It’s time for another woodworking project. Back in the spring a coworker and I headed up to his family farm to cut some cedar planks with his chainsaw sawmill. Apparently the mold or something from the cedar trees affects the apple trees they are growing so they have been cutting down the cedars. They had a nice big tree and I was able to get 5 planks that are 2 inches thick. You would never be able to find this at a lumber mill, and I got it for free so I am grateful for their generosity. I wanted to make a picnic table with the 3 planks pictured below, but I settled for two planks that I cut to 15 inches wide.
The plan was to have a live edge on the table, but due to how the slabs milled up I settled for a part live/straight edge combination, with other parts of the edge being sanded down cuts from the chainsaw. The 80 grit paper really smoothed these out so it looks like a live edge.
These planks are fairly heavy so running them through my table saw would have been difficult. I ended up buying a Makita track saw with an extra track to cut boards like this or to break down full sheets of plywood. The tracks connect fairly easily and I found that they were in a straight line when I placed my 6 foot level against them:
Side note: if you are doing any framing, hanging doors, or leveling cabinets, I highly recommend getting a 6 foot level. I think I bought this model by Johnson to help with building a deck at a previous house, but never got around to it. So yeah, I have a 6 foot Johnson…level.
The tops only needed a little bit of sanding to knock down the milling marks, and the result is a nice rustic look. The right side is a single pass with 80 grit paper on my orbital sander, and the left side is what it looked like before.
Since the table will be outdoors I used pressure treated pine to make the frame. I wanted the table to be 30 inches high, and with 2 inches being the cedar, a simple X frame that is 28 inches high and 28 inches wide will suffice. Enter geometry and trigonometry:
After about 2 hours of trying to remember this shit from 20 years ago, and messing up the cuts on the 2×6’s – not once but twice, I figured I would just draw the dimensions on my workbench and get the angles and measurements from there:
It’s a little hard to see but I just used my chalk line to draw out the 12×16 inch bases for the benches, and the 28×28 inch bases for the table. Once I had the board lined up how I wanted, I drew a line along the edge of my workbench and then used a sliding bevel to figure out the angle. This then comes in handy for aligning the miter saw as the angle worked out to be in between 25 and 26 degrees.
Many cuts later I had the frames for the benches done, and added a couple of supports in the center that make it nice and sturdy. I used deck screws and stainless steel lag bolts to secure everything:
The tabletop was similar to the benches, but I wanted the slabs to have a floating look to them. Once everything was put together it’s solid with no movement:
The space in between the slabs is big enough for those plastic flower boxes, which I figure can be used for flowers or to hold ice and drinks (sort of a table top cooler). But if you wanted the slabs closer together there’s only a handful of screws to undo for them to be adjusted. There is also a few inches of room to make them bigger if needed as well.
After a little more sanding and rounding edges over, here is what they looked like before finishing:
I decided to try my hand at filling the holes with epoxy resin. After watching a half dozen videos and practicing on a scrap piece I figured it would work – mix it, spread it, and hit it with a blow torch. Kinky. Here is one of the bigger holes close up:
It took a few rounds of the epoxy to fill the holes…
And I found a 2018 penny to put in the hole above…
For the top coat of epoxy I just smeared it all over using my hand (wearing a glove). I tried a 6 inch putty knife, but using a hand allowed me to get the epoxy in the hard to reach places.
I gave the top a sanding with 120 grit, and then 200 grit sandpaper. Then, I put one additional coat of epoxy on it. The finish is okay, and there are a couple of sticky spots even a couple of weeks later. I’m not sure if it’s a spot where the 2 parts of the epoxy didn’t quite mix together well or what. I decided to put a few coats of spar urethane on the benches, which turned out a little better, even though there are some brush marks. Plus the benches are smooth and slick so it makes moving around on them easier. Here is what the final product looks like:
I like the epoxy better than the urethane since it leaves a high gloss finish, and more of a contrast between the sapwood and the heartwood. But the urethane is much, much cheaper. Now to finish the Murphy bed.
Comments
150 responses to “Working Your Wood with McGinty – Picnic Table”
That’s bitchin’
Damn dude. Nice work.
Sorta related, I once interviewed at Nakashima for a job. At that time, I had no idea of who they were. I didn’t get the job…oddly i think I was asking for too much money.
You worked at Nakatomi?
*sigh*
https://www.gardenista.com/posts/into-the-woods-nakashima-garden-and-studio-in-new-hope-pennsylvania-woodworking/
I’m sorry you don’t appreciate my brilliant sense of humor.
I just figured you were being lacist.
What a shamefuru disupray.
Welcome to the party, pal!
