Good Substitute for Teak?

[Oscar Mueller]

I built a boat rack last summer and as the cost of teak was high,I used Afromosia.This wood is supposed to be the closest replacement for teak.I finished it with teak oil and it seems to be holding up very well in the weather.

Oscar

[Chris Dodge]

I didn't expect so many replies! Thanks! This is for indoor use so its not the weather I am worried about. The table is made from reclaimed teak and I am not sure where he got it from but it had no chairs. Mostly I am looking for a wood that will stain well and have a similar look to teak. He wants the table to match as well as possible.

I could go with teak but the cheapest I have found so far is about $14.85/bf and they are local (Utah) so I don't have to add shipping to that cost. Anyone know of any places that would be a lot cheaper in order to make up the cost in shipping?

[Dick Aubochon]

I believe a lot of boatbuilders up here in Maine use either Sapelle or Sipo. I prefer Sipo, although it's not the easiest wood to work with

[Bill Wyko]

You might be able to make Jatoba (AKA, Brazilian Cherry?, Coubaril) pass.

It should be ~25% of the cost of Teak. A pair of the benches below have been outside year-round in MN for ~6 years and they've held up well. I suspect a good sanding and a fresh coat of oil would effectively bring the color back. I haven't tried to stain Jatoba, it waxy like it's tropical relatives, so it could be a challenge. I would think an aniline dye would impart some color, I could give it a whirl if you'd like.

Jatoba I would say is quite similar to Ipe in density, interlocked grain etc...

You might also try Lyptus, a plantation grown, fsc certified tropical hardwood that might fill the bill if you can find it.
http://www.woodworkerssource.net/Mer...ry_Code=Lyptus

-kg

That will look similar in the beginning but Jatoba will darken over time quite a bit. I have a Teak kitchen and did a wall unit near the kitchen in Jatoba. In the beginning they looked very similar but now that it's a year later, the Jatoba has turned a red color.

[Matt Campbell]

Chris,

I'm surprised no one has mentioned cumaru (Brazilian teak). It's a wonderful match. I have some for $5.50 per BF so I'll send you a PM.

Edit: I see now that I missed Peter's suggestion of cumaru.

[Alex Shanku]

The cumaru I have used before was a very rich brown color with thin, golden lines running through it. It really did not look like teak at all. Additionally, it was very tough to plane and dulled my chisels very quick.
I paid about $7/bf for it when I lived in the midwest.

[Bill Wyko]

BTW anyone notice that the price of Teak has gone through the roof? I used to get it for around $13 to $14 a BF. Now I see it as high as $21 a BF

[Peter Quinn]

Yeah, cumaru is a tough one. We used it in custom flooring, was purchased 10,000BF at a time. Color varied from something very close to teak to something closer to hot chocolate. Spent a lot of time sorting bords into color 'ranges'. Lots of redish boards, greenish boards, some yellows and tans. Some didn't match anything, got put aside for resale. I think at the point of origination its actually several different species grouped into one trade name. Not the easiest wood to work and a very unpleasant odor in the fresh milled stock. Mills well with carbide, could see hand tools and HSS being a problem. Don't know how color changes with age.

[Lee DeRaud]

I don't have first hand experience, but on NYW, Norm has used cypress on a number of shows where he states specifically that its a good alternative to teak.

I think that was referring to its weather/rot resistant properties, not its appearance though.

[Matt P]

Afromosia is a teak substitute.. check google..


http://www.woodworkerssource.net/Mer...Code=Afromosia