Which wood to use for garden furniture?

[GEM]

Which is the best wood to use to make garden furniture?
...and which is the most appropriate according to quality and price :)

Thanks
James.

[Sommerwood]

Hi my hubby is a cabinet maker / carpenter and have just asked him his 'expert' opinion on this for you. He says the best wood to use would be
'Jatoba' but this is quite expensive. He said 'Sapele' would be the cheaper option that he would recommend which is apparently cheap at the moment. Your normal run off the mill pine would not be would not really be suitable as requires a lot more 'upkeep'. Oak would be ok but would be priced between Jatoba and Sapele.

Hope that is some help!?:)

[GEM]

Naming two woods that I have never heard of is definately a great help, thanks. Does he happen to know if it's stocked at most timber merchants?

James.

[Sommerwood]

A proper timber merchant may stock them ,or may be able to order them for you if not. You wouldn't get them in somewhere like B&Q or those sort of places.:)

[MissH]

Hello there,

In terms of strength and durability, Teak wood is by far the best for making garden furniture. It is slightly more expensive than more readily available timbers, however when you take into consideration that teak garden furniture can, with the right maintenance, last for decades then it really is excellent value for money.

Most benches you find in public parks are made from teak, because it really does last no matter what weather conditions you throw at it, this is also why it is the timber of choice when it comes to building boats.

Also there is a common misconception that you need to oil teak to maintain it. This simply is not true. Teak is such a low maintenance wood that it does not require oiling (unless you wish to do so for cosmetic reasons), and will weather to an attractive silver grey colour if left untreated by oils and stains.

In fact, when you do oil teak you need to do so constantly every 6 to 8 months otherwise it may get mildew.

Hope that helps!

Miss H

[Beadsage]

Good advice Miss H, but remember this is a craft forum - I've deleted your signature block because of this. We do not 'do' company information. :) Welcome by the way. :)

[Works-in-Wood]

Depends who it's for, ie: are you going to sell it or is it just something cheap and cheerful for yourself.
Best thing would be Teak/Iroko/Oak - the first two are dubious in most cases because of their sustainabilitiy and extremely hazardous to most people who machine them for prolonged periods. Oak - particularly 'green' Oak, ie: not completely dried, doesn't have to be too expensive, is long lasting and has an added value factor.
On the other hand, if it's purely for yourself and you want it cheap - Pine, easily obtainable carcassing timber ...and look after it !! ......or if you've got a good local sawmill and can get Cedar - that's excellent, but will still take some upkeep.

Chris.