That is beautiful.
Digging the epoxy look.
Beautiful table.
After about 2 hours of trying to remember this shit from 20 years ago, and messing up the cuts on the 2×6’s – not once but twice, I figured I would just draw the dimensions on my workbench and get the angles and measurements from there:
Have you tried any 3D modeling programs? Sketchup has a free version that can be helpful in mocking up projects and finding angles, dimensions etc…I find I can ‘build’ my project in virtual space and it’s almost like making a test run.
Sketchup is good stuff.
Also, ditto on the table.
How does the epoxy hold up to sunlight?
Most epoxies are UV sensitive and will yellow.
The important thing with epoxies is selecting one that is moisture insensitive (marine grade) and made to accomodate the expansion/contraction of wood in outdoor environments.
That is a gorgeous table.
All right, which one of you preverts is this?
https://www.foxnews.com/health/man-who-sniffs-dirty-socks-each-day-is-hospitalized-with-fungal-infection-in-lungs-report
China. I was going to guess Japan, but close enough.
*cough*
Did he admit to a doctor he does this?
/hacks ling out on floor while slowly raising hand.
I like the rough edges.
Euphemism?
?
That picnic table looks amazing, nice craft work good sir!
Reading this instead of shopping at the mall with the wife. Makes that table even more beautiful.
-1 Annual Gift Man
Joined her at the mall. *Inhales deeply*. Truly sucks.
My brother is the woodworker. I really like the rough-cut style you went for here and would gravitate toward that style if I had the tools and shop to do this type of thing. Unfortunately it’s tough to collaborate with projects like this with my brother since I can’t get to his house often enough to finish the project in a timely manner (“get your junk out of my way”) and he also has no enthusiasm for rough cut type stuff…..everything he makes is highly planed with router edges and neat lines. Great job, that’s a really unique piece!
Does he work for restoration hardware?
Haha, nope. He wouldn’t ever stoop to something so modern. I’m trying to think of the style that best describes what he makes…..Shaker I guess? Plain, clean lines and build to withstand the apocalypse. You’ll not find any plywood backing in anything he makes.
I have some pieces in my bedroom. They love them some camphor router bits.
All of my stuff is MDF 3/4″. But I only make stuff for the garage.
We salvaged a bunch of rough cut oak from a barn that was built in the early 1900s a few years ago.
We used that lumber to build the closets, staircase, and entertainment center at my father in laws house.
It looks really good.
That’s really cool.
Nice
Epoxy can be prone to bad ratios when mixing. I highly recommend West System epoxy because of the dispensing pumps. I’ve never had a problem getting it to cure properly.
That looks fantastic and appears as though it will last many years. Well done.
Seconded.
OT: The sidewalks in my neighborhood are old and broken. Saturday night, while walking the dog, I tripped and face planted. I went to the emergency room because by the time I got home my eye was swollen shut. Got ct scans etc. There are no fractures and I can open my eye again today. But, I look like an extra from the walking dead. My face is still swollen and I was supposed to meet a new client today and other new contacts tomorrow. I had to find people to cover for me.
I have to fly Saturday. That’ll be fun.
Write an angry editorial about the sidewalks and ask what the local gov’t is doing with your tax dollars since they obviously aren’t fixing the sidewalks.
/Sarc…..feel better!
Paycheck!
PS. I’m not kidding. Homeowners carry liability insurance for exactly this situation.
It’ll be an easement making it public property but a local homeowner’s responsibility.
A total Scam, btw.
In NYC the property owner is responsible for building and maintaining sidewalks. Guess it could be different elsewhere.
Ouch. You really should listen to your hubby. (I kid, i kid)
Feel better
That sucks. Sorry. ?
Learn from the best in the business:
https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/12/09/al-sharptons-daughter-wins-lawsuit-over-sprained-ankle-despite-having-proved-she-lied/
IANAL – is “settling” for a token amount the same as a “win”? Doesn’t seem like it to me.
On the bright side, she didnt demonstrate in Crown Heights
Or Harlem.
That’s Clinton turf. Even Al “IRS” Sharpton knows to avoid there. Specially when he’s from Brownsville.
Which one is Hymietown?
That would be Crown Heights though Brownsville was originally populated by (((them))) too.
Never happen. Tulip is lousy with white priviledge.
I’m not even sure exactly where I fell anymore. It was just get home, then, OMG I need to go to the hospital. Do all that, then just want to sit down with my ice packs. They gave me tramadol, so, Sunday is a blue.
Blur not blue
Only tramadol? Fuckin War on Opiates!
