Best Outdoor Wood? Teak, Cedar, something else?!
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- So you want to build an outdoor wood project and don't know which wood to choose? Never fear, we get asked this question all the time! I'm in the process of making a new patio table for myself, so I decided to pass along my secrets to building outdoor wood furniture.
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Chapters
00:00 Welcome
00:33 Best Outdoor Woods
01:15 What's up with Teak?
02:12 Teak alternatives
02:57 A note on longevity
03:24 Let's build an outdoor table
05:25 Tips when building outdoor furniture
07:49 Which finish to use
08:47 Finishing my table
09:19 What's teak oil?
10:14 Thanks for watching!
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Bois d'arc.
It's plentiful, beautiful, and bulletproof durable.
Best outdoors? Ipe. Coney Island boardwalk was made out of Ipe and lasted decades even when exposed to salt water and stampede like traffic. Crazy dense wood. Make sure your have sharp or new blades.
True, I build decks out of it in Ontario Canada.
Awesome video! Love the shot of Teak, Iroko & Afromosia getting dripped on with that Walrus Oil. Informative video as always, quality job gentelmen!
Beautiful design. Also I love how chill this dude is, pretty relaxing compared to the carnival sideshow that is CZcams
*inserts The Greatest Showman soundtrack *
You did my heart good by the amount of finish you used. I see so many using the finish sparingly and not really getting and good depth of finish in the woods. Thank you for all your videos.
Another great video Mark. Packed with great info. Thank you for sharing. 👍🏻
Ah, Mark, I never cease to be in awe of you and your woodworking knowledge and ability. Another great video.
Thank you Andy 👍👍
Love how that table turned out and thanks for the helpful information about good choices for outdoor wood and finishes!
As usual, excellent video and very informative. Thanks for producing all the videos you do, they’re a tremendous resource for novice woodworkers like myself!!
Love the table. Also the explanations!
Mark,
Thanks for the video, I've been watching for a few years. I do appreciate your passion and teaching style.
1st time watching your video and it was not only informative but also fun and carefree, so subscribed immediately! Thank you for a wonderful video, plus I love that table so much that I'm going to build it.
That is an awesome design. Always love watching your videos. Can’t wait for the next one. I’ve been watching all your species specials or whatever you call them. If I’m ever in the area I’ll stop by!
I may need to take a trip to the US to try and get some of that beautiful roasted oak. Feels wrong to say it but that red oak looks amazing!
Worse things have happened 😎
Hi, another very interesting outdoor wood is black locust. While somewhat difficult to work with, black locust is very rot resistant, hard and strong. Plus it’s a “weed” tree most people are happy to get rid of.
The finish came out great! Wonderful project and very informative video!
Thanks Mark, really nice project!
I have been buying wood from yall for just over a year and only had 1 piece of hard maple that was cracked. Love your videos and your woods
Hey Drew! if you ever get a board that won’t work for you, let customer service know and we can work out a solution one way or another 👍👍👍
Gorgeous table Mark!
Very nice . Thanks for sharing. You are a fantastic educator.
I learn so much about wood from your videos Mark thanks as always. No plans? When can I get a hat lol
Woo! We’ve got them available at our website 😎
Great topic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
great video Mark - Thanks
Love the angles you ripped on the sides of the slats. Nice touch!
I love the angled cuts on those slats. And as always, thanks for the info on woods!
Agreed! Looks classy!
10 degrees, I watched the video again and it shows the angle set on the saw.
🙏🙏🙏
Great idea 💡 👍 👏
I have a 50 y/o table in my backyard in Michigan, and it's clear redwood. Other than greying out, and some squirrel toothmarks from digging seeds from the cracks, it's in excellent condition.
Wow ,,amazing..awasome.!!
Super Idee
und Klasse umgesetzt
This was really excellent information presented so effectively. I especially appreciate the emphasis on outdoor durability and finishes!
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it
I built a deck from ipe and it came out fantastic. You must seal the end grain though.
Awesome Mark brother, great video. I really enjoy the detail in each step you went through. Nicely done, once I get into a better spot financially, I'll be placing an order for sure, and I can't wait. I digress, I really just wanted to say that you're videos are very informative. Had a lot of really great information. Great work, how you went through each step, picking material, picking glue, building, finish, the all the way around video start to finish in under ten min. Awesome my friend. Alright sorry about the novel! Keep it up! Till next time. Take care!
