Looking for an outdoor wood choice

[Tim Morton]

I am building a pair of potting bench's for the LOML and her mother.I downloaded a nice set of plans last night from wood magazine, and reading the cut list is suggests using cypress. I'm not sure if I will be able to find cypress around here and if I do will I be able to justify the cost for 2 of these. Is there other options? Rough sawn pine with a Blo finish comes to mind:D I am looking at using 4/4 and 8/4 stock..

[Jim Becker]

Outdoors demands you use something that is naturally weather resistant. Cypress is one choice as you already know. Others to consider, depending on local availability include white oak (not RED), mahogany (true mahogany, not luan), ipe, teak, etc. I think that lyptus also is acceptable, but would have to check to be sure.

The rough-sawn pine will only work if the object will be under cover and not really exposed to the elements...and a BLO finish offers zero benefit in an outdoor setting. The woods listed above require no finish for outdoor use, but if you do want to put something on them, an outdoor rated penetrating oil, such as Sikkens or similar will work nicely. Just be aware you'll need to reapply it regularly. Avoid anything containing Polyurethane...it breaks down under UV rays. Another interesting choice for an outdoor finish is the oil-based tint base for exterior paint. With no pigments added, it dries clear with all the same properties as the paint...this is a favorite of former long time WOOD Online Finishing Forum moderator Jim Kull.

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Edit: I missed Cedar as Kelly pointed out. I suspect that, as well as white oak, should be easily sourced locally for you in New England.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I'd make it of Cedar, then apply an outdoor deck/fence stain to it for the best protection. Australian Timber Oil is a good one, but a bit pricey. Cypress is a great wood, but if it's not in your area, try Cedar. They are comparable in price here in Dallas with Cypress being a tiny bit cheaper.

Pine can be used as well, but won't hold up for nearly as long as Cedar. Best to use deck stain/Timber Oil on that too. Like Jim said, no poly will work well outdoors for long (even Spar Urethane wears off in full sun within a few months).

[Steve Cox]

Redwood is another choice although I'm not sure what's available there. Also both Western Red Cedar and Alaskan Yellow Cedar are good choices as is Douglas Fir. All of these are west coast woods so I don't know cost or supply in VT.

[Tim Morton]

I guess its time to call the lumber yard....I'm sure cedar is readily available as is poplar, but I'm guessing poplar would be no better than pine.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I guess its time to call the lumber yard....I'm sure cedar is readily available as is poplar, but I'm guessing poplar would be no better than pine.

I didn't mention Redwood cause it's so high right now....it's a full $.25 above Cedar a LF here, but it would work as well. Not sure about Poplar outside.

[Mark Singer]

Tim,

Honduras mahogony or Ipe...both great!

[Steve Cox]

Poplar sucks outside. Having said that though, almost any wood will work if you paint it and keep it well painted and sealed.

[Frank Pellow]

Cedar is by far and away my first choice for outside furniture.

[Jerry Olexa]

Tim, Don't use Pine and esp w BLO. In order, my choices would be cedar, redwood and last resort Pressure treated SYP. Good builders generally use cedar for all their trim and than paint or stain over it. Any of these will last w/o topcoat and age gracefully but can take a stain or protective UV coating. G Luck, my man. How did the Band Saw work out? Big game for the CELTS tonite...

[John Bush]

Hi Tim,

I have made several potting and sitting benches using recycled cedar fencing. I am a bit lucky living in the Pacific NW having cedar readily available. I use the 4x4's for the legs/uprights, then M&T 2x4's in for cross members/aprons and the side supports, then use the 1x6's for the flat surfaces. Usually wire brush the dust and moss off the exposed surfaces and the finished piece has a nice rustic look and can handle the elements without any maintainance.
I made a double Adirondac chair ,which has two chairs joined with a table in between, for our town's Arboretum club and the bidding was so fierce I offered to make three more. I'm now scrambling to find enough wood to make them.
Try calling your local fencing contractors and see if they have any tear-out piles. They love "sharing" their treasure.
Also, I've seen nice benches made with the 5/4" radius edge cedar decking . Again, out here it is standard stuff at any lumber yard and is very reasonable relative to Ipe or mahogany. Good luck, John.

[Ellen Benkin]

Redwood is always mentioned as a good outdoor wood. I'm sure it is better than pine, but you should be aware that redwood will rot and get termites eventually. Probably all wood will, but I'm most familiar with redwood.

[Hunter Wallace]

Up here where we are Tim, eastern white cedar is readily available and
(relatively) inexpensive. I had it on a deck for 10 years and, after the
first year, never put a finish of any kind on it. I guess I got lazy, but it
turned a beautiful silvery gray, didn't splinter and was as solid as the day
I put it in, plus It's light weight (good for portability...i.e. winter storage)
Good luck...whichever you choose it sure is fun building stuff for outside use!

[Sam Chambers]

Tim:

I used cypress for my patio set (table + 4 chairs). It's been istting outside for 4 years, with no ill effects. I used a product called Penofin (penetrating oil finish) on it, and it's held up OK. After 4 years it's time for a sanding and recoating. (A word of warning about Penofin...it really stinks for a few months after application.)

[Tim Morton]

Cypress is not available to me, and after talking to the guy at the wood store he has 1x12 knotty red cedar at 2.09 a foot. That puts the wood cost per bench at a little less than $150 bucks and hardware will run about $50 I'm guessing. I'll pass the info on to LOML and see if she wants to go further. Thanks for the input.

