cherry for outdoors?

[weelis]

I am about to embark upon the task of making some outdoor patio furniture.  I have quite a bit of kiln dried  cherry and my question is how well does cherry hold  up in the elements?  IF YOU ALL DON'T RECOMMEND IT, WHAT WOOD WOULD YOU RECOMMEND.  i HAVE SOME TEAD FURNITURE, BUT TEAK IS REALLT EXPENSIVE i AM TOLD.  tJHANKS.L..  Tje furniture will be located on the water.

[Shaun]

My understanding is that cherry is on par with cypress for decay resistance, for the heartwood only. The sapwood is evidently quite susceptible to rot. I do not have any direct experience with the statements, just passing along things I have heard or read.

[paarker]

I'm going to use white oak to build my patio furniture later this year.

[Bill Wilson]

According to the Wood Database for Black Cherry...

[b]Rot Resistance: [/b]Heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay.

[jteneyck]

According to the Wood Database for Black Cherry...

[b]Rot Resistance: [/b]Heartwood is rated as being very durable and resistant to decay.

That's interesting.  I've always found it to be lousy, no where near white oak.  If the OP keeps it well protected with finish, and maintains it, then it will be fine; otherwise, I would use something else.  White oak, teak, Sapele, mahogany, black locust.  

John

[MichaelMouse]

I am about to embark upon the task of making some outdoor patio furniture.  I have quite a bit of kiln dried  cherry and my question is how well does cherry hold  up in the elements?  IF YOU ALL DON'T RECOMMEND IT, WHAT WOOD WOULD YOU RECOMMEND.  i HAVE SOME TEAD FURNITURE, BUT TEAK IS REALLT EXPENSIVE i AM TOLD.  tJHANKS.L..  Tje furniture will be located on the water.

Cypress would be my choice if I lived down south.

[fredhargis]

Without addressing the question...I wouldn't use cherry anyway. To me it's way too expensive to replace and best used for indoor. White oak (my choice) would be cheaper and probably more suited to the purpose....along with a list of more expensive woods like Ipe or Teak.

[Bill Wilson]

That's interesting.  I've always found it to be lousy, no where near white oak.  If the OP keeps it well protected with finish, and maintains it, then it will be fine; otherwise, I would use something else.  White oak, teak, Sapele, mahogany, black locust.  

John

Yea, I was a little surprised to read that, as well.  Cherry is plentiful and relatively affordable around this area, but I don't see or hear of much of it being used in outdoor applications.

[dvanvleet]

There used to be a guy near me, since retired, that built a TON of outdoor furniture for people in the area. He primarily used cypress and white cedar. He did use some teak, but it was usually out of most peoples price range and it is murder on tools. White oak is another excellent choice. I've never seen cherry used outdoors, but I'm in the South where other species are more accessible.
You could try building just a small side table and see what happens before investing in building a bunch of items.

[kurt18947]

Black Locust if you can find it. Black Locust fence posts are reputed to outlast the holes they're in. It might be hard to find larger boards even if you can find Black Locust. I don't know if Honey Locust is as durable or not.