Has anyone had any experience or have heard of building outdoor furniture with exterior plywood? I build some little folding chair with BCX plywood and they seem to hold up pretty well. I do make the legs out of solid wood but I make the tops out of BCX pine ply. I was thinking of building some adirondack chairs with it and was wondering if anyone has done this or maybe seen some built out of ply. Naturally it would have to be painted and or sealed well. Just a thought. ((thinking sometimes gets me into trouble))
ZABO
Edited 12/3/2005 6:08 pm ET by ZABO
Replies
Wonder if it would be worthwhile upgrading to marine plywood?
Zabo,
Noting that you are from La, I think marine plywood would be the best. You may want to seal the edges with perhaps epoxy or so other type of sealer. This past summer I did an outdoor bench for the inlaws using treated (green) decking material. I noticed that it was very hard on my cutting edges. So you may have to take that into consideration.
Enjoy
Joe
Is it really saw dust or wood dust?
"Exterior" plywood means it is made with a waterproof adhesive. If the wood itself is prone to checking or rotting, it will still do that. To have it last as long as possible, the edges need to be sealed well with varnish or paint. Do not use a poly as poly rapidly deteriorates when exposed to sunlight.
"Marine" plywood is made with the same waterproof adhesive. It will have no interior voids however and it will have a higher grade of interior plies. It will last no longer.
Edited 12/4/2005 8:36 am ET by HowardAcheson
My thanks to everyone for their opinions. I was thinking about doing this for the cost. I'm now using Cypress which I get from a mill for about $1.10 per bd ft and BCX is a little cheaper. I also use treated pine and actually the treated wood will stand up or last better than the cypress you can buy now days. The new cypress is not the greatest, but it will still outlast most other woods. A lot of people just don't like the treated lumber because of the chemicals used in it. I much prefer to work with the cypress for the same reason. Also white oak is an option but it's hard to fine in the rough stage around here. Marine ply would be a good choice but quite expensive which would make the furniture hard to sell at a decent profit same with old growth cypress. I was just inquiring if anyone had any experience with using BCX in such an application. And as I said in my post I would paint it or tell my customers that it should be painted to last anytime at all.
Thanks, ZABO
(thinking sometimes gets me into trouble),,,, Me too but me and my brain get along well!
I made a Hydro-Plane long ago.. Two sheets of 3/4 inch marine plywood as I remember.. I made it in about 1969.. Still floats and just a few 'fixes'...
May I suggest that the use of plywood for an adirondack chair is an inappropriate use of material. Plywood is great for your folding chair, but to rip plywood into planks is not wise. Use solid wood planks. Plywood is usually only used outdoors when it is not in direct contact with driving rain or sun, hence its use in soffets. Marine plywood is great for outdoor use and boats such as pirogues, but it very expensive; it is used for its strength, water resistance and being lightweight.
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