Monday, December 8, 2014

DIY: Backyard Picnic Table



I have seen snow before.  A white fluffy flake of frozen H2O is a distinctive anomaly of nature.  No other is quite like it.  Beautiful and dare I say majestic.


Until you add 100 trillion of its friends!!!

Yeah, that's why I moved to Florida.  Land of sunshine and oranges...

and hurricanes...

and sink holes...

Ok, so it's not perfect.  No place ever really is.

One of my favorite things about Florida is the weather from November thru early March.  Mid 70's to low 80's, lots of sunshine and low humidity.  It's great.  Night time temperatures range in the 50's to low 60's.  Perfect for a fire pit with roasted marshmallows and hot cocoa as I take in some light reading.

It's the time of year that today's design plan is perfect for.

DIY: Backyard Picnic Table

 

 

Cut List:


2 - 2x4 aprons @ 57"
2 - 2x4 side aprons @ 26"
2 -2x4 side stretchers @ 26"
1 - 2x4 middle stretcher @ 61"
4 - 2x4 Legs @ 34"
6 - 2x6's @ 72" (Picnic Table Top)
1 - 2x4 center top support @ 26"

Step 1

Cut the four legs to length on the miter saw.


 Step 2

Cut to length the side aprons and stretchers.  Attach using Pocket holes.  The top apron should be flush with the top of the legs.

Measure 6" up from the bottom and position the bottom of the stretcher at that mark.


Step 3

An arc can be cut to shape the top aprons.  Doing this will help to visually lighten the top of the picnic table.  Attach the long aprons to the legs using pocket hole screws.


Step 4

The middle stretcher comes next.  Measure and mark the center of the short side stretchers.  Then mark 3/4" on both sides of the center mark.  The middle stretcher should be attached between those two marks.

The center cross support can be attached using the eyeball method to find the midpoint between the two sides.

Step 5

The top is made up of 6 - 2x6's that can be edge glued together or they can be left loose and attached individually to to the base of the table.

Flip the base of the table upside down on top of the table top and attach with screws from underneath.


Final Thoughts


I would refrain from using glue to attach the top to the base.  This is going to be an outdoor project and as I have stated in previous posts, I'm not a big fan of using static conditioners on projects that are going to be more prone to warping and twisting.  Especially if you live in a high humidity climate like I do.

Find me on Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest.  Also be sure to check out my YouTube channel for lots of great project videos.  If you see any of these project designs that you would like to see a video for, let me know.  If I get enough interest in one I will be sure to build and upload.

Until then,

Happy DIYing!!

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