Best timber to use for clothes airer

[Wizard9999]

My good lady is after a new clothes airer, and I thought it might make a nice little project for me to help improve my skills a little. My expectation is that it will get some fairly damp clothes hung on it straight from the washing machine. Any thoughts around timber that will be particularly good and appropriate finishes would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Terry.

 

[CHJ]

Beech, No finish just sanded smooth.

 

[Jacob]

Beech, No finish just sanded smooth.

Or redwood ditto. Beech a bit mobile in a variable humidity einvironment.

Ey? Someone edited my post!! I did not write Some 'red' woods can leach colour when wet.. Wrong anyway - redwood (scots pine) does not leach colour.

 

[skipdiver]

Many moons ago, i made one from Ramin that i "liberated" from the caravan factory i worked at. Concertina type with dowels, which lasted a long time. Think i'd opt for beech like CHJ if doing one now.

 

[ED65]

I happened to be looking at an airer just yesterday made locally from beech. It was €295 so I would bloody well hope it's a good wood to make one from :lol:

This one did have some finish on it although I couldn't say what it was. Pretty sure it wasn't oil-based varnish though going by the colour, so presumably a water-borne finish or lacquer.

 

[AndyT]

I suggest you source the dowel first. Ramin used to be the norm for dowels and small mouldings and would be ideal, but I think it's not around much these days.

I agree about beech - it's what wooden deck chairs are made of, which are very similar construction. Birch would also be good.

Plugit Dowel are often mentioned as a good source if you can't find what you need locally.

 

[skipdiver]

I suggest you source the dowel first. Ramin used to be the norm for dowels and small mouldings and would be ideal, but I think it's not around much these days.

I agree about beech - it's what wooden deck chairs are made of, which are very similar construction. Birch would also be good.

Plugit Dowel are often mentioned as a good source if you can't find what you need locally.

Yeah, you don't see as much Ramin nowadays. Think it was over-harvested like a lot of timber is. That's why i would probably go for Beech now, although i am sure Ramin is still available, if not as freely as it once was. Every DIY shop in the land had a rack full of Ramin mouldings. Think they still have some at the Howarth Timber i use but not as extensive as they used to. Very splintery stuff if i remember rightly.

 

[Jacob]

Beech, No finish just sanded smooth.

Or redwood ditto. Beech a bit mobile in a variable humidity einvironment.

Ey? Someone edited my post!! I did not write Some 'red' woods can leach colour when wet.. Wrong anyway - redwood (scots pine) does not leach colour.

I wouldn't use dowels. Rectangular section rails with long side vertical, are stiffer, a.o.t.b.e.

 

[CHJ]

Beech, No finish just sanded smooth.

Or redwood ditto. Beech a bit mobile in a variable humidity einvironment.

Ey? Someone edited my post!! I did not write Some 'red' woods can leach colour when wet.. Wrong anyway - redwood (scots pine) does not leach colour.

Sorry Jacob, pressed wrong button when replying, You will note I said 'red' in quotes, not everybody who asks questions about 'best wood' relates Scots Pine to redwood and if they use iroko or sapele 'Red Wood' they might have problems.

 

[Jacob]

OK Chas. I just had a little twinge of paranoia - I realised it was most likely a mistake a bit later!

 

[custard]

Hello Terry, Beech, Alder or Sycamore were the traditional "below stairs" hardwoods for that kind of job.

I've got some straight grained, clear, white, quarter sawn Sycamore off-cuts that would easily yield four 1200mm stiles plus six or eight decent sized rails.

If you're passing the workshop anytime PM me and you're welcome to them...otherwise it's into the woodburner they shall go!

 

[Benchwayze]

Before the days of the galvanised wire rat-trap airer, my Missus bought a beech clothes airer from Woolies. It warped quite a lot over time, but it never collapsed, or trapped fingers and it worked right until the end, one bonfire night, after we bought a tumble drier!

8)

 

[acewoodturner]

I remember my mum having one from when she got married in 1960 and it was definitely made from a softwood like scots pine. It was in 3 pieces hinged togethethe so when it was opened up it could be adjusted like a big Z on the floor to stop it falling over. There were no round rails in it and it was all mortice and tenon joints. It must have got binned when she died so it will have lasted at least 50 years and with 4 sons and her and my dad it must have had a lot of use. Dont make them like that any more!

 

[Benchwayze]

Ace,

I made one at school in the fifties. They were one of Vic Wyatt's standard pieces for learning to cut M&T joints. They were hinged with webbing wrapped around the uprights, and they could be opened either way, in various configurations, in front of a heat source. In Brum, we called them 'Clothes Horses'. Sadly they caused quite a few house fires!

Cheers

John

 

[acewoodturner]

Although I am Scottish, my mum was from Devon and she also called it a clothes horse. It was exactly as you described it. I am up in Fife so even though we are 300 miles apart its still a small world!

Mike

 

[Benchwayze]

Happy days! Incidentally, one of Mr Wyatt's other pieces for learning M&T was a pine 'meat-safe'. Just a six-sided box-frame 'glazed' all round with zinc gauze. With the door included, that was 20 mortice and tenon joints! Needless to say, the stock had to be prepped by hand-plane. No PAR from B&Q in those days, and a Domino was a piece of wood with dots on it! (hammer)

 

[Jacob]

I remember my mum having one from when she got married in 1960 and it was definitely made from a softwood like scots pine. It was in 3 pieces hinged togethethe so when it was opened up it could be adjusted like a big Z on the floor to stop it falling over. There were no round rails in it and it was all mortice and tenon joints. It must have got binned when she died so it will have lasted at least 50 years and with 4 sons and her and my dad it must have had a lot of use. Dont make them like that any more!

We had the same. Very simple to make and very useful. I think the hinges were tacked on webbing.

 

[AndyT]

Well, Wizard9999, the Collective has spoken and it looks like a proper trad clothes horse is the only option open to you.

These instructions are from "The Handyman and Home Mechanic". The book is not dated - by which I just mean it does not have the year of publication printed in it. Some would say material like this never gets dated, so long as it is fondly recalled in the childhood memories of members 'of riper years...' (It's probably some time in the 1940s or 50s.)

Over to you!

Incidentally, I am sure you will be pleased to see that any old rough wood will do!

 

[Jacob]

Well, Wizard9999, the Collective has spoken and it looks like a proper trad clothes horse is the only option open to you.

These instructions are from "The Handyman and Home Mechanic". The book is not dated - by which I just mean it does not have the year of publication printed in it. Some would say material like this never gets dated, so long as it is fondly recalled in the childhood memories of members 'of riper years...' (It's probably some time in the 1940s or 50s.)

Over to you!

Incidentally, I am sure you will be pleased to see that any old rough wood will do!

Spot on!
On edge with a sheet over it and it doubles as a play tent.

 

[PAC1]

A variation to suite modern life is to make one large frame and two half frames. The airer can then be placed near a radiator, oven or Aga and not take too much space. I have made 3 to this revised design (still using webbing). The size works better in modern kitchens, halls and utilities. I have used maple but only because it was what I had spare.