birch ply good for wooden benches?

[njsavelli]

I am currently restoring a 1955 Lone Star and im currently deciding what type of wood to use for the benches. I've looked into Red Oak boards but for a 10" x 12 ft board costing almost $100, ive looked into a 4' x 8' piece of birch ply for $40. I was not sure if birch ply wood would be good for this type of project compared to an oak, but any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

Welcome to iBoats!

Birch Ply wood would not be a good choice but neither would the Red Oak. The Ply wood is for interior use and the Red Oak has properties that make it unsuitable for Marine use. Mahogany would be my preference. It will be a bit pricey too! If you want Something that looks nice and will stand up to marine use, you could try this. Get some 1/2" AC Douglas Fir Exterior grade plywood and a sheet of 1/4" Luan Plywood. Luan looks almost exactly like Mahogany. You could then use Some exterior grade wood glue and laminate the luan on top of the Doug Fir plywood. I have done it and it looks GREAT!!! Would cost less than $50 bucks. You will then need to coat the benches with either epoxy and then Marine grade Varnish or just mutliple layers of MG Varnish to make it waterproof and make it last for several years.

 

[BWT]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

I think Woodonglass has a good idea; for the finish I would personally use West system with their 207 special hardener (it cures water clear and is designed to be used as a base coat for varnish). 2 coats of the epoxy 2-3 hours apart with no sanding then let cure. Since the 207 does not blush there's no need to wash w/soap & water. Block sand with 220grit until uniformly scuffed, wipe down with either rubbing alcohol/water mix (50/50) or mineral spirits to remove dust (you could use acetone as well, but not necessary) and apply your varnish of choice un-thinned. Follow their directions for re-coating 2-3 coats and your all set. If it's going to be a bench that is used alot, might want to look at a 2-part poly for scratch resistance. Hope this helps!

 

[njsavelli]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

thanks to you both, i think i will go look into that douglas fir idea, would it be fairly easy to round off the edges if i go that rout?

 

[Saltydawg2]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

Just a quick question to Woodonglass. Why would red oak be unsuitable for marine use, or, are you still speaking of plywood?

 

[BWT]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

it would, but you would need to have solid wood glued onto the edges of the plywood; rounded over plywood doesn't look all that good. 3/4" x 3/4" battens would work if you're using 1/2" ply and 1/4" luan...

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

From a technical stand point there are two basic types of oaks the reds and the whites. There are some interesting off shoots, like the so called evergreen oaks. They're not, they just drop their leaves and sprout new ones, in a few weeks during late winter or early spring, making them appear evergreen. Some of these are superior to traditional white oak.

The whites are denser, stronger and more rot resistant then the reds. The physical structure of the reds cause them to be very porous, which isn't good on a boat, nor helpful at resisting rot. A 1/4" square by 12' long section of red oak, if placed in a container of water, will produce bubbles if you blow on the end like a soda straw. This is a function of it's fiber orientation and causes it to "wick" moisture throughout the piece.

As far as boat builders are concerned, it's the rot issue and partly the weight. If you're going to use a particularly dense hardwood, you'd like to get the strength of similar weight hardwoods, of which the reds suffer slightly. If it's weaker and rot prone, most just select a better suited species. I hope this helped

 

[bananaboater]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

I used poplar. But I covered it with vinyl. A little cheaper, light weight, easy to work. Just a thought.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

nj,

Here's the deal If you properly seal the wood, i.e. epoxy and or Poly Resin and Mat You can use ANY wood you want!!! Let's face it, as long as Water cannot permeate the wood it WILL LAST!!! So use what ever you like and what ever looks good, just make sure and SEAL IT UP Really well and it will last for years. Make sure and use products with LOTS of UV protection.

 

[Saltydawg2]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

Thanks, alot, Woodonglass. For all of the info. I really have a lot to learn, but I try to soak it all in. Thanks, again

 

[jonesg]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

Birch ply looks nice but its useless on a boat.
I used it to make a casting platform, its delaminating after 2 seasons, I coated it with gobs of resin, did it all wrong. but still...
Its just not usefull for boats.

For something non structural like a bench you might look at the plastic woods for porches.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: birch ply good for wooden benches?

Okies..if birch ply failed..then what do you think is the Right ply to use .. for a "Bench Seat"

Use whatever Wood you want .. just make sure its Wood and not "Balsa" or something..

This is an application that can be done with Many different types of wood done correctly..

YD.

PS. I like the Spalted Birch myself.