Thread: Laminating Tiimber

Not quite sure, but I think Merbau is similar to Tazzy oak in that it means its a timber akin to what you expect it to be. Merbau would not be my choice, Its fast growing and has black spots on its end grain. Use Tazzy oak, but select from the range you find. The grain is not so open so a fine finish is easier.

Laminating will certainly be strong enough, depending on the size of the section. Merbau isn't usually used or inside furniture, but it can be. Tassie oak's not my favourite timber either, but it could be used. Look around for nice timbers.
This link shows how kwila (merbau) can be bent.

Thanks for that guys. Would you say Merbau is more expensive than Tassie Oak? and also, which would be better for outdoor furniture assuming that it's properly protected?
Cheers

For outdoor furniture, merbau is the only one. Tassie oak is not an outdoor timber, whilst merbau is one of the favoured ones.
Neither is cheap.

Merbau is commonly used for outdoor furniture and decking so has a good track record for outdoor applications. Irecently used some for a door framefor a briick letterbox, which involved a fair bit of cutting. It is hard and tough to rip on a table saw, even with a new blade. Did not try it with a bandsaw as that was not particularly suitable for what I needed to do for my project. It is also tough on planer blades and hand plane blades as well.

Can be difficult to glue, as it is difficult to get glue penetration into the timber, I finally solved my glue issues with Titebond 111 and wiping surfaces with thinners before glueing to clear oils/tanins from the timber.

Regarding the chair design, I'm not sure if the original illustration is intended to be accurate, but the back leg needs to slope backwards to enhance stability. As sketched, the leg is below the back of the seat base and any user leaning againt the back would tend to topple the seat. The higher the back the further it needs to extend beyond the seat base to counter leaverage on the back.

If possible try for a gentle curve rather than an abrupt bend in the back member.

Further to what Malb said, if you curve the back so the foot of the back legs are further back, you will discourage people from rocking back on the chair. This is the main cause of failure of the rail-leg joint (apart from poor design, of course).

Thanks heaps all of you. This is more like something im making but still not exact:
Attachment 160925
So any ideas or critiscisms are welcom
Cheers