Replies

1. 
   DanH | Mar 01, 2013 07:48am | #1

   I know nothing of it personally, but I vaguely recall hearing that teak is so oily that it won't take glue well, much less stains/finishes.  You definitely want a trial run, and consider using mechanical fastening of some sort.

2. 
   calvin | Mar 01, 2013 08:02am | #2

   craig

   It would be good if a boat outfitter could come around and add their expertise.

   Climate would be a good thing to know.  Sunny southern California or a desert state is one thing.  The Pacific Northwet, quite another.

   There are woods that are good to the weather, but often these are hard to work with or like you suggest, not easily altered to assembly or color.

   Depending on your locale, cedar, white oak, cypress. All of these work well and with proper finishing and care-hold up.

   Is there any protection of any kind planned for the area?

   You do know that there are premade lightweight concrete cabs that come fitted with SS doors, not that it fits with the decor they have figured.

   Best of luck in this.

1. 
   craigwcc | Mar 01, 2013 10:02pm | #4

   I am in northeast Ohio not far from Lake Erie.  Summers are in the high eighties,  winters are in the in the single digits with a lot of lake effect snow fall.  We use alot of cedar around here for exterior projects.  But, I was hoping for something a little more upscale for the clientel.  I know alot of exterior furniture is built with teak and annually oiled for protection of the elements.  Burma teak is available in our area, quite expensive at $34/board foot, thus I am open for other species.  Thanks for your imput

1. 
   calvin | Mar 01, 2013 10:50pm | #5

   Yo, craig.

   Give me the town-I'm a transplant from Solon to here in NW Ohio..............via BGSU in the late 60's.

   Small world.

3. 
   VaTom | Mar 01, 2013 09:31am | #3

   I've been successful with wiping down with laquer thinner oily woods like teak just before glue-up to aid penetration.  Resourcinol would be my choice.  Generally the choice of oily woods is so that your finish isn't so important to protect the wood.  Color change can be a major issue, don't know if it will be for your customer but you should ask.

   A neighbor here asked me to rebuild their teak patio table.  The top was segmented with over 100 mortise-tenon joints  Every one had so much mortise wood missing that I would have needed to first build up with new teak, cut new mortises, and finally deal with the color of new teak next to bleached teak.  That "expensive" table that they loved suddenly became too expensive to keep.  

   A through tenon or very large blind tenon would be my choice for your doors.  The table had small tenons which I believe contributed to the mortise shoulder wear.

   Here in hardwood country, I use walnut as an exterior wood.  Finishes nicely, isn't imported, and I harvest it in my woodlot.  Not as hard or oily as teaks or other Asian woods.  I think you're headed in the right direction, particularly considering your customers' likely association with teak for better traditional outdoor furniture.  Your "Burma Teak" I don't know as I have experience with.   

   Watch out for mold-prone finishes.  I've only found one finish that will not, but it's too severe for your use.  Bear in mind that all finishes degrade and consider what will be required to remove a hard finish if that's what you use.

4. 
   DanH | Mar 01, 2013 11:45pm | #6

   You might consider pegging the tenons and doing without glue entirely.  (There's a trick to drilling the peg holes so that the pegs draw the joint tighter.)

5. 
   hipaul | Mar 03, 2013 02:56pm | #7

   Will there be any sort of cover over the area where the doors are? Any shelter against direct rain and sun will help immensely; however, the extremes of humidity you've got up there is going to be a real wallop for wood movement either way. Definitely floating panels for a frame and panel construction. You'll want to set your hardware (catches and such) to allow for wood movement as well.

   Polyurethane glue would be fine, 2 part epoxy is typically what's used for exterior teak and ipe applications. I use System 3, but West Systems is supposed to be as good if not better. For interior glue ups I use Titebond III and it works just as well as anything else, but is easier to work with.

   A through tenon or floating tenon would work well, a bridle joint would give a place for water to want to migrate into and cause problems over time.

   If your customers can take the look of it, I would consider slightly easing the edges of the wood where joints come together. I don't like it that much myself but have found it's almost impossible that the wood won't want to gap or shift slightly over the years and the rounding over can help hide that a little (unfortunately lots of off the shelf furniture is made that way as well to hide imperfect joinery)

   Teak will take some stain, but a natural oil finish on it should look dynamite. One trick with oily tropical woods is that the less you sand it, the more it will accept finish since the surface oils get dried up over time, whereas the wood beneath has plenty of oil that acts much like a sealer coat against topcoating. As was said before, any of those tropical woods should stand the test of time regardless of the finish - however you stain or finish it is primarily for the aesthetics.

   I've had plenty of great interior tropical wood glue ups, but have never had exterior glue ups not want to move over time - I would trust any boat builder who tells you what their secret is - for me it's been to use epoxy, a good finish, and build for lots of wood movement.

   A couple pics of some exterior ipe glue ups, and interior ipe countertops below:

   Best of luck! 

   Paul

   
6. 
   hipaul | Mar 03, 2013 03:02pm | #8

   And I second DanH's recommendation of a trial test, and also the use of mechanical fasteners. I often supplement tropocial wood glue ups with screws if the wood will be exposed to the elements.

   Paul

7. 
   gfretwell | Mar 03, 2013 04:09pm | #9

   The only finish teak requires is oiling and you can get teak oil any place that sells boat stuff. If you don't oil it, you get a weathered brown/gray color but the wood itself will be OK. You can always lightly sand it and start with the oil again.

   This piece has been on my boat in the Florida weather for 23 years. It may have been oiled 7 or 8 times.

   http://gfretwell.com/ftp/gauges.jpg

8. 
   calvin | Mar 04, 2013 07:52am | #10

   craig

   No kidding-On occasion I pass through-nothing like when I was little.  Nothing at all.  Time marches on.