Adirondack Chair?

[Tony]

What would be the best all around wood to use for an Adirondack chair to be used in North Carolina??

Thanks Tony

[John]

Personally I would use IPE for outdoor furniture, but other good woods would include TEAK, Cypress, Redwood. Even some of the plastic/fake wood used in decking - like TREX would be a good choice as well

John

[Lew Hodgett]

If you want zero maintainence and are willing to accept the gray color, then good quality teak or old growth Cypress would be a choices to consider.

If you are willing to do some maintainence such as painting, then white oak does well.

Once you select the wood, consider the fasteners.

In this application, S/S would be my 2nd choice, I'd use silicon bronze.

Would not consider anything else.

Think Jamestown Distributors for the fasteners.

BTW, I like the NYW versions, but their selection of fasteners SUCKS, IMHO.

HTH

Lew

[Lee DeRaud]

But for God's sake, don't call it 'lumber'.

Lee

[Mortimer Schnerd, RN]

Trex is OK for chairs? It sure would solve the problems associated with my lack of maintenance. I have a picnic table outside that somebody pointed out needs a new top. Of course, it's been out in the rain since 1986 and I've yet to put a coat of anything on it. Treated pine from the borg, as I recall....

Trex would stay straight at least. My table changes contours with the seasons.

[Olebiker]

I have built dozens of the NYW chair using galvanized screws, nuts, bolts, and washers and have not had a problem. What do you find to be a problem with them? The first couple of chairs were built using finish nails to attach the back slats to the back support as the instructions called for. It didn't take long to realize that screws were the way to go with the heads countersunk and the holes plugged.

Dick Durbin

[J. Clarke]

You might want to take a look at . Plug in the properties you want and it will have some useful suggestions.

Note however that its coverage is not comprehensive. Ipe for example would be a very good choice, albeit heavy, but it is not one of the woods in the woodpicker database.

[BobK207]

SS is so much better than galv, I just removed some SS screws from a door sill installed 15 years ago; they look like new.

Isn't your work worth the minor cost increase? Compared to the rest of the material & your labor the cost of SS is small

McMaster.com has a huge selection of SS fasteners (18-8 or 316, if the environment is marine).

I use SS fasteners in my 16 gage & 18 gage nailers for any outside work but you have to buy them is large batches. :(

cheers Bob

[Olebiker]

Well, I needed an excuse to buy some more stuff from McFeely's. I have gotten spoiled using square drive screws.

[J. Clarke]

I notice a lot of folks suggesting teak, which is one of the most expensive woods around, and few who mention teak mention ipe, which out-teaks teak in most regards and is cheap enough to build decks out of. Heart black walnut or black cherry are also surprisingly decay-resistant.

[Dave Hall]

My dad built his out of white oak in the early to mid 1980's. I am not real sure what he used for a clear finish, but I last summer finally refinished them for the first time since at least 1995 (the year he died). They were in perfect condition except for a little dirt. They sit on concrete in the weather and even the legs where they touch the patio were in great shape. I gave them a light sanding to brighten them up and then a couple of coats of spar varnish. These sit outside year round, but in the winter they are somewhat protected by the deck over the patio where they sit. BTW they are in West Virginia so I would assume the weather is a little more of an issue than in NC.

Dave Hall

[Phisherman]

[John]

Solid plastic "fake wood" decking should be fine for chairs and would be a good choice for the top of that table as well. If REAL WOOD is the ONLY choice, I think I would go with IPE decking wood, would last a lifetime with minimal or no care

John

[Lew Hodgett]

They rust, especially if they are exposed to coastal air (salt).

The cost difference between silicon bronze and galvanized gets lost in the wash, especially if you are going to build several chairs.

Lew

[Phisherman]

I built NYW chairs too and the nails on the back slats have held tightly so far (after 10 years). I used redwood, and near every galvanized fastener the wood has a "dripped" black stain. I re-tighten the fasteners every couple years.

[Tony]

Thanks for all the great advice Tony

>

[X_HOBBES]

What is IPE? I'm not familiar with it. I am probably going to build a set of Adirondack chairs soon too but don't want to pay the $15/bf teak costs around here.

X_HOBBES

[J. Clarke]

Ipe is one of the several names given to South American hardwoods of the tabebuia genus--"lapacho" is another common name, sometimes you'll also see "Brazilian Walnut".

It's becoming popular in the US as deck material--it is highly decay resistant and in addition it is very hard, very strong, and has pretty decent stability as well. Its only real downsides are weight, the copious amounts of fine yellow dust it produces when you work it, and its unwillingness to absorb much of anything including finishes and preservatives, not that it needs preservatives.

[John]

Tropical hardwood, do a Google search to find more than you ever wanted to know. Harder than most american hardwoods, very bug and rot resistant, used a lot in guchi decks. Not as expensive as teak, but not the cheapest wood out there. Use sharp blades in your saw, and expect it to wear the blades more than typical hardwoods

John

[J. Clarke]

Three times harder than white oak, half again as hard as osage orange, 3/4 as hard as lignum vitae.