation, but there a host of good outdoor woods, many not much more expensive than less weatherable woods. And if your situation changes, or you want to give a piece to family in other areas, might as well use a outdoor suited wood.
Thinking outside of the box a little. What about Trex (comes in colours) or Ipe, difficult to work but it's bullet proof and never needs finishing.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
After a bit of research:
Checking further on African mahogany (the above was only for native species to the US):
Of those woods WHite oak is your best choice.. do not make outdoor furnture of of the other woods.
RIch
I'd use redwood.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled