Project Advice Needed - Outdoor Rietveld Chair

[RobNJ]

Hello - I am planning on building a few of these chairs to stay outside year round (in NJ weather)

My original plan was to use Western Red Cedar and connect everything with Sipo Dominos instead of screws.
The legs would be 2x2 and the back/seat would probably be 5/4 boards.
However - reading online a bit, someone mentioned that Cedar may not be strong enough for the design.

I'd apprecaite any advice on whether cedar would do the trick, or if I would need to step up to Mahogany or something along those lines (wish I could use teak, but too expensive and hard to get for this project!)

Thanks all!

 

[tiralie]

5/4 cedar will be strong enough, but i wouldn't leave them out in the winter. also the wasps and bees like the wood to make their nests.
what kind of finish were you going to put on it the chair(s)?
tim

 

[jmarkflesher]

year round not under cover spells rot in cedar. i am taking down the top of a deck that was all cedar with excessive rot. the frame under was all wolminized without issue. i have picked up four teak lounge chairs at the side of the road, no rot but a greenish white growth. cleans up but take effort. outside year round dare i say plastic. Mark flemington nj

 

[Billedis]

You might want to consider Ipe.  Check out the IpeDepot.com.

 

[rljatl]

Down here, Carpenter bees eat up anything made of cedar.  They drilled their perfectly round holes all over the underside of my deck.  Replaced the deck with pressure treated.  They don't like that.

BTW, a shop vac or CT dust collector works great to suck those little suckers right out of their mid-air hover.  [big grin]

 

[RobNJ]

Down here, Carpenter bees eat up anything made of ceder.  They drilled their perfectly round holes all over the underside of my deck.  Replaced the deck with pressure treated.  They don't like that.

BTW, a shop vac or CT dust collector works great to suck those little suckers right out of their mid-air hover.  [big grin]

Thanks everyone!

Wow!  I hadn't even considered the bee/wasp issue!  And as much as I would enjoy sucking up wasps into the old CT36 I guess I'm going to have to reconsider the wood choice.

Tim - as for a finish I was going to either do a stain / shellac to try to keep out the elements. Or else, I would just paint them fun colors (my wife's idea - and actually what the original chair looks like). Do those finish options change you opinion, or should I still consider another wood???  I guess if I paint I can just go PT pine...

Billedis - thanks for the tip on Ipe. I've heard a bunch of people on FOG talk about it but haven't been able to find it at any lumberyard around me. I have some teak outside that weathers nicely but just gets the same green growth which usually just sands or power washes off

 

[tbellemare]

Have you considered sipo? Around here, it's about half of what teak costs and should weather well.

Tom

 

[RobNJ]

Have you considered sipo? Around here, it's about half of what teak costs and should weather well.

Tom

Tom - that's definitely a good idea. Rookie question - are sipo and sapele the same or similar species?  I can get sapele around me for $6/bf

The only sipo I have seen around here are dominos. I guess I can build a chair by gluing all those together, right???  [big grin]

 

[tbellemare]

I think what they're selling around here is sipo or utile but since I'm an amateur, I don't know for certain. I'm not sure the people selling it to me know the difference either.

My understanding is that it is dependable for outdoor uses, (like sipo dominos), but I have yet to have a good, real-world trial. I think I'm about to use it on some patio furniture - After this, that, and the other thing...

I've used it for living room furniture and it's lovely with no stain if you like kind of a tight-grain look.

Tom

 

[tiralie]

. Or else, I would just paint them fun colors (my wife's idea - and actually what the original chair looks like).

Definitely, painting the cedar will keep the weather and the bugs out.
I like clear cedar for these chairs, it wouldn't be my first choice (cypress, teak, Ipe) but they will not rot unless there is water sitting in the joints.

I like cypress because of the color and it's weather resistance, but it may be difficult source stock for the back that long and clear enough.

A well constructed cedar structure that has good drainage should not rot. I have had a cedar deck unstained and unfinished for 14 yrs. and the only rot is where water gets trapped because of poorly thought out drainage creating trapped water.

If you opt for painting use a good exterior primer before you apply the color. All my primed and painted cedar has lasted and weathered well.
This looks like a fun project.
Tim

 

[RobNJ]

. Or else, I would just paint them fun colors (my wife's idea - and actually what the original chair looks like).

Definitely, painting the cedar will keep the weather and the bugs out.
I like clear cedar for these chairs, it wouldn't be my first choice (cypress, teak, Ipe) but they will not rot unless there is water sitting in the joints.

I like cypress because of the color and it's weather resistance, but it may be difficult source stock for the back that long and clear enough.

A well constructed cedar structure that has good drainage should not rot. I have had a cedar deck unstained and unfinished for 14 yrs. and the only rot is where water gets trapped because of poorly thought out drainage creating trapped water.

If you opt for painting use a good exterior primer before you apply the color. All my primed and painted cedar has lasted and weathered well.
This looks like a fun project.
Tim

That's all very helpful.  Thanks again - and I'll let you know how everything goes!

 

[Brent Taylor]

I lived in Michigan and used white oak in many outdoor pieces, going back 30 years and other than turning darker, they held up fine. You my want to give it a try. Give Bell Forest Products a try, if you are unable to find it at your local supplier.

 

[Loren Woirhaye]

I believe western red cedar will split.  It's used in guitar tops and while it is known for a fine tone and good stiffness/weight ratio it is also known for brittleness and prone to cracking.  I live in Los Angeles and western red is a familiar decking type timber here.  It is beautiful and fun to work with but it's got issues for furniture and trim type applications.  It dents if you look at it funny and won't hold crisp geometric details like all those hard corners well at all.

Putting those screws at the end of parts is asking for trouble.  Now something tough like oak may split at the screws but still hold up fine, but I think a softwood will fall apart and the chairs will get wobbly. 

The screws will loosen in weather cycles so you might want to use stainless or brass machine screws going all the way through with nuts on the other side or dead-ended into threaded inserts.  Mod-EZE fasteners may be another option.  They are concealed and very tough. 

The fragile ends where fasteners are going through can be made more robust by cutting a slip joint and putting a piece of cross-grain wood in there, making the ends into a sort of plywood.