Here in Souther California the biggest thing is to protect from UV rays damaging everything, we have just had rain for a few days and it’s a really big deal. Lol
These days I'd pick an outdoor wood species that is most related to your region. For instance in the south I'd use cypress because it'll be easier and cheaper to obtain and weather nicely in the region of origin.
Thank you, great clip full of info.
Thank you 😇
I’ve been using thermally modified (poplar, red oak, ash) and I’m really impressed. I plan on using it for the exterior of my home at some point. Can’t say enough good things about it.
Ive found that more basic joints tend to last longest outdoors, dowels, or even screws. Mortise and tenons tend to rot around the joint and their not really salvageable after that and they have to be filled or rebuilt. Dowels can just be knocked back in or replaced, same with screws
Mark a nice outdoor table--have you got plans for it
wish I had something more respectable than what you see in the drawing at 3:45 in the video. Pretty much worked out the nitty gritty as we went.
Great videos. Always enjoy and learn something from them. Kudos!
Thanks for watching👍👍
Thank you 😊
Thanks!
Super Storm Sandy blew up the Long Beach Long Island Boardwalk. The rebuild selection was IPE. The wood is dense...won't float....if another Super Storm rolls in and undoes the Boardwalk, the wood will sink in place or close by and can be reused to build the boardwalk back. Thanks for the video. You've got this figured out.
I’ve inherited a Burma teak bench from my great grandparents. Its over 100 years old, made of very rare Burmese teak and its still going fairly strong, its still in use at least. After scrubbing all the algae off and adding a brace underneath using a scrap piece of oak and then some osmo exterior oil. It looks great! Fairly solid when sitting on it, joints are still pretty loose though since they’ve weathered away over the years. Teak sure is a winner though! Amazing!
Roasted oak really looks nice!
Hey that looks good
Hey Mark, did you put together a design plan for that table? I really like it and I'd like to try making it if that's okay with you.
Painted Wood.... Yep. Hoping my patio box stays together. Went cheap as possible. Then trimmed, caulked, painted to increase its water resistance.
Personally I LOVE Penofin. I have a Mahogany front door which I finished with Penofin Ipe oil. Looks amazing, has UV protection and after a very cold and wet PNW winter it still glimmers and looks amazing. It is a bit pricey but well worth it!
Love the table!
Great content and presentation. Wondering why Paulownia did not make the list? Great wood, does not rot and easy to work with.
The design of that table is rad.
Thanks for this great video! I love the table I might make some myself! If I was in Arizona (one day) I would start today… but I’ll save for spring in NJ… gross here now!
Good looking table!
You’re the best! Thx
My favorite outdoor furniture timber is Silver Ash from Australia. It turns grey, as most unimproved timbers are, but there is a feature about that timber that is not shared amongst ordinary wood. Silver Ash develops a metallic sheen that is wonderful. It adds depth to that timber that cannot be beat. Teak, Birdseye Maple and Champher Laurel have the same effect. They do not easily rot, and are immune to wood borers. Shipwrights know of these beautiful timbers.
Instead of epoxy for capping the end grain on the bottom of the legs, have you considered CA glue? I often use thin CA glue to saturate the end grain and have had good luck with that technique. My thought for using it is that it actually absorbs into the structure of the wood from the ends which would prevent in my mind the water from seeping in that same area.
That would have been a better way to go. Much faster for sure! Thanks.
@@WoodworkersSourcecom wouldn't it have been better to have the bottom piece go under the vertical pieces? Not that the table is going to be holding a lot of weight, but it just seems logical to have the weight be transferred to the bottom "plate" rather than straight to the ground. Either way though, some sort of "foot" pad to go on the corners to keep the whole thing off the ground would be a must.
Love the look of the table, though. Both the design and the wood choice. Very cool.
Now that is a good idea
@@awlthatwoodcrafts8911 yes, that would have been way better.
Cool vid.
Yuppp teak is great but there are about 10+ types of Teak and its not cheap. If its lower grade Teak, its not all that great for the price, its just the Tree name your paying for. Burmese Teak A - heart wood...that's the good stuff, it has a great strong distinct aromatic scent to it. Its also the kind used for Yachts because of its natural oily wax that repels water from the ocean and rain. That grey has a mold to it and needs to be scrubbed off more than people think, its just alot of work. Its tough wood to hurt. Gluing it is tricky.
I got tired of being told alot of furniture was made of " Teak " and it wasn't or it was very low grade Teak. I Have not seen too much Burmese Teak furniture, but there is alot of Indonesian Teak stuff around. Why people Stain it... is stupid.... it hides the natural beauty of it. Once stained...anything can be Teak.