/shakes fist @ sky
Really? It pretty much put me down. Of course, if I take 1/2 tsp of codeine cough syrup, I have to go to bed in half an hour.
Mama Tres was quite sensitive to pain-killers, specially the versed/fentanyl cocktail (so, so, so, sweet) she received during numerous endoscopies she had during the course of her treatment. Recovery for her was about 8-12 hours of this.
A classmate face planted while skateboarding. City tree roots had buckled the sidewalk.
He filed a claim. The city paid.
Get a contingency lawyer if you have to (assuming this wasn’t a true “accident”, and the sidewalk was fucked up).
I should get this, but I don’t understand ‘wasn’t a true accident ‘. I did take a tramadol about 45 minutes ago.
If you tripped while you were walking on a flat sidewalk, built to spec and functioning as intended, that’s a “true accident”. Accidents happen, and it’s nobody’s fault.
But you said “The sidewalks in my neighborhood are old and broken”. That’s the city’s fault. And, because you said “Saturday night”, I’m assuming that the lighting sucks too.
Your emergency room bills are on them, one way or another.
Sue the sidewalk makers.
Just kidding. You cant sue the state for creating dangerous conditions.
However, if I dont put up a wet floor sign at my grocery store after mopping, I’m liable for you slipping and hitting your face.
Where is this grocery store, and how much coverage do you have?
/asking for a friend
I love it! I’ve had the pleasure/chore of doing stains and clear coat finishes on a couple of pieces almost Identical to those cedar cuts for my previous employer. These were interior pieces designed to become over-elaborate coffee tables so I used 180 grit paper to hand sand the tops and sides and a combination of Early American and Golden Oak Old Masters gel stains to get the custom color match down. The next day I used Sher-Wood Kem Aqua sanding sealer through an air compressed spray gun to coat them twice, sand it again with 220 grit, air hose them off, tack cloth them, then four thin coats of the product above’s semi-gloss clear coat finish. They turned out great but I wouldn’t use those products for exterior work. At least not the sealer and finish coats.
Working Your Wood
I see we are not doing phrasing. Speaking of wood, how did the wood get so hard? ///petrified
Nice work, the rough looks great
Very nice. About 5 years ago I made a bunch of mini cedar picnic tables. I sold about 2 dozen of them for a decent profit and gave away another dozen to family and friends. They were easy to make and I had an unlimited supply of cedar ar the time.
I had all the cedar in the world because a tornado had blown down several hundred cedar trees on my grandpa’s land and my father has a saw mill that I have access to.
Tables https://imgur.com/gallery/BlY5FGu
You were really young then.
This is pretty neat. Might a post about building a child’s backyard clubhouse be forthcoming?
Asking for a friend
Are you trying to end up on a watchlist that you’re not already on?
Its not like he has a white panel van sloppily spray-painted with FREE CANDY
For asking about building a tree house?
I went to McMartin Preschool.
Forgive me for assuming you were talking about a fuck tunnel.
House https://imgur.com/gallery/FzQ417o
Backyard clubhouses are cool.
Nice table. But instead of a plastic flower box, use a small galvanized steel trough. Do you even HGTV, bro?
http://www.the-understory.com/2012/05/30/the-complicated-life-of-cedar-apple-rust-the-alien-fungus/
The reason for the cutting of the cedars. Totally gross fungus growth on the cedars. We have it on our cedar tree.
Looks like something you’d find in Hillary’s crotch.
The spores came from RBG
“ In late spring, when weather gets warmer and wetter, hard, brown balls called galls that hang out”
Thanks, Spud.
That’s why she walks funny.
F’thdgn afgnnrh!
Dog bites man.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6505605/Newly-released-text-messages-sixth-grade-teacher-lured-13-year-old-student-sex.html
Mug shot, meh. In prison jumpsuit, what a lucky boy.
Would.
She has a very wide mouth. And that’s just an observation. I don’t mean anything sexual by that observation
Jesus, 13? Pedophilia; that woman is sick.
Call me a prude, but 13 is a child. “Lucky kid!”. Hell no. Jail the pedo.
I think I have the same reaction as most guys when I see these articles; “the real crim here is she isn’t doing it to me.” But when you think about it I think these women must be off the chart on the crazy side of the hot/crazy matrix. They are deeply flawed and need professional help.
He was eager to keep ‘interacting’ with her, according to the article and the text messages. I don’t think “he’s so lucky!” but it doesn’t seem like he was harmed by this, so I’m not going to feign outrage on the ‘child’s’ behalf. That’s not always the case with these stories, but I just don’t care in this case. The people signaling their moralizing concern are more irritating than anything.
She’s a lunatic, though. At least her husband will always be there for her. Sheesh.
