What is good outdoor hardwood?

[Art Mulder]

I've seen many projects (like deck chairs, patio tables, etc) built from White oak. It is reportedly a decent wood for outdoor use.

What other hardwoods would do in that situation? (outdoor most of the summer, stored over winter). I live in Canada, so it would need to be reasonably available also -- I've heard neat things about cypress, but I doubt I'll find that anywhere around here! Ditto teak.

For that matter, if you can recommend a good book that will answer these sorts of questions, then do let me know and I'll add it to my library.
(things like how do woods bear up over time, how do their colours change, workability, strength)

thanks,

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If that plastic composite decking were commonly available in white I'd use that. IPE is suposed to be the bomb.
I've used teak and had it go to hell in a few seasons.
When teak splinters it really splinters.
Sadly once wood stopps growing it's going to rot.

[Art Mulder]

If that plastic composite decking were commonly available in white I'd use that. IPE is suposed to be the bomb.


Thanks Cliff, but decking was not what I had in mind. I'm thinking of outdoor furntiture, tables, etc, not decks or fences.

[Jim King]

I would think you could find some Ipe shorts and excess peices from a local decking contracter and it will outlast your grandchildren for patio furniture..

[Don Baer]

White Oak is/was used in boat building so I think I'd give that a go.

[Ian Barley]

Art

I have no idea on availability but I use Oak, Iroko and Western Red Cedar in that order of popularity.

Iroko is very like Teak good durability (20-25 years in ground contact), same sort of colouring and weathers in much the same way.

"World Woods in Colour" is my chosen reference for this kind of thing. Not cheap but very comprehensive.

[Bryan Hunt]

Art, you might want to give Ipe a good look. I think the last issue of Fine Woodworking had a table made of Ipe on the cover - it was impressive. The wife and I will be building an outdoor table of Ipe as soon as I finish building the workbench.

Bryan

[Richard Wolf]

In the NY area, Spanish Cedar is a big seller. Great for outdoor stuff. You can use any finish from oils to paint. It tends to be dusty and deffinitly has a smell to it.

Richard

[Mike Parzych]

Ipe certainly is suited to long term outdoor use and looks nice, but it has some down sides. Weighs a ton and is so hard that all screw holes must be pre-drilled as wide as the screw to allow it pass through cleanly, and countersunk. Torque the screw too much and the unforgiving Ipe will snap it right off.

[Jim Andrew]

Art, do you have osage orange up there? We use it for fence posts down
south in America. It is gaining in popularity for flooring and other things,
haven't used it myself personally. My concern is it is so hard when dry,
I'd think you would have to build your projects with it somewhat green.
Jim

[Jesse Cloud]

Wood is so scarce and expensive here in the NM desert that I have taken a different path for outdoor furniture. I use what is generally available (ponderosa pine or doug fir here) and rely on the finish for the durability. I seal the wood with Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer from Smith & Co and then apply a marine grade varnish for UV blockage. The epoxy bonds with the wood fibers and makes them waterproof. The resulting finish is rock hard and glossy. There's an article on the process in Oct 2005 Fine Woodworking.

[Jim Bell]

Purple heart is one of the best.
Jim

[Art Mulder]

Purple heart is one of the best.
Jim

Hi, Jim,

Thanks for the note. Someone else (outside of SMC) also suggested that I consider purpleheart. I had previously only used purpleheart as an accent piece, and had never considered it for a whole project. The price is actually not that different from white oak.

I'm going to keep my eyes open for some purpleheart on sale sometime, and see about using it for a whole project.


Art, do you have osage orange up there?

Not common... and $12.50 a boardft at one retailer about an hour away, according to their website.

Thanks to all who replied. Ipe sounded far too intimidating, with all the warnings about pre-drilling. In the end I decided to go with white oak.

...art

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Art.........a good book is "Understanding Wood" by R. Bruce Hoadley.