Coconut Tree Lumber

[timber]

I am looking at building a house down south in one or two years. A brother in law has some nice timber near his house that could be used for the interior or furniture. I am looking at a fair amount of deck material and I really don't want to use nice wood for exterior. Would just as soon paint the decking and cut down on the maintence. I was thinking of using coconut wood for the decking. I would

think it would wear ok. Comments please.

[RamdomChances]

In my opinion coconut is about the lowest quality timber you can get out here, dont uses it anywhere thats likley to get wet as it wont last. I've used quite a bit of it on barns, feeding troughs and outbuildings on the farm, as roofing joists, but even then only when we use zinc sheeting as the tiles would probably be too heavy for it. I would'nt of thought it was sutible for decking even if painted.

RC

[timber]

Thanks RC,

Thats what I am looking for. Some comments. It the lumber was planned and used a good paint...hmm. You say a moisturer problem. Just a passing thought as the wood I can get ahold of seems to pretty for decking, but I guess could put verathane on it. How strong is coconut lumber it you can keep the moisture away?

[RamdomChances]

I'd really advise agains useing it in house construction. Its not as strong as other woods and also very prone to insect attack. Its also very heavy when first cut, we've used it for roofing joists a lot as we had loads of trees around and it you have concrete posts it seems to work quite well, but I've also seen it crumble to dust within a year or so if it gets wet or is attacked by ants, its useless for fencing and I would of thought decking would be beond its limits. Mango makes lovely decking if you can get it.

It's actually cheaper now to build a house from concrete/steel than the traditional wood as the price of decent timber here has risen so much

RC

[timber]

RC

Thanks for the information. I did some homework on the web and coconut is used quite a bit in the Phillipines. It seems like the biggest problem is treating it. The lumber will last 10 or 15 years longer with treatment. I am little leary of the treatment as it uses arsenic in it. Have to search it out a bit better. Will post some of the site I saw later when I go home. There is some fairly good work that has been done.

[timber]

Here is a site that covers quite a bit on the preparaion and use of coconut lumber

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?...1E/w7731e04.htm

Here is a site that covers quite a bit on the preparaion and use of coconut lumber

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?...1E/w7731e04.htm

[timber]

Quote

"Coconut wood has potential for the manufacture of high value and export-quality finished products. However, like many other conventional wood species untreated freshly-cut lumber can be easily attacked by mould and staining fungi especially if the material is not properly stacked and is exposed to humid environment during the air drying process. Further degradation during air drying can also be caused by decay fungi and pinhole borers. Hence, prophylactic treatment is necessary if it is used for the production of high value products for export.

Checks and cracks develop on the surface of improperly dried coconut wood or in response to variation of relative humidity; hence kiln drying should be done to bring its moisture content to the level most appropriate for equilibrium with its location in service."

Quote

[sbk]

Our house is concrete with roofing joists from coconut wood. It is now 16 years old and has minimal insect problems even without treatment (just as an FYI, pressure treated lumber is treated with arsenic and has been proven to leach arsenic into the soil). That said we only used the oldest trees and then only part of the tree. The younger the tree the softer the wood.

I am with Random on this one, I wouldn't use it for decking. It rots when wet, is prone to termites when out in the open and in contact with soil.

Check out Ban Lae Suan magazine for manufactured options. They have quite a few advertisers in there.

[timber]

I think you guys have a pretty valid point. The arsenic scares me and I was going to use where it would be wet most of the time. I concede. It seems that there are a lot of uses as normal lumber it don't get wet. Thanks a lot for help all!!!java script:emoticon('', 'smid_20')

[timber]

"Coconut wood must also undergo seasoning process to minimize if not completely avoid problems in its utilization: the appropriate moisture content levels of coconut wood for various uses are as follows: furniture - 10 to 12%; flooring - 11 to 17%; framing timber -15 to 18%; joinery - 12 to 16%; and weatherboards - 15 to 18%. The common drying methods include air drying wood under shed, forced-air, and kiln drying. Depending on existing conditions, 25mm and 50mm coconut boards take 4 to 11 weeks and 16 to 21 weeks to air dry, respectively to attain equilibrium moisture content of 17% to 19%. Drying schedules have been worked out (Tables 8 and 9) for kiln drying coconut wood to avoid drying defects such as collapse, twist, wrap and check. "

http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?...1E/w7731e08.htm

[sbk]

Timber, everyone here dries their coconut wood out under their houses. You have to leave it for quite some time since it is so humid. Like I said before, we have coconut wood in our roof joists and they have lasted 16 years with minimal termite damage. Again, it is best to use only the wood from the oldest trees as they are the hardest.

I still don't think I would use it anywhere it either comes into contact with soil or where it is exposed to the elements tho.

People on the islands have used coconut wood for building for centuries, sure it has to be replaced every 50 years or so, but I have time

[timber]

HeHeHe

Lots of time... I think I read someplace that the biggest thing is cutting the lumber from the outer third of the log. Just cruising on the topic. There isn't that much Coconut in Thailand compared to the Philipines and they are doing a lot of work on it. Thanks for the comment. Still haven't found a satisfactory treatment yet. Hate to waste good Thai Whiskey.

[stevehaigh]

HeHeHe

Lots of time... I think I read someplace that the biggest thing is cutting the lumber from the outer third of the log. Just cruising on the topic. There isn't that much Coconut in Thailand compared to the Philipines and they are doing a lot of work on it. Thanks for the comment. Still haven't found a satisfactory treatment yet. Hate to waste good Thai Whiskey.

not a very practical suggestion but i have heard soaking the tree in sea water for a few years keeps the termites away!

be careful of spliters from coconut, it can cause nasty infections.

like sbk said, you need to select older trees that have stopped producing a lot of fruit. the older ones are usually a slightly darker brown color.