I think some of the outrage comes in part from wanting to be consistent. If the roles were reversed I don’t think anyone would have much simpathy for the a dude, even if the 13 year old girl was exstatic about the whole affair.
A 13 year old boy isn’t going to get pregant, but he can get an STD, get involved in a domestic dispute he can’t handle, etc…
It’s not the same as a 13 year old girl, but it certainly isn’t good especially how we’ve retarded the emotional growth of our children and how helpless we’ve made them to be able to take care of themselves.
That’s not pedophilia.
I was done physically maturing by 14. Emotionally, it’s a work in progress.
Fair point. What age should be the legal cut off for having sex with a boy?
God, what a loser. Funny how fast my default sympathy for the husbands in these situations often dissipates.
The commenters are losers, too. “13 years old. Poor child.” Yeah, sounds like he was really suffering. And ‘child’? I’ve no doubt these are the same sorts of nannyist, peeping-through-blinds assholes who are terrified of 13 year-olds in their neighborhoods and don’t hesitate to call the cops on them or their parents.
At 13 I would have been down for that – no issues. But after the eventual end of the line on that affair and no other sources for intimacy I would have been completely fcuked up.
She deserves everything that’s coming to her.
TIL: there is a PlayStation game called Farming Simulator and it’s something my son really wants. I would not have guessed that.
Yeah, I saw that. Definite WTF moment. “Hey, step outside and plant something.”
Next you’re gonna tell us to learn a real instrument and form a real band instead of playing ‘Rock Band’ or ‘Guitar Hero.’
You old farts just don’t understand SMH I’m literally screaming now LMAO
I’m taking my cane over to my bass. Imma play Rock the Casbah, you damn rapscallion.
You get that P-Bass?
Naw, gotta be employed 1st. I was at Sam Ash earlier today, and lusting over one (went in to get a Snark tuner)
How ’bout you? Get any cool gear lately?
Line 6 Sonic Port Channel Audio Interface https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CS4L7DK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_zRDgCbTJ168FB
I’m trying to record songs to post on Soundcloud/Bandcamp. Recording in Garage Band on my iPhone. Garage Band is pretty wild.
Ug, non tech people ordering tech for audio who buy iphones that don’t work with the Windows workflow of every computer and equipment in the chain, an annoyance of mine. I mean, I’m not accusing you of that, but damn is that frustrating.
eg – cool. Sleek.
Also, that’s gotta make recording easier
Also, hate to bring this to bear, but CPRM – do you even play, bro?
Side note: if you are doing any framing, hanging doors, or leveling cabinets, I highly recommend getting a 6 foot level. I think I bought this model by Johnson to help with building a deck at a previous house, but never got around to it. So yeah, I have a 6 foot Johnson . . . level.
Only a 4-ft Stabila Type 187 here. That and the Bosch laser level really helped me when I had to re-build my entire basement in Calgary after it got flooded. Expensive, but still cheaper than hiring a bunch of hammer monkeys who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about getting anything straight or level. Those two tools made me look like I knew what I was doing.
I have one of those Bosch laser levels. I neglected to consider that it would be useless outside during summer while building my deck. Inside I need to buy the tripod to make it useful. For now I’ll be on the lookout for an old camera tripod.
You can use a cheap photographic light-stand made by Manfrotto (or other major manufacturers) plus an adapter for the bottom screw in the laser unit. Mine cost around $20 brand new. The adapter was less than ten bucks. Way cheaper than the dedicated tripods meant for those units, although not nearly as sturdy (a non-issue indoors). I also would just nail the level into a 2×4 that I had placed strategically. Leveled an entire basement ceiling’s joists that way by sistering new 2×6’s on one side of the joists, with the bottom of the 2×6 just barely brushing the laser line. Worked great, but took a while.
My laser level also came with an active target for outdoors that worked in broad daylight, though I’ve never used it in that situation.
Thanks for the recommendation I’ll look into that.
Libertarian moment?
https://apnews.com/af276b3dfa8548f0b1f9992e60bb59f0
“Let’s strike the branches, not the root.”
Yeah, yeah, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. *grumble*
Not hard to imagine me going to set my beer down and dropping it through the gap in the middle. The penny is a cool touch. It’s be neat to cover the entire thing in Venezuelan Bolivars. Maybe I’ll make a piñata out of them.
Beautiful work. I’d each lunch there.
OT: What is the most White-Supremacist of roofing materials?
Tar babies?
Too 3D. Too much modeling. I ain’t got time for that.
If you have an A Frame, a simple white sheet works.
Bourbon…through the nose.
Drunk illegal Mexican roofers working under the table?
