Timber For Bench

[bob.smithson]

We bought one of those garden benches the other year that comprise wooden slats about 4ft long bolted to metal end sections that also form the arms and legs. I'll be honest: it hasn't been looked after and many of the slats are rotten and broken. It was cheap and in a sale and we have probably had our money's worth, but the metal parts are still in good nick and I'm wondering about replacing the slats. I know it probably doesn't make sense economically but I don't like just chucking things out.

Anyway the original wood looked like some kind of hardwood and there were two sizes used: these were about 55 x 16 mm and about 35 x 16 mm. The nearest match I can find that is easily accessible to me would be softwood. Would this be suitable if I gave it a good soaking in preserver and painted it with a good outdoor furniture preservative (and if so, what?). It will stay outside all year but we have a cover we can use over winter. Otherwise, is there any particular type of wood I ought to look for?

Thanks. ~~ Bob

[andrew]

Looks an ideal project for milling from some older coppice sweet chestnut.

AJH

[Bob Minchin]

I'm in the middle of doing this job too. I'm using reclaimed iroko from old school furniture. Supposed to be a 'poor mans' teak

Bob

[Adrian C]

Amazing, I've got the same type of bench and was about to post the same request to this newsgroup ...

Wood recomendations for me as well, sweet chestnut sounds like it will be difficult to get from my local builders merchant?

Iroko?

[meow2222]

Very doable. Redwood would be better than spruce, and of course more expensive durable timbers even better.

[andrew]

readily available from a local coppice worker in the south though, mind seasoning and machining it will involve a little diy. Personally I'd use it green but the iron work will need protecting.

AJH

[The Natural Philosopher]

16mm is about 'hardwood flooring' size.

I've got loads of nice oak that thick.. actually latch and brace door stuff, but you can rip it down.

Possibly a tougher wood than the Iroko.

[The Medway Handyman]

I've got three of those benches, two chairs & a table on my deck. Must be 8 years old easily, left out in all weathers. No rot, nothing broken, seems in first class nick all round. B& Q offer.

Mine appear to be teak, but I doubt if they are. They are hardwood. Not sure if softwood would take the weight?

[RW]

^^^^^^^^

Too many pies Dave??

;-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Its the OP's slats that have broken, mine are OK - so we should ask the question "who ate all the pies?"

[meow2222]

Softwood's fine weight wise. Its actually more comfortable as it bends slightly to suit the rear. Last time I did this I used what would fit in, which made the slats a few mm thicker rather than as per original.

NT

[Andy Dingley]

You need to find something better.

Best option all round is probably some of the most resinuous larch you can find. Any half-decent timber merchant will have this, and it's cheap. This is the minimum level you should find before you're satisfied.

My favourite, as already mentioned, would be sweet chestnut. This is a UK hardwood that's noted for its rot resistance - it's often used to make fence rails, just laid bare on the posts. NB _sweet_ chestnut, not horse chestnut. It's no real use for furniture, so it's pretty cheap. It's quite regional though, so it's easier to find around the Home Counties than 'oop North. You might even find it coppiced locally, which is best of all for sustainability. A much under-rated timber for outdoor work.

I don't use tropicals, unless I'm recycling. Iroko would be good, although new Iroko is a pig for twisting when you rip it, which might be a problem for thin slats.

I wouldn't use oak in thin slats, even though I've tons of it as scrapwood.

Treating rot-prone timber with noxious goop doesn't work worth a damn, compared to using somethign rot-resistant to begin with.

Nameless builder's merchant "softwood" won't last more than a couple of years.

[Frank Erskine]

I suppose the thing to look out for is lack of knots, which will seriously weaken your slats.

[bob.smithson]

Thanks for the helpful comments and to everyone else who replied.

I should have said at the outset that I'm no woodworker and the only way this will get done is if I can find something that's already a reasonable match in terms of size.

I'll try venturing to some proper timber merchants as it does sound like a hardwood would be best.

Thanks ~~ Bob

[stuart noble]

The merchant will cut it to size for you but the basic cost of hardwood may be a shock. Last time I looked it was cheaper to but a new self assembly bench and just use the slats

[meow2222]

yes, thats why I discounted the hardwood option. That leaves you with either a new bench, softwood or garden wood. Leylandii are reasonably durable, but it sounds like you wouldnt want to cut anything, so a new bench.

Even if you buy softwood cut to length (and it can be whatever length suits you within reason) you'll still need to drill them all. The one good news is you can forget about countersinking the holes, just use what are they called, bolts with shallow rounded heads.

NT

[bob.smithson]

I don't mind doing a bit of drilling, sanding, cutting to length etc., so I'm not *completely* useless. But neither my my skills nor my toolkit are up to anything much more than this - e.g. having to cut them to size along the length or doing a lot of planing etc.

~~ Bob

[meow2222]

Well, with an axe or meat cleaver maybe you could add splitting a felled conifer to that list.

NT