When you want to protect your project from the elements but you also want the natural beauty of the grain and color to show through, your best bet is to use a clear finish.  But which one?  Traditional drying oils, oil finishes that are a combination of drying oils, varnish and thinner, and then finally there are the varnishes.  Marine Varnishes are your best choice for lasting protection from physical damage, moisture protection and also from UV rays.

Thanks to the following sources for most of our information:  www.woodworking.org and also www.woodweb.com

 

It's Feature Friday and this week we have another website review.  I've talked about this website in previous episodes, just never in great detail.  WARNING - this website we're going to talk about is addictive!!  You can loose hours at the computer as a result.  The Woodworking Channel is a 24/7 network devoted to one thing...woodworking television programming.  Where else can you go at 3:00am on a tuesday night to watch a seasoned woodworker explaining how to make an amazing turned bowl, or catch an episode of The Router Workshop?  To find out more and to feed your addiction to woodworking check out www.thewoodworkingchannel.com

Have you been having trouble getting onto my website?  If www.mattsbasementworkshop.com is giving you trouble, try www.mattswoodshop.libsyn.com .  Don't forget to get your name in for the weekly schwag drawing, just like this week's winner Dave Powers!

 

I know everyone was expecting an episode on exterior finishes but as usual things at the day job didn't go as plan.  Turns out there's a lot of information I want to cover and it won't fit in one episode, so we'll pick it up on Monday.  Today we're cleaning house and have some great feedback on the use of epoxies and bronze screws in the boatbuilding trades thanks to a listener...Thanks Che!!

For information on epoxies check out www.westsystem.com

Regardless of which finish you choose to protect your outdoor projects or even if you choose to put a finish on them, there are three things that we need to keep in mind when deciding if and which finish to choose.  The first concern we have is protecting our projects from being damaged by too much moisture, the second concern is protection from insects like termites and ants and the third is protection from the damaging effects of UV radiation.

A new feature here at Matt's Basement Workshop - Wood Species of the Month.  To get us started with the new feature is a look at one of my early favorites, Pine.  Sure it's a softwood but that's all the more reason to enjoy it.  It's easy to work with both power and hand tools, it's inexpensive when compared to most hardwoods and it's readily available just about everywhere.  For a beginner, pine was an easy going wood that didn't make me cringe when things went wrong.  Now as a woodworker with a little experience under my belt pine is still a great looking wood with a lot of character.

Along with the new feature we have a new schwag giveaway.  Highland Woodworking is offering one lucky listener a month a chance to win a custom sized WoodSlicer Resaw Bandsaw Blade.  And the first lucky winner of this great prize is... you'll have to listen to find out if you're the lucky listener!!

It's very important to choose and use the right fasteners and hardware when constructing our outdoor projects.  Screws, nails and hinges that aren't protected from the elements will begin to breakdown, fail, and potentially ruin our projects.  Which metals are the best choices?  They include stainless steel, aluminum and... you'll have to listen to find out more!

The choice of adhesive for outdoor projects can make or break the final result.  Yellow glues labeled as "Water Resistant" and "Water Proof" are fine as long as you remember that "Resistant" isn't the same as "Proof", so don't go submerging "Resistant" under the water for long periods of time.  The next choice is polyurethane glues, which maybe a better choice given their longer open times and high water proof properties.  Next up is epoxies which may have the best characteristics since they are gap filling, which can help to fill voids that rot can build up in, and the fact that it's one of the favorites of the Marine industry also is a big giveaway to its effectiveness.

****FOLLOW UP****

Thanks to Blair at Highland Woodworking for providing some insight on the differences between Titebond II and Titebond III.  Turns out Titebond III isn't "water-proof" but a step up in the amount of  resistance in "water-resistant".  For more info check out this link: http://www.titebond.com/Download/pdf/TBIIIUltimateBrochureTB.pdf thanks Blair for the heads up!!

 

Since we've started talking about outdoor projects this book fits perfectly into the middle of our series.  "Easy to make outdoor structures" from Shady Oak Press is a really good book filled with the basics you need to get you started on your next outdoor project, or your first.  With a number of projects listed in the book, it's easy to find one that you could tackle in your own yard.  From an easy to build compost pen to an intricate garden gazebo, you're sure to find something here.

Speaking of outdoor projects remember that LumberJocks has their Summer Awards going on until July 31st.  Easy to enter and easy to win, head over to www.lumberjocks.com  

Want to help make Podcasting history?  Nominate Matt's Basement Workshop Podcast at the People's Choice Podcast Awards.  www.podcastawards.com nominate us before July 15th.

Not all lumber is the same, obviously!  And this statement is very true when it comes choosing lumber species for outdoor projects.  A few species that come to mind right away include cedar, redwood, cypress and mahogany.  Turns out there are quite a few more to choose from also!  The most important features we should be interested in a good outdoor lumber is one that needs little or no extra help in fighting off rot, bugs and all that mother nature has to throw at you...or the lumber.

Feature Friday is only a couple of days away, so get your name in for the drawing if you haven't already.

I'm back from a great two week rest.  Although, not much rest was gotten by me and my family during these independance day festivities around here.  But while I was away from the show I had a chance to do some thinking about some timely topics and ideas.  Given that the warm weather is full on here in the Northern Hemisphere spending more time in the great outdoors is on many of our minds.  So let's get the show started back up with a series of episodes discussing outdoor projects.  This first show is my look at some design ideas and suggestions for outdoor projects.  Don't forget to send feedback and suggestions and as always, questions too!