Cheap Hardwood for penny pinchers

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kevink 6771

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Hi All,
I'm not sure if i'm being clever here, or just Penny pinching to keep my Restoration costs down.
I've just bought some B&Q hardwood decking for £9 for 2.4 meters, and plan to cut it in half length-ways to use as a rubbing strake.
Its made from Meranti, and is a nice red colour.
Considering the costs of Hardwood from Timber stockists, this MUST be a good buy?
 
B & Q timber is not the best quality (in fact some of their softwood and ply is absolute bottom grade). You paid the equivalent of around £27/cu ft, assuming it was 6x1", which is around the same price as some of the timber merchants charge (and they will often give you a discount just for the asking, which B&Q would never do). Sorry to bring you back to earth.
Having said all that, you could have spent another tenner driving to somewhere to save a couple of quid!

Ps B&Q got caught out not long ago with their 'certified' ply, and had to take it all off the shelves. Probably went for landfill......
 
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The costs i've had have been quite abit dearer, and yes, the driving about and calling up adds costs too, But This should do me fine.

The only downside was arguing with the staff that hardwood Decking is not treated and Tanalised, and therefore CAN be cut with their Timber cutting service, as they do not cut anything thats been tanalised.

Jobsworths
 
it is for your safety as much as theirs. The dust from tanlalised timber is rather more than a minor hazard.

Modern wood preservatives have moved away from the copper, chrome, arsenic formulae, but there are still strict regulations on not burning unwanted timer, and not using it near fishponds.


I think the staff are justfiably prudent (and properly instructed, too).
 
sarabande said:
it is for your safety as much as theirs. The dust from tanlalised timber is rather more than a minor hazard.

Modern wood preservatives have moved away from the copper, chrome, arsenic formulae, but there are still strict regulations on not burning unwanted timer, and not using it near fishponds.


I think the staff are justfiably prudent (and properly instructed, too).
Click to expand...

Hi,
Yes i understood they could not cut tanalised timber, But it was not tanalised timber, but hardwood untreated.even though i pointed this out.
:confused:
 
Meranti

This is not a good hardwood to use as it performance is the same as redwood (pine)
Its long term durability would be poor. Other uses are thresholds for door frames. Dig deeper and do a good job.
 
According to quite a few boat builder sites Meranti is used quite a bit, especially when it comes to Ply.
Obviously it wont stand up to the likes of mahogony etc, but Its not a bad price, and i'm only using it on the rubbing strake, which will end up varnished (until it rubs off anyway)
:)
 
From another penny pinching angle you could try visiting your local garden centre and purchasing some of their 2.5mtr stakes, mahogany coloured and similar grain characteristics. They cost about 3.50 each and are sized about 37mm square or some 32mm square. I have a repair to do on my rubbing strake which is not varnished but a greyed mahogany timber, and judging by some of the samples I saw these might be a match for colour and scarphing in.
Be aware that some of these tropical timbers have a high level of resin content that 'bleeds' so may not all be suitable for a varnished finish,but for an unvarnished and wearing application should be OK.

ianat182
 
It also depends on how much curve you have to introduce.
Some cheaper woods will split or the grain will lift (especially when steamed).
I used iroko for a gunwhale strip on a dinghy and it was very hard work.
I've just used some 2" bullnose skirting for gunwhale and inwhale on a 9ft tender and it worked pretty well.
Although it's softwood I would expect it to last 4 or 5 years. Longer if looked after.
 
The problem with woods form B&Q is they are dired to fast this leads to warping on your boat or cracking.

To be honest this can be a problem from a wood yard, cheap wood often leads to problems later on

However, if you can avoid twist and crack, rot is your next issue, new woods are just not as resistant as old, my advice would be to treat it with a borate type solution before use, then this should not rear its head.

Type - Chemotherapy for wood - into google this is just great. Iy you intend to oil not an issue but if you want to varnish or paint, you need to allow a substantial ammount of drying time.
 
paulieraw said:
The problem with woods form B&Q is they are dired to fast this leads to warping on your boat or cracking.

Yes, i've giggled many a time at the state of some of their timber!


Type - Chemotherapy for wood - into google this is just great. Iy you intend to oil not an issue but if you want to varnish or paint, you need to allow a substantial ammount of drying time.
Click to expand...

Its a shame that Glycol is so harmful, as this must be the best thing to use in existing damp wood, If only it was environmentally friendly


;)
 
Meranti comes from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonsia, from the tree Shorea Curtisii.
It was promoted by the British expats as being a viable alternative to Mahogany, for its colour and grain. It tends to move a bit more than mahogany.

However as a rubbing strake it is ideal, and it is not penny pinching but good buying logic
 
Tanalised timber /Hardwood H&S

Tanalised is actually a brand name like Hoover or Thermos that has become generic.
Actually Copper Chrome Arsenate pressure treated lumber is very "green" as it allows useless, non durable softwoods to be used in lots of situations where precious hardwoods would otherwise be needed!

Right, that's the company line!

My point in posting is that the wood dust from all wood, treated or otherwise is hazardous to health!
In particular the sapwood of many trees contains naturally occurring pesticides which the trees use to defend themselves against attack from insect and fungus. Inhaling this "natural" dust can be a real health hazard.
One should always wear a dust mask when machining wood whether treated or untreated. Ask my Father in Law who suffered huge health effects from wood dust years ago before this was recognised as a danger.

As far as the original thread goes, I have bought Kwila decking here in NZ and used it for sundry trim jobs. Decking is a high volume commodity product so unit price tends to be low compared to Timber merchants generally. Unfortunately quality is variable too, but it is possible to get a bargain if you are selective and the dimensions fit your needs.
Good luck
 
paulieraw said:
The problem with woods form B&Q is they are dired to fast this leads to warping on your boat or cracking.
Click to expand...

Never mind warping on the boat; at my local B&Q most of it is horribly warped in the rack. And because the rack is half full of the bits that nobody wants, and the students who work there haven't thought beyond counting the number of items in the bin, never mind their condition, they never order any more from which a few un-warped pieces might be obtained.

I get most of my wood from Totton Timber these days.

Pete
 
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