What would work well and look good?

[Nick Clayton]

I have a question about matching different wood species for an outdoor project. I'm building my folks an Obelisk for their formal garden. I have made the finial out of a piece of red oak I scavenged from a tree they took down last year. I am wondering what to construct the legs and cross-members from. I could buy some 8' lengths of red oak, but I was wondering if there might be another choice that would accentuate the finial. I was thinking maple or birch as they are lighter woods. Do any of you folks have ideas or suggestions? I'd appreciate them all and enjoy any photos you can share.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[tod evans]

nick, oak is really a poor choice for outdoor use. if you`re set on using hardwood mahogany would be my first choice....02 tod

[Nathan Hoffman]

Red oak has little resistence to decay, so you may want to find something that will last longer outdoors. I don't see where you are located, but near us sassafrass is inexpensive, resists decay, and has a similar grain look to oak. There is a little program to sort a list of wood species by characteristic on woodbin.com you may want to check out. Just my $.02...... Nathan

[Steve Schoene]

Red oak isn't very good with respect to weathering. It has open pores that allow water to penetrate deeply into the wood where it may not evaporate quickly. If that occurs rot can occurs quickly, from the inside out. Maple and birch don't weather well either.

White oak on the other hand has pores that are closed so water penetrates only superficially, and is usually able to dry before rot can occur. White oak weathers to a nice grey surface.

Mahogany--and it should be Honduran for best results--also weathers well.

Other choices include teak and ipe among hardwoods. Softwoods include cedar and redwood heartwood.

With any of these woods, ground contact presents the greatest risk of rot. The surfaces which will be in contact should be coated with several coats of epoxy.

[Jim Becker]

I'll add cypress to Steve's list...in the softwood section. Do keep in mind that over a relatively short period of time, any "contrast" will be more-or-less lost between different species as the wood grays out from UV and weathering. What you might consider is contrasting wood with metal, such as copper which is relatively easy to work with, and stone.

[Nick Clayton]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I wanted to use the red oak for the finaial because I thought my folks would think it was neet that the wood came from their yard. I'm going to try to find some cypress around here for the legs.

[Keith Christopher]

It should also be mentioned that white oak weathers quite well.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Nick, how did you dry the red oak? Air dried wood usually needs several years to dry so I'd be worried about the moisture content of your Red Oak too. IPE, Teak, Cypress, White Oak, Cedar and Red Wood are all good choices for outdoor use.

[Nick Clayton]

Dennis,

My father had a couple branches >5" thick stored for the past two years as he was planning on using them for something or other. So last month when I was down there I sawed off a 3' piece and was able to cut a nice 3" square by 24" piece for the finial. Should I let this air dry further? The final dimensions of the finial are 2"sq by 20". Thanks for your help.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Nick, the rule of thumb for air dried wood is one year drying per inch of thickness. If the wood was 5" thick it'd need 5 years to fully dry. I think the only way to really be sure is to use a moisture meter on it. I'd leave it be for a month or so and see if it moves significantly, if it doesn't I'd give it a try. If there is significant movement, I'd let it dry longer.

[Bob Swenson]

Am I missing some thing, if its going to be outside why does it have
to be bone dry? Red oak doesn't even float. I once watched a two foot
log fall in the lake and roll away on the bottom. we later found it when they
drained the lake about 30 feet out.
If you can some how get your hands on some black locus you will find
it almost rot proof. Locus pegs held the white oak timbers together
in the old sailing ships. Farmers used it for fence posts. Good for
over 25 years in the ground.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Actually, I'm not sure that moisture is your only problem. The sun's rays are a brutal source of UV light which breaks down the cellulose in wood which bind the fibers together. If you don't provide a UV protectant, like regular paint or pigmented stain, wood will begin to split, check and/or grow mold.

I have made outdoor projects out of pine, fir, pressure treated pine, red oak, white oak, cedar and redwood. They all begin to look crummy unless the protection is kept up with regular staining or painting. And as one poster above pointed out, don't let the wood directly contact the ground no matter what species it is, unless it can't be avoided like lawn furniture.

I've begun using synthetic products such as composite lumber (example: Trex) and Nev-R-Rot for my outdoor projects. These product require some special attention during fabrication, and can be difficult on blades as well as being heavy. They should not be used for structural work. However, they don't fall apart and they take paint and stain really well.

-Jeff

[Doug Shepard]

Ipe !!
Tough to work with but it's practically indestructible for outside use. Plus your obelisk will weigh more than the Great Pyramid and will discourage any outdoor furniture "collectors".

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Am I missing some thing, if its going to be outside why does it have
to be bone dry? Red oak doesn't even float. I once watched a two foot
log fall in the lake and roll away on the bottom. we later found it when they
drained the lake about 30 feet out.
If you can some how get your hands on some black locus you will find
it almost rot proof. Locus pegs held the white oak timbers together
in the old sailing ships. Farmers used it for fence posts. Good for
over 25 years in the ground.

Bob, it doesn't have to be bone dry, but high moisture will cause it to warp, sometimes significantly. Have you ever compared regular pressure treated wood from a big box store to kiln dried pressure treated from a real lumber yard? When properly prepard with a top coat, the kiln dried doesn't warp and twist, even when used outside. You have to let big box wood dry for a few months to even stain it. I like dry wood, even when its going to be used outside.