Outdoor Wood Choice

[Chris Frazee]

You know, it's funny to think about what wood works well outdoors when all woods are (were) outdoors, but...

I'm in Western PA fairly near Pittsburgh. I've got a couple of outdoor projects in mind and am deciding on what to build them with. If you have a suggestion and you're local, do you know where any is available? For example, Rockler carries cedar but I'm thinking more 4/4 size not the thin stuff they offer. Also, what about using something like Trex? Say for a bench?

[Darcy Warner]

Cypress, redwood, WRC, tropical woods.

[Lee Schierer]

Look for White Oak or Hemlock. Western Red Cedar works well for outdoor furniture and such. Try using wood finder (http://woodfinder.com/index.php)to locate sources near you once you decide what type of wood you want.

[John K Jordan]

You know, it's funny to think about what wood works well outdoors when all woods are (were) outdoors, but...
I'm in Western PA fairly near Pittsburgh. I've got a couple of outdoor projects in mind and am deciding on what to build them with. If you have a suggestion and you're local, do you know where any is available? For example, Rockler carries cedar but I'm thinking more 4/4 size not the thin stuff they - offer. Also, what about using something like Trex? Say for a bench?

The bark protects living trees from decay.

I like white oak for outdoor - I cut some 4" slabs on my sawmill for front steps over 10 years ago and they still look great. I apply BLO every few years. White oak has the pores filled with tyloses which keep the water out so the wood doesn't rot from the inside out. Fairly heavy wood, easy to work.

Black locust is also very good - often used for fence posts in direct ground contact. Abundant tyloses here as well. Quite heavy wood, hard.

The read part of eastern red cedar is fairly rot resistant. A guy near here makes outdoor swings from cedar. My barn uses cedar posts which have been in the ground at least 60 years, probably more. Cedar is very light weight and fairly soft if that matters for your application. Redwood is about the same but the figure is usually not as interesting.

The best, if you can get it, is osage orange. Osage orange will last longer out in the weather than any other wood I know. Surprise, surprise: tyloses again! (extremely abundant) Osage is quite heavy and very hard.

A lot of people use pressure treated pine. If you use KDAT (kiln dried after treatment) instead of the cheaper dripping wet stuff you can actually make useful joinery and the project won't get loose and sloppy as the wet wood shrinks.

I don't know where to get these woods in W. PA. They are all free here, especially if you have a sawmill! (Road trip: jump in your truck and we'll saw some white oak in your honor.) I have a lot of white oak (20-30" dia), some hickory, osage, and cedar waiting in my log piles at the moment. You might try WoodFinder for sources: http://www.woodfinder.com/

Hey, where are you near Pittsburgh? I'm not local to you now, but I grew up south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela river a couple of miles upriver from where RT 51 crosses at Elizabeth. Went to EFHS, class of '68 and I've been in the TN most of the last 48 years. I miss the snow but not the cold!

JKJ

[Chris Frazee]

Sadly, Woodfinder basically confirms what I've discovered before, that there doesn't appear to be much available nearby. I guess the most promising is Grove City, about an hour away. Rockler has White Oak but besides the cost, I'd be looking for enough to build a picnic table or bench or something. Maybe the KDAT pressure treated pine is my best choice for the money and it saves the 2 hour round trip. We're not really a picnic table family but my sister-in-law just bought a house and rather than repairing her beat-up one they left I thought I'd make her a new one. I must be a bit spoiled because the last time I built something outdoorsy like that was in Phoenix and redwood or cedar or something was at the local home centers.

Alas, John, I am truckless or I'd certainly consider a road trip. Maybe one day but we make do with a Trailblazer or I rented a U-Haul once to bring home a bunch of pre-finished plywood for cabinets. I'm actually originally from Southern CA near Carlsbad if you're familiar. Moved to Phoenix; met my wife there, and we ended up back here where she grew up. Going on 22 years here now. We're Northeast of Pittsburgh, New Kensington, specifically. Having grown up with vanilla weather, it's nice to get different flavors here. Right about the time one gets boring the next season comes along. Love the green here; way too brown where I grew up.

[John K Jordan]

...I am truckless...Love the green here; way too brown where I grew up.

Yikes, you're practically in downtown Pittsburgh! I know New Kensington, Butler, New Castle, Brady's Bend, etc. - both of my parents grew up there so I have relatives all through that area.

I've been to Carlsbad, too. (I have a friend in Escondido who has a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band) I love southern (and northern) CA but, wow, that end of the country sure is crowded!

It's funny you mention you love the green in PA. When I married a TN gal in '70 we drove up to western PA to visit my folks. Her comment was "everything sure is brown and grey here!" What she meant was the lawns were brown - they mostly stay green all year here. And the old snow on the sides of the roads was a dirty grey. When we get snow it is usually melted and gone the next day!

And I might be spoiled but I'd feel handicapped without a truck and trailers. How would I haul hay?!? How would I fetch lumber to build the new peacock house?!? How would I take the bobcat to the shop?!? :) (We live on a 27 acre farm with horses, mini-donkeys, honeybees, llamas, alpacas...)

As for the wood, you might ask around at cabinet and custom furniture shops in your area. There may be hardwood suppliers hiding nearby and with all the trees in that area I'd be surprised if there wasn't a sawmill up the road! There is a supplier here who doesn't advertise but is known by all the commercial cabinet makers - I found them when hunting for baltic birch plywood. Besides plywood and hardware they carry roughsawn and planed hardwoods.

You might also check with WoodMizer. When I bought my sawmill I was invited to add my name to a list of people who will saw for others or sell roughsawn lumber. I just now put PA in their finder and got a bunch of hits. You might be able to tell if some are close to you: https://woodmizer.com/us/Services/Find-a-Local-Sawyer Before I got my own sawmill I bought air dried oak, cherry, walnut, etc. from a local guy with a WoodMizer - prices were $2 or less per board foot. (probably more now!)

JKJ

[Bill Dindner]

For painted projects I've had good luck with Doug Fir from Home Depot, I've used allot of Cedar from Lowes, not too expensive, although Doug Fur is basically free.

[Curt Harms]

Eastern end of the state has all kinds of local sources for rough sawn white oak for around $2/bd. ft. I'd think there are similar suppliers in your neck of the woods but it might take a little sleuthing to find them. The lack of a truck may be a problem but trucks and cargo vans can be rented.

[Brian W Evans]

I just used some western red cedar from Lowes for an outdoor project and it is pretty soft. It is also fairly knotty. I don't think I would want to make anything nice with it. On the other hand, Lowes carries cedar in 2x4, 4x4, and 5/4 decking, which is handy.

This hasn't been mentioned specifically, but tropical woods like Ipe or Cumaru would work. There are lots of places to order online but the shipping is expensive. If you have a decking company nearby maybe they would sell you some.

[Nike Nihiser]

Try Craigslist. Just search for "lumber" in the materials section. White Oak would be good, I'm in SW Ohio and I can find it all over Ohio, probably some near you in Eastern Oh.

[Ben Zara]

Wood is important but the orientation might be even more important. If you ever look at an outdoor bench at your local park, the flat sawn pieces are always checking like crazy while the quatersawn pieces keep their integrity.

[John TenEyck]

A quick look at Craigslist shows there are all sorts of folks selling lumber in and around Pittsburg, including white oak, walnut, and hemlock. I didn't notice any black locust or red mulberry, two other excellent choices, but I didn't look too hard.

John

[lowell holmes]

I'm in the white oak crowd. I have door thresholds made of qs white oak. They have been indestructible.