Teak

[Mar_mite]

Hi all.
I need some advice. Ive been offered some teak. I will keep it brief, I know a lady who divorced her husband and sold her house. She told me she had some planks of teak that were used at work tops in her old garage and at one stage a kitchen worktop. She said they were teak. To be honest I didn't believe her, I thought they would be iroko. She now stores them at a sports club that I use. I had a look yesterday at them and I think maybe they are teak. I had previously offered her a hundred quid. But if it's teak I don't want to rob her.

There are two huge pieces around 550 x 32 x 3m these look like one board. No joins. Then around 4/5 smaller pieces. Still 3m long.

I was a bit taken back. I didn't actually know what to say to the woman. I think I'll go up there with a scraper or block plane to expose some fresh timber. Once I sand it a little I can rule out it being iroko.

What should I do?

 

[MattRoberts]

I have a feeling you know what to do already

 

[custard]

The size alone of those boards is a strong clue that it's Iroko and not Teak. Top quality Teak is still available, but its very hard to find as big clear Teak boards and that's been the case for some time.

When it comes to timber it's usually a case of "all our geese are swans", but I doubt this lady is being deliberately deceptive. Iroko is often sold as "African Teak" so she's probably just abbreviated that to "Teak". Iroko still sells for about £60 a cubic foot ex VAT, and you're getting what, 5 or 6 cube? Say half price for salvaged wood, so about £150?

Incidentally, if anyone's looking for Iroko I've got some surplus big clear boards of good quality stuff that I'll sell at £30 a cubic foot. PM if interested.

 

[Racers]

I bought this lot for £70 from a chap in Newark who bought it in the 60s in the far east.



Note the nice rippled plank.



Pete

 

[custard]

Note the nice rippled plank.

Mmmm! Likey, likey!

That photo also shows the colour distinction between Iroko and Teak, Iroko is a flat, darker brown with occasional ribbon grain, Teak is lighter, with yellow and orange tones, an altogether more lively timber.

There's some interesting Teak doing the rounds at the moment in UK timber yards. A British freighter, homeward bound from Burma during the first word war, was sunk by a German U boat off the coast of Ireland. The cargo of Teak has recently been salvaged and a few yards that I deal with have bought the boards. I've seen some, and even though they're part devoured by marine borers the fact is that for a hundred years submerged they are in astonishingly good shape.

 

[Mar_mite]

Thanks for the replies. It's a bit hard for me to see the timber clearly as it has silvered. There was some varnish on a piece and having looked over it quickly I did think 'hmm, this might not be iroko'. I'll go up there later and expose some of it. This woman is absolutely convinced. Her husband saw fit to keeping it in storage for years, she had her builders take it to where they are now.
I've never used teak, but I have used iroko extensively. I'll sand a bit, am I right in thinking if it smells like iroko, it is iroko? Does teak have a similar smell?

 

[RobinBHM]

I currently pay about £1,150+vat for iroko selects and maybe £900 for pack rate. I havent had quotes for grown teak for a few years but from memory it was about £4,000+vat per cubic metre. Also that was for plantation grown teak, known to be much poorer quality then forest grown teak from much older trees.

So if its 0.2 cubic metre = £800 if teak and £230 for iroko, but as custard says I would assume it to be iroko and worth less as salvaged wood, so £100 - £150 is about right.

Kitchen worktops may have been teak many years ago, but Id be guessing back in the 70's, any later and most likely to be teak. Teak used to be available salvaged from school lab desks, but thats probably all dried up now.

Can you take some pictures and post them?

 

[Mar_mite]

I'll put some pictures on later. Thanks for the post.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Iroko still sells for about £60 a cubic foot ex VAT
.

A quick google search seems to confirm this price but I'm pretty sure I get iroko a lot cheaper than that, at least from my regular wood yard (Roberts), off hand I'm not sure but in the region of £30 a cubic foot.


A few years ago when the Cutty Sark was being restored/rebuilt after the fire, we were getting all sorts of bits and bobs that they were throwing away (paints, straps. block and tackles etc) for our dock. They spent £250,000 on teak from a hospital in Thailand to use for the decking (Personally I doubt the original deck was teak as splinters from teak can turn septic very quickly, quite a problem on a ship, the teak deck that burnt was the more likely the result of an earlier restoration) . It turned out to be no good (can't remember why) and was all put in storage on a container somewhere and they bought a load more, the money spent/wasted on that project was staggering. I was really hoping to get some of the teak but it proved impossible. As far as I know it's still in storage somewhere.
Paddy

 

[deema]

A friend of mine's father gather lots of teak in the 80's when they started pulling labs out of schools in Liverpool. He had 3m/4m sections of worktop that were laminated long wide boards of teak! It could just be that you have found a similar stash. I made him a coffee table out of some of it for his mother after his father passed away. It was beautiful stuff, wounderful to machine and work with.

 

[Mike Jordan]

I have always found that teak has a very strong smell and is very different to Iroko in appearance, the main drawback to using teak is the fact that much of it has a high silica content which gives it a severe blunting effect on HSS cutters. The use of TCT planer knives is usually essential. I do use it on occasion but the price is very high, last time I was quoted between £160 & £260 per cubic foot (I think that was not including VAT)

 

[Racers]

Yes teak benches they used to have some at work but they threw them my way.



They turned into this.





And eventually 6 of these.



Pete

 

[Mar_mite]

Yes teak benches they used to have some at work but they threw them my way.



They turned into this.





And eventually 6 of these.



Pete

Lovely table. Got me thinking to use the timber for myself

 

[Mar_mite]

Here we go. What do you all think? The boards are marked underneath with 'science lab 1..2..3' they are not quite as long as I remember.

 

[Mar_mite]

Sorry for the poor quality.

 

[worn thumbs]

A few weeks ago,a major supplier was offering teak at £7400/cubic metre.I believe it to be plantation grown and quite likely with the same sort of growth ring spacing as pallets.My advice is to take a look and be guided by your conscience.

 

[Mar_mite]

A few weeks ago,a major supplier was offering teak at £7400/cubic metre.I believe it to be plantation grown and quite likely with the same sort of growth ring spacing as pallets.My advice is to take a look and be guided by your conscience.

Thanks for this. Yeah, unfortunately I do have a conscience. What do we all think? Is it teak? I think it is.

 

[Mar_mite]

I'm particularly interested in Racers's opinion.

 

[Jake]

Clean it up a bit more and post another pic. The grain looks quite interlocked.

 

[Ttrees]

I'm particularly interested in Racers's opinion.

+1
Could you post another piccy or two of that lovely teak Pete ?
Its still the closest looking to what i have , judging by that photo .
Thanks
Tom