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Can I build patio furniture from wet white oak?

Started by Daren, June 24, 2005, 11:49:17 AM

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Daren

 I do some hack woodworking and am getting calls for patio furniture (not really my niche, but easy enough) I have cedar, locust and white oak air dried for outdoor options. I have a little bandmill and sell some lumber, the white oak is not really selling and would like to build with it and move it that way. I am just worried about building a full patio set and charging several hundred dollars for it then in 6 months it looks like it fell off a truck. I could take it to the kiln, but kiln dried "trailer deck" (my main white oak market now) is kind of a waste.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

beenthere

Seems like that could be a successful adventure if you are considerate in your design of the shrinkage that will happen, along with the width of your pieces, the grain within the pieces in all three directions (straight-grain will not warp as ugly as sloped grain), and your joints. These things are important whether dry or green, but probably more-so when green and going to dry in place. Quarter sawn pieces may be better in some places than flat sawn.

Yep, I think it could work.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

MemphisLogger

I'm with beenthere--design right and use QS and you'll be good with Adirondack style.

Only fasten boards along the center and shrink won't split them.   
Scott Banbury, Urban logger since 2002--Custom Woodworker since 1990. Running a Woodmizer LT-30, a flock of Huskies and a herd of Toy 4x4s Midtown Logging and Lumber Company at www.scottbanbury.com

SwampDonkey

Also, get yerself a bag of wood screws to help hold joints together and set off to work.  ;D That'll be a great use of your white oak.  :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

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2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Daren

That's what I wanted to hear. I want to use up some of the lumber, it will last a long time outside, and talk about pretty by the time I work my magic on it ;)
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

twoodward15

you didn't just cut up a nice gnarly looking maple did you?????
108 ARW   NKAWTG...N      Jersey Thunder

Daren

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

johncinquo

Thread back from the dead, yikes!

I am getting ready to build some of these chairs out of oak.  how did yours turn out, hold up, etc?   If the oak doesnt work out well I'll have to decide and something else and (gasp) go buy some wood!
To be one, Ask one
Masons and Shriners

UNCLEBUCK

I can only tell of the hay racks I build out of green white oak and use very wide 1x for the top deck and I place the boards tight to each other and shoot air nails in on the edges and the hayracks stay out in the sun and rain and the boards dry very nicely and even . Been a few years now since the first one I made and the wide boards have a gap of no more than 1/2 inch between each other which is what is needed anyway for the chaff to fall through .  The air nails have to be tapped back in just a bit on the 2nd year so I suppose it would be the same for a screw . Other than that its been good .
UNCLEBUCK    bridge burner/bridge mender

Daren

Turned out and held up (so far  :D), I have went on to do many more. It wasn't fresh sawn, it had air dried for awhile.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

rebocardo

Well, my experience making furniture from non-KD white oak is to use 2x and do not drill or nail within the last two inches of the board. I would predrill any holes, hog them out a little, and use wood screws.

johncinquo

Great sounds like a have a plan.  Well, I dont have a plan actually.  I PMed chet to see if he will send me a copy of his he offered in another thread and am looking online to see if any others are avaialbel to download.  I may incorporate a couple ideas to make them my own. 

I saw some yesterday for sale at a house and stopped to ask and look at them.  Built pretty nice.   $300 each, yikes!   I asked if I supplied the wood, and they said $145 if my wood was good enough for them to work with. 
To be one, Ask one
Masons and Shriners

scottr


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