California Picnic Table
Having a backyard in San Francisco is a luxury. Not having a proper patio setup up to enjoy it is a travesty. This picnic table was meant to fit our entire house of 7 (plus a guest) for house dinners as well as general entertaining. Unlike most of my projects, this was made entirely with soft woods, assorted pine planks and structural lumber. Also, because I wanted the table to be portable, the frame was bolted together rather than glued, allowing for easy disassembly and reassembly.
Required Resources: 10 hours, $200
Size: 30" x 60 x 29" Tall
Materials: Common Pine Board, 2x4 Lumber, 4x4 Lumber, 3/8" x 5" bolts Bolts, 3/8" Nuts (I forget the thread pitch) Titebond II Glue,
Finish: Table Top: Natural Stain, 2 Coats spar polyurethane. Legs: Thompson's Water Seal (Walnut Tinted)
Tools: Miter Saw, Circular Saw, Orbital Sander, Cordless Drill, Forstner Bits
New Techniques:
Bolted Bottom: As we were about to move, I wanted to make this piece as portable as possible. Thus, I opted to not use glue on the frame assembly and instead bolt it together. For making up the A frame and Z-brace design on the spot, it came together rather nicely, both aesthetically and structurally. I did counter bore a few of the bolt holes to sink the nuts and bolt tails below grade. I think this cleaned up the look nicely.
Friends!: My talented partner, Alexa, sketched up a design for the table; a bear holding the shape of the state of California. I laser cut a stencil of her design at work and Alexa painted it in. It was nice to collaborate on something that allowed me to try something new and learn a new woodworking skill, while also allowing her to showcase her art and design talents.
Lessons Learned:
Outdoor Pieces Need Attention: Despite coating the piece with 2 layers of heavy duty spar polyurethane (UV inhibitor, waterproof, etc) the table top did not survive the summer unscathed. Being in direct sunlight, day in and day out, even the spar began to flake away. By the time winter rolled around, with it's constant trickle of rain, the damaged coating lost most of its protective power and the top began to grow black mold. I've bleached and refinished the top since, but I have resigned myself to the fact that I will likely need to put work into this piece 1-2 times a year to keep it from further degradation. On the bright side, the table legs finished with the WaterSeal, have held up immaculately, and look much the same as they did the day they were first finished.