[Mike Hedges]

I have used cypress on several outdoor projects, (benches chairs ,swings )works well, and makes for a great outdoor wood . Mike hedges

[John Hart]

Hi Tim,

Saw this post a while back and meant to throw this in...Guess I forgot. :o
I built this bench from cedar left over from my fence project. It still looks good after a couple of winters. Total cost was about $30

[Tim Morton]

Hi Tim,

Saw this post a while back and meant to throw this in...Guess I forgot. :o
I built this bench from cedar left over from my fence project. It still looks good after a couple of winters. Total cost was about $30

Looks great John, I am going to the lumber store in about an hour to take a look at the cedar they have. I just have visions of cedar shakes, I have never worked with it before. I just hope its something I can work with. This is what I'm trying to build this week.

[John Hart]

That looks pretty cool Tim. I got my fence material at HD. I think it was $2.50 per board and the posts were $4. It behaved very well and it was easy to sand and finish. I built that bench in less than a day. Yours is more complicated though. Fun project.

[Alan Turner]

Spanish Cedar is an excellent outdoor wood, which will turn silver and is decay and bug resistant, but it may be too expensive for what you have in mind.

[Keith Christopher]

I've built a few Adirondak (sp) chairs for myself and friends. The first set was australian cypress as my lumber guy had a bunch he couldn't move and gave me a deal on it. Worked nicely but noticed after a couple of years it began to seperate. I've made some from Wt oak which held up ok. but my choice for outside is redwood. I've had the best luck with it. Not overly heavy but sturdy.

[Tim Morton]

Well red knotty cedar is the wood I am using, it was the ONLY wood available here that was not insanely expensive for this project. (6-10 a foot to me is expensive since I needed 90bd ft) I have $200 invested in the wood and to me that seems crazy for what it is, but when its for the MIL I think she is worth it. The past couple days opened my eyes to the fact that nice wood is EXPENSIVE. I was trying to buy some 8/4 cedar and it was going to run me about $45 bucks per 2x4....anyway....the point of this post is to see if anyone has experience with the best type of screw to use with Cedar. I understand it should be stainless steel...but should it be a wood screw? metal screw? The wood seems kind of weak when it comes to being able to take a screw...hopefully I can use some glue for strength.

[John Hart]

I used stainless wood screws with beveled finishing washers... Looked ok to me.:rolleyes:

[Kelly C. Hanna]

We get Western Red for about $7.50 a 2x4x12 here in Dallas. 'Course there's tons of it being forested in Central Texas. Wonder if you could get some shipped to you cheaper?

PS...You can use the green decking screws from HD for a whole lot less $$ ($24 for 5 lbs.) and they don't bleed in Cedar or Redwood.

[Jerry Olexa]

Tim I used Western red cedar to build 2 garden benches several yrs ago and have not ever applied a top coat. Pics were in an earlier post. Very happy w them. Cedar is not a structurally strong wood so be sure to brace it for added insurance but it takes the weather well and can be left outdoors. I used a few screws discreetly but sealed them with wood toppers. I used a poly glue (Gorilla) which is a bit messy to work with but very strong and lasting for outdoor use. Hope it goes well.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

That's a great Yogi quote Jerry!!....I think you'll be fine with your Cedar construction. I've had a bunch of structures last for many years with just screws.

[jerry mayfield]

Australian timber oil, according to their msds info is a mixture of linseed oil,solvent(mineral spirits) and varnish aka danish oil.

regards
jerry

[Tim Morton]

Australian timber oil, according to their msds info is a mixture of linseed oil,solvent(mineral spirits) and varnish aka danish oil.

regards
jerry

Hey..I haven't gotten to the "how should I finish this cedar question yet?":D

Project is coming along fine...I like that I don't need to predrill...I have put in abotu 100 scres and so far no splits....I'm likeing the cedar more and more. It is braced well from the plans...and I have used some titebond3 on the structural base joints.....I hope to have a picture up tonight or tomorrow. Oh, BTW...should I leave the wood bare, or what do you think I should finish it with to prevent my MIL from painting it:D

[Tim Morton]

Finished up the potting bench this morning before the rains came. My MIL was here to see it this and LOVED it. I think it made a nice impresion on her and LOML. Now I am wondering if I should finish with something?

[Joe Mioux]

Tim: your potting cart/bench looks great. This is the first time I saw this thread. You chose one of the three choice woods for potting benches and other greenhouse woods. The other two are redwood and cypress


Again the potting bench looks terrific
Joe

[Frank Pellow]

Tim that looks really really good! Good enough, that I am bookmarking this thread to remind me to make one some day.

I think that you should finish it, and I highly recomend the Sikkens line of stains for cedar.

[Jerry Olexa]

Tim Good job! Looks good! Cedar can be left as is and will weather to a grayish look. Retaining the red cedar look is the challenge. The UV rays have their effect. If you stain, I reco a semi transp (such as Cabot) which allows some of the wood grain to show through. Looks more natural IMHO and doesn't build up like paint ( or a solid color stain). There are clear coatings to protect from UV rays but have short life and effectiveness is only OK. G Luck. I've built lots of outdoor stuff w cedar and have done it both ways. Matter of the look you want.

[Tim Morton]

Thanks guys...and I would MUCH rather call it DONE, since it is being picked up in the morning. I don't mind it graying down, any finish I put on it would be just to add a layer of protection. I pm'd frank a link to the plans not sure if I can post direct links or not in public.

[Jerry Olexa]

Hey Tim ,Isn't it too bad the way the YANKEES are losing? Feel sorry for them:D They need to spend more $$! Again, Nice job on the cart!!

[Jim Becker]

Wonderful!! Great job!!! The "boss" is very lucky!!

I second the motion on the Sikkens if you want to put a finish on it. You don't want anything that creates a film...just a penetrating product designed for outdoor use...which the Sikkens qualifies as.