Pulley for drying washing - wood types?

[rarara]

Currently I live in a flat with an original pulley in the kitchen. It consists of two 4 metre lengths of wood approx 1x3 inches or so in thickness. Given its age I would imagine it is a hardwood of some sort.

I am moving to another flat and will be installing the same sort of system. I have seen the likes of Pulley Maid offer cast iron ones, but they only span 2.4m max, so will need to use lengths of wood again. But am unsure on a couple of points....

1) What type of wood to get?

Presumably pine is lightish, relatively cheap but I don't want it to dry/warp in any way. Also, for hanging clothes it needs to be very smooth (lengths of pine always seem to be pretty rough in texture) too. Any suggestions?

2) My existing pulleys have a gloss painted finish so they are ideal for damp clothes - is there any particular type of paint recommended for the new lengths?

Maybe I should just take my existing ones with me and leave a couple of pine sections in their place to save any complications

 

[foxhole]

Not sure what the question is here, you mention taking some of it with you but not all? You ask what to paint the timber, but it is unpainted pine?
Do you have 4mtrs of space at new location?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I can remember having just such an arrangement in the kitchen when I was a kid (in Scotland, too). The timber was plain old pine - although I'd say it was more likely to be a redwood than the fast grown whitewood you get from B&Q. I doubt that it would be hardwood because of the cost - these things were cheap and seem to have been put in almost every kitchen at one time, right up until the 1930s. I doubt that it would have painted originally, or that any other finish would have been used for fear of staining the clothes. As foxhole has said these need a tall ceiling.

 

[EightyTwo]

As J&K says, old wood is good. I'd consider going to a reclaimation yard or demolition site and get myself an old joist. I'd run it through the circular saw and use the belt sander to make new rails. Old wood is slower grown, harder and much dryer than new stuff.

 

[dominoman]

Or just buy a new one. They're not expensive.

Is this the kind of thing you mean? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Traditional-Clothes-Airer-Black/dp/B0036BKMBC

I think those ceiling clothes airers are fantastic. Unfortunately our ceilings are just not high enough otherwise I would definitely have one.