How does ebony weather outdoors?

[Kent A Bathurst]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I'm nuts. So? Stand in line if you want to give me grief :D.

I'm designing, fabricating, installing a fence for the next-door neighbor. A+C style. Will have an arbor with 4x8 or 6x12 timbers, through tenons and pegs through the tenons, and the arbor is also the gateway. Pair of gates. Everything is WRC. I am thinking of using square, proud ebony plugs over screws at the M+T joints in the corners of the gates, just to make it all look cool. [FWIW - I designed this really cool Mackintosh-inspired entrance way and gates - he and MY wife both thought it was too elegant for the house - simple, basic, bungalow. For Cryin' Out Loud].

There won't be any varnish, stain, treatment, etc on the fence, arbor, gates - goes grey in a couple years.

So - what would happen to the ebony plugs over time? Doesn't seem like that stuff would rot at all? Plugs would be something on the order of 1/2" - 5/8" square, proud by 1/8" - 3/16", bevelled edges, etc.

[David Helm]

I personally wouldn't worry about it. They will always be darker than the cedar and they are so small that they should hold up to any weather. My entry arbor, complete with cloud lift timbers, is Cedar and Redwood (recycled wine vat wood) and both have weathered to the same gray.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I personally wouldn't worry about it. They will always be darker than the cedar and they are so small that they should hold up to any weather. My entry arbor, complete with cloud lift timbers, is Cedar and Redwood (recycled wine vat wood) and both have weathered to the same gray.


David - thanks. What are the chances of seeing some photos of your arbor? I havent's settled on the end details of the cross-beams, and always assume there are a lot of guys out there that are smarter than me that I could ste.....ummmm.....borrow ideas from.

[Jamie Buxton]

Instead of putting ebony outdoors, have you considered Fastcap's "ebony" square pegs? http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Artisan-Accents-50-pieces-3p9914.htm

[Kent A Bathurst]

Instead of putting ebony outdoors, have you considered Fastcap's "ebony" square pegs? http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/Artisan-Accents-50-pieces-3p9914.htm


Nope - didn't know about them. I'll take a look. - Thanks.

I happen to have a chunk of ebony laying around from a project with pegs and butterfly keys. Nothing on the radar screen, so I though of it - but I'll check out the fastcap

[george wilson]

I wouldn't be surprised if the plastic ebony caps turned white eventually out of doors.

[Jamie Buxton]

I wouldn't be surprised if the plastic ebony caps turned white eventually out of doors.

They might. Dunno. But most wood goes grey if left outside long enough too. The wood lover inside me would rather have plastic succumb to sunlight than ebony.

If they do eventually degrade in the sunlight, the Fastcap plugs look easy easy to replace.

[David Helm]

David - thanks. What are the chances of seeing some photos of your arbor? I havent's settled on the end details of the cross-beams, and always assume there are a lot of guys out there that are smarter than me that I could ste.....ummmm.....borrow ideas from.

I could probably do that. It's been in place now for 8 years so it looks a bit weathered, and a lot is hidden by the climbing rose covering it.

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[David Helm]

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Here are some better pictures of my front arbor. I had a little trouble uploading before.

[Brent Smith]

My worry with the ebony would be in moisture content changes. Direct sunlite and rain will most likely cause some splitting in plugs that size. At the best of times Ebony can go south on you.

[Callan Campbell]

I know you have the Ebony on hand, but how about ipe' instead? You might find a local supplier that sells deck wood, and has some sample scraps lying around. I use Miller Dowel Ipe dowels or Ipe screw plugs with Cedar projects that I do around the house/outside. They've held up really well and while not black against the cedar, they are noticeably darker even with no staining to the ipe.

[Anthony Albano]

Ipe would work well and would be darker than the surrounding wood. trade you for the ebony....

[Kent A Bathurst]

I know you have the Ebony on hand, but how about ipe' instead? You might find a local supplier that sells deck wood, and has some sample scraps lying around. I use Miller Dowel Ipe dowels or Ipe screw plugs with Cedar projects that I do around the house/outside. They've held up really well and while not black against the cedar, they are noticeably darker even with no staining to the ipe.

Hadn't thought of that- haven't used ipe - sounds like a much better choice.

Anthony - you certainly get credit for "nice try" :D

[Kent A Bathurst]

I could probably do that. It's been in place now for 8 years so it looks a bit weathered, and a lot is hidden by the climbing rose covering it....[/ATTACH]

Umm........David.........it is supposed to be weathered and covered by the rose. That was the original point, remember? :D

I really like the gate - clever to rotate the cloud lift detail 90*. Also in your other photos - the joinery in the corner is marvelous. Very nicely done.

[John Downey]

Ebony is so expensive, I'd save it for a more appropriate use. Outdoors it will turn grey and crack like anything else. Why use a wood you can buy by the pound for that? I'll send you some ipe scraps if you want to pay the shipping, probably a $5 flat rate box would be enough, but I can probably fill the medium size one too. Darn stuff doesn't burn, so I think I have every scrap of it I ever made :D

[David Helm]

Umm........David.........it is supposed to be weathered and covered by the rose. That was the original point, remember? :D

I really like the gate - clever to rotate the cloud lift detail 90*. Also in your other photos - the joinery in the corner is marvelous. Very nicely done.

Thanks Kent. I used that vertical cloud lift on the center of all my deck railings also. The one in the gate is redwood but it looks the same as the cedar.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Ebony is so expensive, I'd save it for a more appropriate use. Outdoors it will turn grey and crack like anything else. Why use a wood you can buy by the pound for that? I'll send you some ipe scraps if you want to pay the shipping, probably a $5 flat rate box would be enough, but I can probably fill the medium size one too. Darn stuff doesn't burn, so I think I have every scrap of it I ever made :D


Thanks for the offer - actually, now I'm thinking of just buying a single 2x4 or 2x6 ipe. Use it to make the decorative plugs. Also, the arbor most likely will be 4x8 posts, with through mortises at the top to receive tenoned 4x6. Then, A+C-style pegs through the tenons. Make these pegs out of the ipe as well. May end up with corner brackets to match their front porch detail - would use decoerative plugs there as well.