Stunning Outdoor Table for $ 60

[re]FɄB19
by [re]FɄB19
7 Materials
$60
1 Week
Medium

Hello everyone !


I am writing under the gray sky (again!!) of Quebec. Mother Nature should be apolitical, but it looks like she's confused! Since Canada is a British confederation, she seems to believe that we should have the same temperature as England: the eternal rain. If anyone has the opportunity to talk to her, could you tell her that in Canada, and especially in Quebec, we already have snow and freezing temperatures in winter, we are entitled to expect nice weather in summer !!! All this to say that all this rain has considerably delayed my projects!


I wanted to change my patio table, but I couldn't find anything I liked under a few hundred dollars...


Thanks to Google photos, I know that I started this project on May 9th. It's awfully long for one table! You may understand why I am so mad at Mother Nature !!


Step one: cut the cedar planks at 60 inches long. I screwed each of them into a 2x4.


If you look at the picture above, you will see a small piece of cardboard: this is the template that I used to drill and screw. This is the only place on the table where the screws are visible, so I wanted them to be aligned in the center and all at the same distance from the edge.


NOTE : this is the top view of the table.

Step two : After returning the table, I measured and cut the crossbars to the ones I had already installed. I used my "pocket hole" tool. I love this gadget!


Once the pocket holes made, I screwed the bars to those already installed.


I then made a frame around the table, using the method of pocket holes. Unlike cedar planks, this part will later be black.

Here is a picture taken once all the framing was installed.

I used 4 x 4 for the legs. Initially, I fixed them to the 2x4 which served as an awl, but it was not enough. We had to correct this mistake later, that's why for the next step, part of the table will be black and we will return to natural wood afterwards.


Ok, there is a lot of information to remember from this photo.


1 - There are the cross bars cut at 45 degrees close to the legs. They were installed using HEXAGONAL HEAD LAG SCREW, a powerful mechanical screw that corrects the problem that I previously explained. See all the 4 corners close to the legs.


2 - There is a new crossbar in the center of the table, again, installed with pocket holes. This bar helps the cedar planks to stay straight. Since it is treated wood, often filled with water, we must think to force them to keep the shape they had when we installed them!


3 - The two large black bars serve to maintain the umbrella. We screwed a wooden board into which we made a 1.5-inch hole to let the umbrella pole pass.

Using a 1.5-inch drill, I drilled the ultimate center of the table to put the umbrella on. After all the work that I had already done, I must admit that this step terrorized me !!!


With teak oil, I protected the top of the table. There, I must admit that I made another mistake! I should have stained black before, and oiled afterwards, but that's not what I did. I was afraid the rain would destroy the cedar and I wanted to protect it quickly. The rest of the table is in treated wood, and could resist ... Not the cedar.


A few days later, I had to use Frog Tape to mask the cedar and stain the rest of the table in black. The result is perfect, but it took me a lot more work doing it in that order.

Here is the table after a first coat of black stain.


The gray thing on the table to hide the hole for the umbrella was made by my husband using our 3D printer.

And here is my new table! I am so excited ! When I wanted to buy a new one, I saw several around $ 600. No way I'd pay so much for an outdoor table! When I think that mine, made with the measures that I wanted, only cost me $ 60... Woah !!! :)


I'll be back soon to share the project of the bench you see on the last pictures. :)


Hope you enjoyed!

Have a great summer!!!


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  • RoniC RoniC on Jul 01, 2019

    Yep, making this... Do you have info for a bench to match?

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