Whatever Donald Trump might have you believe, Mexicans, whatever their sobriety or immigration status, are not roofing material.
Woot! Random drunken assholes! (God, I gotta bring that back – fuck you, Adobe)
I miss Random Drunken Asshole, but I’m confused about what Adobe has to do with his absence.
He’s having issues with Photoshop.
thx, CPRM.
California once again leading the way in “free” stuff.
https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Democrats-poised-to-offer-two-years-of-free-13475389.php?t=648874c522
Adding two years to an already failing public high school system doesn’t sound like progress to me.
Heh, the URL ends at “offer two years of free” and it, being California, would be accurate no matter what the noun is.
Free…..dom?
D’oh!
Community colleges really suck now. It’s impossible to find an automotive class at the ones near me. Not to mention the lack of welding or carpentry classes.
They’ve become as worthless as a standard college or university
In my experience they are even more mediocre than high school. I needed an easy math credit so I took a night class. It literally started with addition and subtraction. Attendance was also manditory. The stupid teacher could have saved me a lot of time by giving me the final on the first day which I could easily have passed.
It’s a damn shame. There’s hardly any place left to learn a trade on the side. Junior colleges are just feeders for regular college now
Definitely. And as long as there is free shit given out in the form of subsidized tuition they will continue to be ‘cash for credits’ mills where no real learning happens.
You see this in spades anywhere close to a mitary base where the GI Bill guarantees tuition payments for the institution.
I could write an article about community colleges. I went to one 10 years ago that was great.
That same one now is absolute shit. My job paid me to go to a meeting of college administrators to explain to them what they should be teaching.
It’s a fucking mess.
Gee, I’m sure this won’t backfire.
In squiggle language so no link, but a Yomiuri poll in today’s paper shows Japanese people’s favorable opinion of the US has dropped from 50% last year to 39% this year. “Trustworthy” in re The US is 30% in Japan. 70% of Americans find Japan trustworthy.
Do you think that part of this is due to the US president being more open to meeting with North Korea? I know the Japanese don’t care for the North Koreans (all those secret kidnappings and what not) or do you think this is just the typical aversion to Trump?
According to the article it’s the tariffs and his approach towards China.
Really? So the Japanese feel a closer kinship with the Chinese who literally hate them more than the Americans?
The opposite. They’re scared shitless of China. 75% say China is their biggest threat. Not clear from the article, but they want more muscle militarily against China. Also, Trump’s bluntness doesn’t go over well here.
The US needs to endorse Japanese rearmament and be done with that region.
I read before that most Japanese don’t support rearmament, is that your sense?
They’ve been discussing altering article of their constitution for at least the past 5 or 6 years. From my discussions with the men here, I’m guessing they would have no problem convincing the public to go along with greater defense spending. Recently, I’ve been seeing many more recruitment posters for the SDF than I ever have. Maybe that is partly due to the shrinking pool of applicants, but it probably has an element of the SDF wanting to expand.
Oops. Article 9:
Article 9. Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.
That’s a sweet table, especially with the booze trough.
My neighbor has a similar table that he built with oak from a tree that his friend cut down. It has a built-in trough like that. He hosts a monthly get-together of neighborhood guys, and we dump some bags of ice in and everyone brings some beer and sticks them in there. We then proceed to get drunk and shoot the shit until the wee hours of the morning. It’s a good time.
Thanks for the kind words everyone. I was at a Christmas party this evening and didn’t realize it had posted.
Awesome table, IB
Damn dude. You are the evening links.
Beautiful work McGinty. I really enjoy your articles. Keep ’em coming.
Ok. I don’t know who’s left online, prabably no one. As I’ve stated here even articles I’ve written, personally I tend to skew to the conservative side, so this may color my view on this, but I think it’s just poor writing and shoehorning in a cause de jour. The Dream Works/Netflix reboot of Voltron just had it’s last episode. This TV show about 5 magic/robot lions ended, literally, with a gay wedding. One of the characters was revealed in like 2 episodes over several years to be gay. Outside of those episodes it had no bearing on his character, but that is what they literally ended show on, him getting married to a character we never met.
A gay marriage is just a feelgood sop to progressivist fandoms. No need to incorporate it in a way that feels like it developed and emerged naturally.
Fantasy stories and characters (particularly animated ones, I’ve noticed) don’t need to be well-written. All that matters is that they’re sufficiently woke and not ‘problematic.’
Yeah. That’s obnoxious.
Did it at least end with a faggy, colorful musical number with glitter and feathers and the gay lions shooting magic rainbows and shit? If you’re gonna take that tack, at least go big. Camp it up.