what timber

[Brian Anderson]

After a year of reading a threads in this forum and being inspired by the work of many people I have decided its time i got a mill and started milling and making my own stuff.

 

Im quite keen on making a mix of furniture for indoors and out so i would like to know the best timbers to use where. I have several nice ash butts and several people asking for picnic benches so would the ash be good for this?

[Treegeek]

I would save the ash for on indoor application personally and plumb for softwood for cheap version or oak for more pricey version

[agg221]

After a year of reading a threads in this forum and being inspired by the work of many people I have decided its time i got a mill and started milling and making my own stuff.

 

Im quite keen on making a mix of furniture for indoors and out so i would like to know the best timbers to use where. I have several nice ash butts and several people asking for picnic benches so would the ash be good for this?

 

In my opinion, no. Ash is not naturally durable and any piece which tends by design to have flat, horizontal surfaces exposed outside is likely to end up with lying water. This will end up in surface checks and hence you tend to get fairly rapid rot setting in. You can overcome inherent water traps by good design - something well known to joiners in previous generations which is why so many 19th century and earlier wooden windows still survive (although admittedly they did have more stable timber than was used in the 1960s/70s).

 

You can overcome this by regular treatment with something water repellant (oils and waxes), sealing (e.g. varnish) and/or fungicidal, but it's not ideal.

 

'Best' is subjective, but outdoors oak, sweet chestnut and cedar are durable (as is yew if you feel so inclined) and robinia is extremely durable.

 

Indoors, whatever you like really. Some things are harder, others softer, some lighter, redder, darker, more pronounced grain etc. but they all have their uses - some things are in fashion and others aren't, but if it's for your own use that doesn't make much odds.

 

Alec

[Brian Anderson]

Well i think the ash will be saved for something else.

Over the years i have seen so much good wood been left to rot or used as firewood and with the advice of you guys it will save me putting time and effort into something for that to be wasted.

Think i will get another good through some of these threads and get a better understanding of the types of woods and there uses.

Thank you for your comments

[TGB]

No comments on the garden furniture. However, if you come across canoeists, (and I don't mean kayakers) a favoured wood for thwarts, seats & wooden gunwales is ash. Its even grain and ability to slightly twist but spring back, is much sought after. A simply shaped & lightly sanded 80cm x 10cm x 2.5cm piece for a thwart, usually goes for £8 - £10 posted. If you bought on from a shop, it could cost up to £25.

 

The paddler will then cut to final length, drill and treat before fitting. A 100cm x 12.5cm x 4cm for shaping into a carrying yoke, ranges from £15 for a planed blank, to between £20 and £70+ for shaped deep dish yoke. Gunwales run to £50+ for two times 4.8m x 2.5cm cm x 2cm planed. 5.2m in length would be a bit more. The paddler will then shape, drill, treat & cut to final length, as they fit to their particular canoe.

 

Thwarts and yoke are normally posted but gunwales are normally collected. There's not that many people in GB doing wooden gunwales, so people are prepared to collect. Just one thing to remember. Paddlers will not buy or fit thwarts, yokes or gunwales that are twisted even slightly. It makes fitting a nightmare and leads to premature failure at points of contact.

 

 

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Edited March 3, 2013 by TGB