Teak End Grain

[CalebD]

I 2nd Ipe or 'Ironwood' as it is incredibly strong and weather resistant. It is frequently used for outdoor decking. Note: this stuff is so dense that it does not float!
Nice work.

[Cheechako]

Why in the world would you worry about end grain teak .... and especially on a vertical surface?? Traditional white oak is good, but all oak stains bad with water contact... and oak is not as weather resistant as teak...

[sabray]

Another option is black locust rots while its growing once its cut it gets incredibly hard. nice golden/honey color varnished or greys like teak if untreated.
As I understand Teak was discovered after being used as ballast by spice traders. The logs would be cast onto the shores after returning to port. Someone realized they weren't rotting and started using them as timber. It was considered ideal on decks as the grain raised it created a great non skid surface. Maybe a wives tale. I oil the teak on my cockpit sole and seats and it still is pretty good for traction.

[cburger]

Teak is one of the most rot resistant woods there is due to its natural oils. As long as the wood is allowed to drain water, (Judging by your pics not a problem) those planks will stll be in service long after most of us have passed on into the happy sailing grounds in the sky. Oils will eventually turn mottled and very dark, attracts and traps dirt and has to be reapplied every couple of months depending on where the boat is located.

[Albro359]

Cburger...absolutely agree....Oils just make the situation worse
Just leave the teak to weather and clean it every now and again...the greying is the cellulose breaking down due to the UV...this opens the grain and traps dirt...if you put oil on it, it REALLY traps dirt and needs more frequent cleaning...

The ONLY way to preserve the teak colour is to use one of these newer UV protecting coatings like Intergrain...if prepared well and applied well, the coating will last for years....however, if it breaksdown, you have to strip it off and start again.

I'd only use teak for exterior woodwork and I wouldn't put any coating on it, it is naturally non-skid.

Having said that I've just ripped off all my teak decking, excpet for the cockpit and glassed it....the teak was 20 yrs old and leaking through the million screw holes in the deck.

Cheers

Alan

[S&S]

Originally Posted by CalebD

I 2nd Ipe or 'Ironwood' as it is incredibly strong and weather resistant. It is frequently used for outdoor decking. Note: this stuff is so dense that it does not float!
Nice work.

Great stuff-"Cement in a stick"- left a cutoff in ground contact for 4 years and it had no damage/rot etc.

The oils in the wood will discolor light oil paints. Varnishes well though.

It can check in thicknesses above 6/4. But is generally stable dimensionally. I used it for crossmember "jumpers" on our boat.

Try routing it on a dry winter day- the chips carry enough static that they'll make orbits around the router motor magnetic field (bizarre!)

As for sealing end grain- I'd just dip a rag in some MAS and give it a wipe.

[theonecalledtom]

I think this site is the first crutch I use when I get confused in boating matters.

Been working a lot and the helms seat took a back seat. Finally it reaches completion and while the design has flaws it's going to be a big improvement on what we have!

However.... I'm left wondering how to seal between the teak slats.

Click here to see photos. I've also outlined my problem on our blog but here it is:

1) I haven't routed the slat edges to allow easy grouting
2) There are small cracks between the slats I wasn't planning for
3) I imagine that water will sit in those cracks and damage the wood

[Albro359]

If I were you , I'd just "paint" the whole lot with epoxy resin...that'll fill the cracks and keep the water out..

Forget caulking...to do that you needed to have started with pre-prepared teak decking material...o'wise, as you say you have to rout it out...why bother...its not as though these areas are under a lot of stress like decks...AND that black caulking material is hot in the sun under your bum and feet !

I love epoxy !

Cheers

Alan

[James S]

They're nice looking pieces.

If the slats and everything else are solid pieces i.e. not laminated to plywood or some other sub-structure...I think I might not do much more..
Is the water damage you're concerned about discoloration?
Or is there a place the water will me trapped and cause problems.
If the cracks go all the way through, the water may as well.
If this is all from solid wood and gets wet, it is going to shrink and expand a lot...that means cracks.
If it’s like that, and built two tightly it may tear its self apart.
Unless you’re sure you can seal all the pieces COMPLETELY enough that no water will soak into the wood, I might stay away from heavy doses of epoxy.

If you think you can seal them well…then it may be worth while.

This picture was my second (and successful) go at building a little bridge for my pool.
The first one had longitudinal pieces trimming both sides.
When the center (horizontal) pieces got wet and expanded they moved a lot more than the edges and it cracked and moved and looked like shit…and lost strength since they were acting as the supports.
The new one (9 years old now) has no edge trim and two pieces of all-thread passing through the “body” with a nut on each end….and that’s it.


By comparison, my companion way hatch is 5mm thick pieces laminated to plywood with solid pieces laminated to make the handle base and face.
It has side trim on the top (5mm thick) with the grain going the other way…the whole thing is well sealed.
In two years haste showed any signs of cracking.

[MarkJ]

Is that swimming pool on your boat!???????????????????

I could just plug the cockpit... add some deck chairs...




Mark

[James S]

Some of us don’t have the privilege that you enjoy of being full time cruisers…


Alas......we can only stare at our pools and dream of "living the dream".

Can you see the sailboat hanging from the ceiling near the bridge…sometimes….when I’m alone….I take it down and play with it!

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Is that swimming pool on your boat!???????????????????

I could just plug the cockpit... add some deck chairs...




Mark

Hey Mark,
You should see the skiff he uses to set the purse net!!!

[theonecalledtom]

Thanks James of the Swimming Pool on your boat

Yes the teak is laid over plywood. The slats are laid on a bed of resin but I'm assuming over time this will crack - especially if water gets in which I don't really see how it won't

This is before bonding:
woodworking+002.JPG (image)

This is after bonding:
woodworking+004.JPG (image)

This is a crack:
woodworking+002.JPG (image)

Hopefully the next time I post a picture of it it'll be in use

[theonecalledtom]

Originally Posted by Albro359

If I were you , I'd just "paint" the whole lot with epoxy resin...that'll fill the cracks and keep the water out..

Alan - tempted....

[James S]

In that case I would west system the hell out of it...inside. outside...under ...over and again.
West system is pretty thin and will get into the smallest place if you’re liberal with it.
That last picture looks so nice....nice work on the end treatment Tom.