Wood type for a outdoor cross

[PDTeam]

We are planning on erecting a cross for our community out of wood, and were confused about which would type would best fit our requirements:

-Weather Resistant
-Strong and stable
-Good for Drilling
-Paintable(the paint stays on for a while)

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @PDTeam 

I would use treated pine timber rating H4 for in ground use.  

This is strong lightweight wood vs hard woods and easy to drill and cut.

This is also weather resistant on its own merits and needs no painting.

But using the modern acrylic paints will give the timber a longer life span and make it look good. They also don't require under coats but there is no harm if you wish to do so.

I would also pre paint the post that goes into the ground, so it also has extra shielding and longer life span.

You can use other outdoor wood types they just need to be sealed from the ground and painted to preserve them.  Think about how long a  regular timber fence post (hardwood )  lasts to hold a fence up. 20 years approx  If that was prepainted it would last longer.  But prone to termite attack if they are in your area.

Hope this helps.

[PDTeam]

Yea I found some perfect for the job thank you so much

[JacobZ]

Hi @PDTeam,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

It's great to see @Jewelleryrescue has already jumped in with some fantastic advice.

You might like to check out How to choose the right timber for the job for some further guidance on selecting timber for your project.

If the cross won't be in contact with the earth or concrete, you can use H3-treated timber. If it is in direct contact with the earth or concrete, you will need to use H4-treated timber.

All timber is paintable, and your preparation and choice of paint are more important than the choice of timber. Make sure you give the timber a sand to smooth the timber and remove any contaminants that will affect the adhesion of the paint. You'll want to use external paint such as Dulux Weathershield.

Let me know how you go and if you need help along the way, don't hesitate to reach out.

Jacob

[Noyade]

Evening @PDTeam 

You may have already decided on your design and wood type, but my immediate thought was old hardwood beams of even very large dead tree trunks/branches.

Someone in your congregation may have access to this type of wood and/or a good chainsaw.

My thought - the more rustic the better.

You never mentioned size - but here's an example of what I was thinking of - this is a local tree chapel...

Cheers!