which timber for cast iron park bench rebuild?

[JimK]

Cast iron bench ends,(3 - one in middle)

What timber to use for "slats" for low/no maintenance?

I envisage finished bench being 8ft long, so what size timbers should I use?

TIA

Jim K

[Andrew Mawson]

Oak - oak - oh did I mention Oak ... :) - it's strong, doesn't rot easily, doesn't need treating and looks good as it ages to a silver colour.

I'm in the process of re-doing a 5 foot bench but am luckily in the possession of some old oak beams released from my recent(ish) house refurbishment, and have a large saw bench and planer. As for size, it is usually dictated by the cast iron ends - certainly mine has sockets so the number and size is pre-ordained.

Andrew

[JimK]

/ Oak - oak - oh did I mention Oak ... :) - it's strong, doesn't rot easily , doesn't need treating and looks good as it ages to a silver colour.

I'm in the process of re-doing a 5 foot bench but am luckily in the possess ion of some old oak beams released from my recent(ish) house refurbishment, and have a large saw bench and planer. As for size, it is usually dictated by the cast iron ends - certainly mine has sockets so the number and size is pre-ordained./q

Oak eh? Mmm

On your bench is there just left & right "ends" & nothing in middle? What size will your slats be? My castings are :bolt down thru timber" style and are bare at mo so no idea of what section to aim for....

Cheers Jim K

[Dave Liquorice]

Teak is what my late grandfathers bench has as slats. Recovered from a couple of lengths of old laboratory bench. Slats are about 3 x 1" and 4 to 5' long supported at the ends only. Held in place by stainless nuts, bolts and washers.

Said bench has been outside since I made it up sometime between 1985 and 1995. It has weathered to a lovely silver and I'm now in two minds about sanding it down and oiling it. The weathered surface is sound, ie it has not gone "fluffy" but the weather up here is rather more extreme than suburban Birmingham where it spent 20 odd years outside. Stainless bolts etc also means that apart from the weathering it's in excellent condition.

[Peter Crosland]

Oak or oak.

[Andrew Mawson]

Yes mine have just the two ends - nothing in the middle and the previous slats seem to have been 2" wide by 1.25" thick which is what I will aim for as a finished size. These bench ends were in our local tips 'recycling shop' and bought for a tenner - all the original timber was long gone but where it has been has left forensic marks letting me deduce the size.

In my fairly rustic situation I think oak is far superior cosmetically to teak and teak lookalikes but in an urban setting I'd have no problem with them.

Andrew

[stuart noble]

As bench slats have a good circulation of air around them, you could use a decent quality softwood. Lasts forever if it's not sitting in water

[Tim Lamb]

8'0 sounds a bit excessive unless the slats overhang the supports.

[Dave Liquorice]

That's part of the reason for not rubbing down and oiling my well weathered teak bench. The dark red of new teak will be "out of place".

I may well leave it but it doesn't seem right having no proection/treatment on bare timber outside. There again it's done 20 odd years already...

[stuart noble]

IME nothing whatever is the best finish to prolong the life of timber outdoors

[Dave Liquorice]

Hum, that doesn't appear to apply to the softwood frames down the side of the carport, nice grey, fluffy and rotten.

The softwood gates are doing well but they are a nice pale green from CCA. B-)

[Adrian]

Which it quite probably will be where the wood meets the frame.

[Adrian]

Both of these-style bench ends that I've got have a metal bar going from end to end under the seat base, about 6-9" above the ground. It's fairly necessary for strength, I think - and they're only about 4-5' long.

[Martin Brown]

Provided that you have the patience to work with it opepe.

It is slightly springy practically indestructible in a wet environment and lasts pretty well in very aggresive chemical environments.

Be aware though that it has to be treated like a metal it is hard and brittle. You cannot nail it at all and you have to give some thought to getting the right physical properties for a comfortable seat. It is quite difficult to work with so be sure you are up to it first!

My fathers fence made from this stuff (offcuts from the dyestuffs industry where it was used to make filter beds) and is still going strong 50 years later with no real signs of damage apart from a change in colour due the oxidised surface. New it is a nice orange colour.

Varnish it or oil it and the colour stays around for a fair while but not for fifty years.

There is a bloke not far from me makes expensive posh gates and garden furniture out of opepe and other exotic hardwoods.

[Tim Lamb]

Also common to have a strap bolted about midway tying the seat slats together.

[Capitol]

O P stated that there is a central support.

[stuart noble]

Unless it's in permanent shadow, I wouldn't have thought that part would stay wet for very long.

[John Williamson]

It stays wet almost permanently because it's not in perfect contact with the frame, capillary action sucks water into the gap, and the small size of the gap minimises evaporation. I've seen a lot of rotten wood where it's been bolted to metal or been inside a socket in a metal frame.

[stuart noble]

It doesn't help to lump all "softwood" together. Tight grained, resinous timber doesn't need waterproofing, but the crap they sell in Wickes will rot, whatever finish you apply. There are plenty of hardwoods that are equally unsuitable for outdoor work, obeche, balsa etc etc. Interesting that fencing panels don't normally rot despite being made from the lowest grade of softwood. The posts and gravel boards are another matter

[The Medway Handyman]

Mine had similar, I think it's to maintain the rectangular front elevation & stop it becoming a parallelogram.