Posted by David Sherman on Monday, January 07, 2002 at 9:03PM :
In Reply to: Oak boards for the bed posted by EdC on Monday, January 07, 2002 at 6:42PM :
Remember to use white oak, not red oak. White oak is much more rot-resistant. All they sell around here is red oak, but I've gotten some very useable white oak from shipping crates and pallets. Glass companies are a good place to start looking. There's a wierd reaction between white oak and galvanized steel that ruins both, so I'd recommend stainless steel bolts if possible. For mahogany, they used to use the "good" kind (Honduras?) for mine timbers because of its rot-resistance, so if you have any old underground mines nearby and can scrounge anything, that might be a cheap source. I wouldn't be shy of using good dense heartwood tamarack (larch) either. It's about the hardest "softwood" around and it's also very rot-resistant, though it will check more than oak.
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