Bench Repair

[Jerry Lawrence]

Long ago my wife and I were given one of those department store garden benches with the iron ends and wooden slats. Well, as is common, the wooden slats ended up breaking, and now my wife wants them replaced. I would prefer to just build a whole new bench, but well, if you're married you know how this goes..lol. Anyway, I'm wondering what would be the best type of wood to use to replace these slats. Looking for something that would hold up outside and obviously something that is strong enough to support weight over the almost 4' span.....
Thank!

[Mike Nolan]

White oak is a good choice for outdoor wood. If strength is a concern the slats could be made thicker in the middle and thinner at the ends to fit the bench.

[Ellen Benkin]

Teak or mahogany. Can you add a center support for the 4' span? That would help alot.

[James Baker SD]

[QUOTE= I would prefer to just build a whole new bench, but well, if you're married you know how this goes..lol.![/QUOTE]

I hear you load and clear. We bought a new tall, wide refrigerator that would not fit in the opening in our kitchen cabinets. I had to tear out one wall of old ugly formica on unedged plywood cabinets. My chance to redo the kitchen right with beautiful cabinets everywhere. No Way. I had to match 35 year old formica cabinets when making the new ones for just one wall. I did a good job, they are every bit as ugly as the originals.

James

[Ray Newman]

Is there a way to support the slats?

If not possible, the unsupported slat(s) will always be the weak point.

For outside work, look into some of the man-made woods, such as Trex. http://www.trex.com/

[Jerry Miner]

+1 on white oak: strong, stiff, and weather-resistant. I would not use Trex, or other composites, as they are too flexible and will certainly sag over the 4' span. I have a similar bench. It has white oak slats. Still going strong after 10+ years.

[michael osadchuk]

I recycled a 4 foot garden bench with iron ends my adult inherited with the purchase of century house and it was fairly simple, nice project.....
..... teak is the wood for outdoor use though very pricey however I lucked with my local lumber dealer had brought in a flat of 3" wide slats, 1/2" thick and was selling them at a very price .... the teak worked out very nicely: elegantly thin, provides a bit of spring but with very good strength and, of course endurance over the seasons and years without maintenance; teak has a lot of silicia so is very hard on handplanes but I used a belt sander outdoors to get them smooth.... replaced the bolts with stainless steel... the bench should last a couple more generations before needing another recycling.

... the left over pieces of teak made nice, laminated, kitchen cutting board gifts

good luck

michael