New Cratch Board - which wood

[STIG]

I am thinking of renewing my cratch board A frame to something like the photo and wondered what we all thought about which wood to use, I prefer to have it finished looking wood like , not painted.

 

[bigste]

If you want something to stain or varnish you might try elm. It has a lovely look when treated and looks a picture.

[BruceinSanity]

Ours is Iroko and has stood up to six years use very well, with a couple of coats of Ronseal in that time.

[Flyboy]

My first choice would be Teak, 2nd choice Iroko.

 

When my local secondary school was demolished I acquired all the science labs worktops which were 2" thick Teak. Must be worth a fortune but it would have all gone in the skip.

[FadeToScarlet]

Deck board is the "proper" term for this part, by the way.

[David Mack]

Deck board is the "proper" term for this part, by the way.

And traditionally made of softwood tounge and groove planks.

[Flyboy]

And traditionally made of softwood tounge and groove planks.

Not very 'see through' then!

[Mike Jordan]

As suggested Iroko is very durable! Left without treatment it will last at least twenty years. I have some garden furniture which has been standing on my soggy lawn for slightly more than that length of time now, still with no sign of rot.

I recently had a price for some teak. It came in at £260 per cubic foot, compared with about £55 per cubic foot for Iroko which is every bit as good in terms of durability. Iroko is sometimes light brown with a tendency to yellow, this is soon altered to darker brown with exposure to light. It sometimes comes as a shock to the customer who is faced with a banana coloured cratch board.

[FadeToScarlet]

Not very 'see through' then!

Nope, because coal, cases, figs, matches, cocoa, sugar, dates, or whatever it was being carried didn't need to see where it was going.

[PeterDHS]

Not elm if you want it hinged as per the photo.......it twists and warps horribly with changes in moisture content (although a lovely colour). I would try sapele for a reddish effect or tout around the timber yards for some reject oak and haggle.

Peter.

[trackman]

If I recall correctly iroko contains natural chemicals that corrode iron and steel very effectively. If I'm right some care needs to be taken to isolate it from direct contact with metal.

[Mike Jordan]

I would agree that elm is a non starter on stability grounds. Trackman, I think you may be confusing Iroko with oak which is very acid and can corrode steel fittings particularly in damp conditions. I have used large quantities of Iroko down the years without any evidence of its attacking metal fixings. The oil content of Iroko tends to slow down the drying of conventional varnishes and joints must be made with suitable glue, preferably a resin two part system rather than normal joinery adhesives.

[Richard T]

I would use good quality softwood - Douglas fir is one option. It is a slow growing timber and virtually knot free. Western Hemlock can look similar to Douglas fir. Reclaimed pitch pine would also work and be very resilient.