Hello everyone, I am brand new hear. I have wood safety training tomorrow evening and am excited to get started after that.
More specifically I will be making a table top for an exterior table. It will be attached to a metal base. The basic idea is a chevron design and the original thought was to use teak, then I saw the cost of teak. At this point am thinking tiger wood or red wood. I’d like to pick any wood gurus here about wood types for an exterior table as it relates to expansion and contraction for long term integrity of the table. Any thoughts or opinions are welcome.
I made some outdoor tabletops from cypress this spring. They’ve held up great so far, but I can’t speak to long-term longevity yet. Cedar/redwood should be a good choice too. I’m not familiar with tiger wood.
In general though, chevron/herringbone designs can be challenging with solid wood. Are you planning to do a panel glue-up, or leave each piece of the chevron free floating (e.g. like a traditional picnic table)?
I have some 10 year old Adirondack chairs made of tiger wood. They were far more gorgeous 10 years ago. Now they’re gray. But otherwise in fine condition. Even at the ground contact area, though they are on decomposed granite, and not dirt.
Consider using/making a veneer and making the pattern you want out of that. The thing to note about the chevron pattern is that it will have end grain to end grain glue joints which are not very strong. I wouldn’t think that would hold up well outdoors.
If you use solid wood, it gets tricky to glue everything up. You need a long enough clamps to accommodate the longest 45 degree angle across the table. Plan for tons of waste in the process.
Thanks Mathew! My thoughts were initially a panel up and that is what raised the concern about expansion/contraction across the grain. Free floating sounds like a good idea but if I’m being honest my skill set is not nearly there to have it all line up like it needs to. Tiger wood is a hard wood and I’ve read that it is less susceptible to movement.
Sun and water contact are the key factors here. I’ve had cedar tables fail in under a year due to full sun contact. Where it touches the ground matters a lot for water. Consider metal leg levelers to raise it up or sealing the end grain with epoxy (not necessary for you due to the metal legs but writing here for others).
Another idea is to use Trex or some other composite material for your table top. It is available in multiple colors to support your chevrons and can be cut with woodworking tools. A bit more expensive (although not vs. all species of wood) and should last much longer.