White rustic Oak is also a very good outdoor alternative. White oak is used for wine Barrels, boats and ships and on the USS Constitution ( Old Ironside ), where the cannon balls would bounce off because of the toughness of the Oak.
I've been building live edge slab furniture (mostly outdoor pieces) with California Incense-cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) for 25 years. I either leave it raw or use Minwax tongue oil finish. This wood is soft, but if you use all heartwood, it lasts many years. I've also built a lot of pieces using heart Redwood, and it also lasts a very long time and can be left raw. Leaving either of these woods raw will allow natural weathering to turn them grey. After about three years the pieces look like driftwood found on a beach. For hardwood try Locust. This wood is so hard that when I mill it, I typically go through a regular Woodmizer blade on one log. It has so many natural preservatives in it that settlers made their fence posts and rails from them. I read somewhere that Abe Lincoln used to split locust fence rails and posts by hand as a job when he was young. It is quite beautiful, and leaving it raw or just hand-rubbed with a light penetrating oil is all that it is needed.
I'm a repeat customer. In fact, I recently purchased some African Mahogany as my first big-boy hardwood project. A 3' by 5' Cross for the Church. And it came out nice, if I do say so myself. Next up is the wine rack. I wish you were a YT'er instead of a HW dealer 😁 You have a great way of presenting the information and *clearly* chock full of knowledge. Love your company, love your videos.
Haha! Well we keep making vids because it helps us sell wood 😇😉
I've had great success building outdoor stuff using Siberian larch.
Here in Sweden larch is very reasonable priced compared to the alternatives.
Finished with outdoor rated tung oil it looks pretty good, but as usual it needs to be reapplied regularly.
Try Pennsylvania Larch. Bug resistant and holds up outside. Amish have been using it a long time.
You should also try Vitex / Molave wood.
its also called as Malayan Teak, Pacific Teak, New Guinea Teak, etc.
its native in south east asia.
Most Indonesian wood workers now mostly working with this wood rather than using Teak, because old teak just getting hard to find the price getting higher.
this also came from same family with Teak.
its durable and dense
spar urethane is a really good coat for outdoor stuff, I made a little ramp from the concrete of the back porch down to the grass for my mom cuz she doesn't handle steps very well. I live in Florida and it's position right underneath the edge of the roof means when it rains it comes down like a waterfall on the ramp and after a year on the grass in the Florida humidity, rain and sun it looks and is as sturdy as the day it finished drying. it's made outta some live oak from a tree I cut down in the woods out back. if I had the money though I would have made it outta Ipe or Brazilian tigerwood for the looks although the live oak looks nice too
Great video as always! I would like to see for the more exotic species is a discussion of the reactions that you can develop from the dust and exposure to them. The last teak project I worked on was probably 20 years ago (a gift for my father in law’s boat). What I didn’t realize is that teak is a sensitizer. For me I got a allergic reaction that developed over the course of the time that I was working with the wood. By the time I finished the project I had to wear gloves taped up to a long sleeve shirt and wear a respirator because I was breaking out from the dust. Teak is notorious for this as I found out later. Can you comment on the potential for sensitivities for the other species? Thanks!
Oof ... that sucks ... really lost for words, other than I hope you find a work around that allows you to enjoy this hobby. I learned to focus on other things to ... Squirrel!
I have thermowood Ash (thermo essen) on my facade. Which naturally greys completely after a few years. It is a soft wood made suitable for the outdoors.
I wish Black Locust would get more love. It's another great wood for outdoor projects.
Another wood to use for outdoor projects is goncalo alves - usually called tigerwood in the US. It is used for decks quite a bit. It's super durable and dense - not as dense as ipe, but nearly so. A deck made from tigerwood will weather and turn gray, but will last on the order of 25 years, or even more, if the end grain is sealed properly. If it is cared for, re-stained every few years, and the end grain kept sealed, it should last several decades. It is really heavy, so if you use it to make outdoor furniture, it isn't going to be easy to move around, but it will last a long, long time and look great. Because it is so dense, many stains will not penetrate the wood. Penofin stain/protectant made for tigerwood works well, and it's just about the only finish I would trust for it. I had bad, bad experiences with other stains on my tigerwood deck.
