Wood

luckyguy

What is the best wood for the table? I was thinking of using red oak.

Capt Frank

Red Oak is not a good choice. Unlike white oak, it will rot quickly.
Better choices would be:

1. Cypress [Inexpensive,will never rot, is easy to work, but not readily available outside the south]

2. Western Red Cedar [Not cheap, but available in Big Box stores nationwide, almost rot proof and easy to work]

3. Redwood [Pricey, rotproof, easy to work, mostly available only in the West].

4. White Oak [Very pricey, difficult to find, hard to work and very heavy, but indestructible].

DO NOT use treated pine or synthetic decking material!
Neither are compatible with food!

It is also a good idea to check with local lumber yards [not Big Box stores] and builders to see what they use for outdoor trim and furniture material. There are lots of woods indiginous to particular areas that can be unique for your part of the country.
Hope this helps

luckyguy

Thanks for the help Capt. Frank.

Do you know a guy who is from Cincinnati who I think stays in Homosassa, FL named Steve Cates?

Capt Frank

No, sorry, I don't know him.

Where are you located?

luckyguy

I stay in Plant City now, but I lived in Tampa before for a couple of years.

sbmfj

Is pine a real big no-no? Im about to build my table, and was goona use that. Im in east coast Canada (Montreal, Quebec) any suggestions for wood? what type of characterstics of wood am I looking for so I can a couple of q's when Im wood shopping this weekend.
Im soo pumped to pick up my egg on Friday, and build my table.. :woohoo:

sbmfj

Is pine a real big no-no? Im about to build my table, and was goona use that. Im in east coast Canada (Montreal, Quebec) any suggestions for wood? what type of characterstics of wood am I looking for so I can a couple of q's when Im wood shopping this weekend.
Im soo pumped to pick up my egg on Friday, and build my table.. :woohoo:

Capt Frank

I hope I am not to late with my reply.
Contruction lumber pine that most folks refer to when they say "pine" is not very weatherproof and requires a lot of upkeep, paint, varnish, etc, so is not recommended for outdoor furniture.
I am not familiar with the types of pine you have available, but I know there are some good ones. I suggest you check with local lumber yards and craftsmen for ideas [not Big Box stores}. Find someone that builds wooden boats and talk to him.
Let us know what you come up with and post pics, we love pics :laugh:
Good luck

CapstoneAngler

i have my choices narrowed down to cypress and cedar. but after it is built do i need to apply anything to it to "weatherproof" it?

CapstoneAngler

i have my choices narrowed down to cypress and cedar. but after it is built do i need to apply anything to it to "weatherproof" it?

CapstoneAngler

i have my choices narrowed down to cypress and cedar. but after it is built do i need to apply anything to it to "weatherproof" it?