Mast Hoop wood?

[Aaron]

I am planning on making my own mast hoops. I am wondering if I could use poplar, maple, or red oak for them. These woods are pretty easy to get in my area besides pine.

[Barry Pyeatt]

None of the above.

Poplar doesn't like to get wet, it simply falls apart. Save it for interior shelving at home. It has no place in boat building unless it is Tulip Poplar.

Red Oak isn't a good wood for boats either. White Oak is far superior.

Maple will split when it is bent into hoops and rivited then exposed to the weather.

The preferred woods, (now that I've shot those down)...hickory, ash, elm, white oak. All will take steam bending and riviting and hold up well.

If you were thinking of using very thin strips of wood such as edge banding for shelving, it doesn't work too well, it has been tried many times before. It simply doesn't hold up. Thicker strips steam bent into hoops several layers thick and then rivited together will work. Epoxy between layers helps. Then epoxy coat the entire hoop and varnish it. They will need to be redone fairly frequently as they get some abuse and the finish coats wear off.

I would make several extras so they can be replaced if they break or deteriorate.

Fun project.

[Frank Hagan]

I've been experimenting with steam bending red oak, and it works, but you have to steam longer than the "1 hour per 1 inch thickness" rule. I found for 1/4" slats, they bent better after a full 25 minutes of steaming.

The one problem I've found with red oak is that it reacts quickly with anything ferrous to turn black. I made a form out of particle board .... just a circle cut out the size of the ID of the proposed hoop secured to a base. In several places where the red oak touched the particle board a black spot appears. I suspect there's a metal shaving there or something. I'm not sure if the black spots can be removed by sanding.

Regarding poplar or maple, I would think maple would be the worst choice. Its not very rot resistant and doesn't fare well outside. It might work if encapsulated well. Poplar has been used for rub rails, etc., and seems to work well. It has finer grain and I know its easier for me to find in clear, straight grain.

[Dave R1]

Why don't you look for some straight-grained ash? Ash bends better than any of the woods you listed, it's not very expensive and should be readily available.

I bent the ash ribs after soaking them in hot water. They are 3/16" thick. For the hoops, you could probably get by with 3/32" thick pieces and with steam, they should bend up nicely.

Stick a couple of copper rivets in and soak them in boiled linssed oil and your done.

[Charlie Jones]

Agree completly on the ash. It'll darken for you to a nice color too. You'll have to keep it wetted with oil for a while but it'll wind up being a nice hoop.

[Dave Fleming]

RED OAK is considered a poor wood for boatbuilding compared to WHITE OAK. The White has those closed 'cell pores' whereas the Red does not.

Ash whilst not a particularly good wood overall for boatbuilding does have its uses. Shells for blocks, mast hoops, tillers and oars being the principal ones. Recall the term 'Ash Breeze'?

If using Linseed Oil to coat might I suggest making a sort of double boiler of a container large enough to hold the hoops and one a bit larger to hold the first with room for some water. Put the hoops and Linseed Oil alone or in combination with other ingredients such as Turpentine and a splash of Pine Tar, in the smaller or interior container and set in the water filled larger container. Heat the combination to about the same temperature as a baby's bottle hold that temp for awhile. Remove heat and leaving every thing alone, cover and let cool. Do this several times and the heating and cooling will actually pull the, as we used to call it, 'secret sauce' into the wood pores.

Remove from the 'sauce' wipe and hang to dry. May take a few days and if more 'sauce' weeps to the surface wipe it off.

[Aaron]

I think I saw ash now that I think about it. I will have to check on my next hardware store trip (about twice a day it seems sometimes). So where do I find linseed oil?

Thanks again,

[Dave R1]

BOILED linssed oil is what you want. Should be able to get it at a decent hardware store or big box.

[Johannah]

Turpentine is also still easy to get at a good paint store. You want real turpentine from wood, not a synthetic substitute. Google for pine tar and ask Dave politely for the secret sauce recipe. Jamestown Distributors may have the pine tar and used to publish one of the sauce recipes. But, personally, I would prefer to tax Dave Fleming's memory.