What type(s) of screws would be recommended for outdoor furniture made from red cedar?
Would good 'ol galvenized screws be OK?
A set of plans I read mentioned dry wall screws. I'm sure they would hold pretty well, but, rusted screws would spoil the look. (The were also using PT wood though.)
Do they make galvenized 'dry wall' screws?
Or, would a waterproof glue and plugs in the screw holes hold up well?
How about dowel rods?
ThankX Ron
I'd use silicon bronze, much better than brass and/or stainless IMHO.
Check Jamestown Distributors for availability.
Spend a few extra bucks and buy a box of stainless deck screws. They have them at the Borg for about $8
Ron asks:
Check out the stainless steel screws, as well as their corrosion resistant coatings. Jim's catalog explains it as well as anything I've seen, so ask for one.
Charlie Self
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Mark Twain
Eastern red cedar, I hope, not western.
They'd be fine, but you'd want to set them deep and epoxy a wooden plug over the top.
Bronze are a hideous price, stainless are pretty cheap these days. Unless you're near the sea (stainless doesn't like salt) then I'd use stainless.
-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
cedar contains oils and chemicals that will corrode fasteners. the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association suggests using a hot dipped galvanized, stainless or aluminum fastener
That's a surprise to all of us who have stainless screws in our piers. 304 class stainless (High iron content), like you see in S/S props may show a little surface rusting but not enough to run. The deck screws seem to be a little higher in chromium and I don't see any rust on the ones in my dock.
It's called "stain less" for a reason, it will still corrode in the marine environment.
304 (AKA: 18-8) is the absolute minimum, 316L at about a 20% premium over 304 is preferred.BTW, S/S requires access to oxygen to maintain it's "stain less" surface.
Plugging the fasteners and sealing with epoxy is counter productive.
HTH
Yes, I was planning on Eastern, why not western though? I've seen it used (advertised) a good bit.
Any other woods worth considering, except PT and red wood?
Ron
Western red cedar (quite a different species - but the trees look similar) is a very different timber. Very light and soft, smells somewhat unpleasantly of pencils, and less rot resistance compared to Eastern. Really it's that softness and structural weakness that's the problem here. The surface takes a battering if it's walked on or rubbed against, and this gives rot an entry point.
I use WRC a lot, but only when I want something ultra-light. Lately I've been making Japanese-style bandsawn presentation boxes for small knives. The inside is bandsawn and planed smooth, the two outer faces are rough sawn on a huge saw to leave a rough surface. Then it slips into a sleeve of thick veneer.
WRC isn't a bad outdoor timber compared to ERC, but you really don't want to confuse them if you're making a cedar lined chest for furniture use !
Larch can be good - depending on the grade. Some of it has a lot of resin and is almost self-varnishing 8-)
For furniture, I'm almost tempted by tropicals (except for the conservation issues). Although there are UK species that will build reliable outdoor structures without much treatment, movable furniture is improved by using a harder timber - like Iroko.
-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
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