I like Cypress or swamp oak. They're both relatively stable in rain
Ever tried marsh water glass approach for outdoor wood furniture ... Sodium silicate, with lavender oil, Tea tree oil, Jojoba oil, Citronella oil, methylated spirits & silicon? I'm told it's a thing down south in the marsh area's.
What about Ekki, this wood is rot resistance, very durable and has good resistance to insect attack. It also
takes 50 years to season and is used in new Lock Gates in the UK canal system.
If you are actually wanting the best wood for outdoor furniture it wasn't even included on your list. You are looking at Osage Orange (also known as hedge). Granted this is not typically able to be sourced from many lumber yards. However its natural properties have resistance to rot, bugs, mold, etc... Osage orange has a stunning look as well.
Likewise, black Locust
Correction. “The best wood you can actually buy”
Woodworkers Source regrets the error 😎😎
Beautiful table and Thank you for showing how to build. I have a question: Can you use Tung Oil? Thanks
Acid treated wood (otherwise known as acetylated wood, sold as Accoya) lasts as well as anything
Spruce is by far the cheapest. It is also by weight the ultimate carbon fiber. Plus in wet areas as the coast of scandinavia, it is the main wood used. And, surprise, surprice, it is outside. As all wood it need dry periods. In tropical climate, soak the end grain in kerosene.
Teakwood one of the best wood to invest in
As always, a great video with fair presentation of _factual information_ avoiding slant based on your business, or general speculative throwaway opinion. Thank you. I've worked with marine architecture and fittings from ocean cruise ships down to small coastal boats, and yes, Teak really should be stopped from being used. Much the same could be said of Iroko and many others on the list, but that's a whole other conversation. Regrading Titebond II/III. Titebond II is not for direct water contact, and I've always termed it "porch" or for workpieces that see outdoor environmental moisture but not in direct contact. Out of the rain and snow. III is still not entirely waterproof, but works very well with direct water contact. In addition, it's made to be more flexible to allow for wood movement in reaction to environmental moisture. II also, but less so. Here in Europe I always go to the spec sheets, or going by known standards like "D3" glue, etc. I love Owatrol D1 and D2 as finishes....D1 is a penetrating marine oil and D2 is a compatible building finish for marine.
I should probably point out that I would never use Titebond on marine....haha! Epoxies, two-part phenolics, etc. Terrible for health, but just incredible performance as marine adhesives.
Good info! Thanks.
Come on Tristan. Don’t just toss out that Teak and most of the other woods on the list shouldn’t be used. Why ? Give us a list of good woods to use. I know here in the US we have plenty of Red and White Oak
@@RayRay-tw6gv I don't think the average home gamer (which I am also, outside of work!) shouldn't use them, since we aren't really the drivers of unsustainable practice and indiscriminate harvesting to satisfy worldwide demand. The industrial marine end of things I come from (literally big six figures in Teak per month, many cubic metres in large gauges) in cruise ship and super yacht outfitting and that sort of level of high-cash demand definitely is. Any sort of process to reproduce the properties and look of Teak in sustainable materials would be a literal money printer. I've even been involved in projects exploring that (albeit not the ones I think have the highest chances of success, the biochemical end of the game is where that's at) but even then, big indiscriminate money will continue to get real Teak one way or another until the species just fails. Without starting that discussion, think "Rosewood, China, CITES Appendix II debacle" for an example. Just don't get used to it if you do use them, because they're not forever woods. White Oak is a great wood if you do the necessary design work to prevent ingress and pooling, and have a good maintenance schedule. The same goes for common domestics like Larch, etc. Exotics and special imports do create an "eyes bigger than our belly" desire issue that we're just too comfortable with.
Where did you bet the table you are working on, or should I say where is there a plan available? Awesome small table data. Thank you for sharing.
9:30 - Teak oil isn't from the teak tree. It is just a name for the product similar to Danish oil. It would be a combination of drying oils.
Great video. You now have a new subscriber.
I’m making an Adirondack chair out of Spanish and Western Red cedar. I’m only using the Spanish because of the cost of WR. Is this ok? What other wood would you recommend?
I’m going to use a home made combination of Mineral Spirits, Linseed oil and wax, followed by a sealer. I’d like your thoughts on this.
I will seriously consider your recommendations.
Thanks,
Paul
Hola...hermosos acabados que das a la madera...una pregunta y si usara la cera FEED AND WAX DE HOWARD me serviría para exterior?... mi plan es ponerle a una casita que hice para mi perro, ponerle aceite de teka de WATCO y luego podría poner el FEED AND WAX para no tener que gastar en el HOWARD para exteriores?...Muchas gracias!!!!
