A bit tongue in cheek this because I know absolutely nothing about wood and its properties for dials.
There is a dial at Downside Abbey (in Somerset, England) which was made a year or two ago by one of the monks from the wood of an old science laboratory bench used at the Abbey School!! This has been carved and oiled (no paint) and when I saw it earlier this summer it still looked fine - however it hasn't been up long enough to know if it is really durable. It is certainly very attractive and unusual though. I can e-mail a picture if anyone's interested. Not sure what sort of wood is involved in old lab benches though.... :-) Patrick
