Ash, White Oak, or Western Cedar?

[Dave Tinley]

I would vote for white oak also. It holds up real well in an outside enviroment.
But I like the look of Cypress. If you can get some of it you cant go wrong.

Now if you want something that is almost industructable, try post oak.
Its very heavy, and very dense. And as I understand it the cival war ship Monitor was made out of it and it resisted cannonballs and still floated.

Dave

[Brandon Shew]

Not much besides teak or ipe weathers well for decades without some protection IME.

That pretty much summs it up. Mother nature puts a beating on everything. UV from the sun combined with moisture and temperature swings will eventually destroy just about anything. As much as I hate to say it, a Teak or Ipe outdoor set can last a lifetime with minimal care. Anything else and you'll be re-doing it in 5-10 years.

I would have suggested Cedar as well as I have 60 year old cedar shake on my house that has weathered extremely well, but it's too soft for furniture.

Expensive hurts once, cheap hurts every time you use it.

[Dewey Torres]

I am considering White oak, but I read white oak splits after time.

If you finish the piece correctly, it will be a LONG LONG time before you see splits. By that time you may find that you have gotten enough use from it and are are ready to improve upon your design anyway. My .02
Dewey

[Cary Swoveland]

Alaska yellow cedar is another possibility. Stronger and less splintery than red cedar.

Cary

[julie Graf]

Locust is no joy to mill either

i have not (yet) milled locust - what's the downsides? i was thinking of building a a gardening table out of it for the backyard - it's a local wood and know a mill i where i can get it.

[Dave Lindstrom]

It's not ungodly expensive, or heavy, and works really well, with hand or power tools. Try it--you'll like it.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

As much as I use Cedar I'd have to say for a table I'd use White Oak. It will hold up very well over time.

[Lee Schierer]

Anything I have ever done with Western Red Cedar has held up well, but requires yearly maintenance. And it is soft and not structurally very strong.

This may be sacrilege, but has anyone built any outdoor furniture from the trex or similar product? I'm considering some adirondacks. It is heavy enough to stay put, easy to machine, and on the pattern at Woodcraft (hardboard templates), the widest stock required is 5.5" which would work out well with the 5/4 deck material. I know the structure of a table, and perhaps the benches would need to be pressure treated or some other stock, but it should work fine for chairs, etc.

Please don't excommunicate me, or withdraw my SMC privileges if this thought is too offensive!?!

There are several stores in this area offering tables, benches and chairs made from synthetic lumber type materials. They seem to have sources for 2 x materials which don't show up in any of the lumber yards.

[Chris Padilla]

I made an out door shower out of Port Orford cedar and its held up pretty well. That is one of the nicest smelling woods I have ever cut. Seems a bit stronger than Western Red Cedar but I'm not sure. Has a cool 'glow' when its new that turns a dull silver in my area with age. Not at all cheap here on the east coast.

POC smells wonderful as you mill it and is definately stronger, sweeter smelling than its cousin, WRC. I've been knee-deep in WRC for a month now working on my gate. Love the smell, hate how easily dinged up the cedar gets as I move things around....

[Joseph N. Myers]

i have not (yet) milled locust - what's the downsides? i was thinking of building a a gardening table out of it for the backyard - it's a local wood and know a mill i where i can get it.

Julie,

I've build a lot of outdoor stuff out of white oak and it really works well! That said, I've also used locust and actually like it better. It is a little harder to mill but not that much more than white oak. And it doesn't require any finishing, just a little sanding brings out a "soft" glow. And it will last forever --- you've seen the fences around PA, farms, Gettysburg, etc., they are made out of locust an been around 300 - 400 years.

Again a little hard to mill and sometimes hard to find in the different sizes.
You probably will not find it kiln dried but it air dries pretty quickly. Ask the mill for "previously" cut stock.

Cost can also be an issue but being in western PA, you shouldn't have much of a problem. Around here, eastern PA, would expect to pay around $1.50 bd ft, white oak, around $2.50 bd ft.

(BTW, how do you tell white oak from red oak? Both have thin black "threads" in them. The length of them in red oak are rarely longer than 3/4", in white oak upwards to 2". And for not aware of it, white oak can be used outside, red oak it terrible outside).

HTH, Joe