Hi. Thanks for doing these useful videos. I have a question - my new entrance door has been made of solid wood, but I need to finish it with nice walnut for outside and white colour for inside. I know you have used Danish Oil for walnut before, but what would be the best finish for exterior side? It won't be exposed to rain or snow, but to hot/cold temperatures.
Except for the sanding and the UV protector do these tips apply to a shower stool as well?
How often do you expect to have to refinish the tables and what is involved with that using the oil finish you used? Stripping the old finish first, etc?
I live just down I-10 from your Tucson store in Cochise county. You sold me all the hardwoods to make all of the cabinetry and moldings when building our home a few years ago and I am gearing up to build an outdoor table for my Big Green Egg BBQ grill in the next couple months. My plan was to just use SPAR varnish, but I absolutely HATE working with it! If the option you used is easier and will hold up to the AZ sun at 5000 feet...
Mark........looking at the video, I noticed you were wearing a respirator while handling and applying the wood finish. Were you using something more than just a dust mask? So I'm curious about what safety measures you undertook with that highly volatile stuff? The SDS for the material carries a lot of precautions: avoiding breathing fumes, ventilation, avoiding skin contact, avoiding eye contact, and handling of contaminated clothing. I have two tables built and now am ready to apply finish; thus the question about safety. Thanks.
Hmmm. Roasted oak. I’m going to have to look into this. Did you do a video on that before or no? Your project looks great.
Yep, here ya go: czcams.com/video/TdJCdcCe-ro/video.html
That table looks great! Not my style with the angles but great construction, great final color and I love the slats. Thanks for the vid.
One question: was the choice to go with oak purely because you're familiar with it, color, and it's relatively inexpensive or are there some performance benefits over the others you had?
Great question. Honestly I just like the color.
Iron wood also called Ipe.
What product would be best to seal a "dark red meranti wood" outdoor planter box in a wet climate?
Can you explain the adhesive and fastener choice? Unusual for woodworking but I'm assuming there was a logic to it
Black locust is the best outdoor wood of all
What’s an inexpensive outdoor friendly for chairs?
Iroko is super sensitizer. I used to get sick every time mill and breath the dust. At least for me. I wouldn’t ever use it again.
Very nice Mark, I have had good luck using Teak oil on my outdoor builds I live in the northeast so our summers are short but I have a bench I built 25+yrs ago & I just re coat it every couple years. My next project is to build 2 outdoor rocking chairs, Do you have any 6/4 or 8/4 stock I only need enough for both curved legs the rest I can use 4/4. Thanks
6/4 and 8/4 yes, in many types of wood but not all
Over time when the painted wood contracts and expands will this cause the dried paint to crack?
You didn't mention acacia wood. There's lots of imported outdoor furniture on the market that use acacia. Much less expensive than most of the other woods. Wikipedia cites two million hectares of commercial plantations have been established.
I want to see someone make an outdoor chair with Lignum Vitae. No one would have one on their channel.
Have you ever heard or worked with black locust? I was told it's great for exterior use. But I haven't been able to get my hands on any yet.
@@Magoover1 that doesn't sound like a fun type of wood to work with.
What woods are best for boat building?
Loving your content man! Do you ever do anything with spalted maple or other spalted woods? I am looking to get some spalted maple and making wall panels out of them. Do you guys sell any spalted wood in 1/4” thickness?
It's been a long time since we've had it (consistent supply of it is hard to find). Check out ambrosia maple, though!
@@WoodworkersSourcecom thank you, I will check it out. Do you guys have it in 1/4 “ thickness?
Hi Mark, do you ship your wood also to my door? In Germany?
No, just a joke. Nice wood in your shop. Its really hard to find such wood here in europe. You all can call yourself lucky for such a beautifull selection of wood in the US. Even the european species of walnut and oak a most lame in color and structure compared to you local species. And its way more expensive...
But great videos, thanks, keep going!
I would gladly hand deliver to Germany in exchange for an adventure in the mountains or an adventure in a sports car😇😇😇
@@WoodworkersSourcecom Sorry, don't own a sportscar, and don't live near any hill or even mountain, like a pan where i live, lot of woods and fields, but flat like a sheet of mdf.
So nothing to offer, but thx anyway.... 😉
@@tinom.2455 Local beer maybe?
What’s your take on using chinese elm?
Osage should be on that list.
Good call