new patio furniture build

[Dutch445]

after we did the paver patio a couple years ago, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/281410-backyard-paver-patio.html i knew we'd need a new outdoor dining set as the 10yr
old set we had was mostly rotten and coming apart. so i thought it'd be cool to build my own set.
the wife wanted a 10' "farm table" for the patio that would fit a lot of people as we have a few larger
parties a year, so between her finding ideas on pinterest (i am growing to hate that site!) and me
trying to keep it simple as i don't have any woodworking tools to speak of, we came to a design
compromise. i ordered the material, IPE wood, so it will last the rest of my lifetime!
then i researched hardware and tools to work the wood and used "smart bits" with a countersink,
and pre drilled all holes for screws the full length of the screw. i used #7 and #8 trim head screws so
they were somewhat less visible, although my wife thinks we can make a wood putty out of
the sawdust and wood glue to fill the holes in.. (?)

started with some frames for the table:


then worked on mitering the edge board,


probably have too many cross members being just a table,
but, hey, someone may want to dance on the table some day!

 

[Dutch445]

the tool of choice for the build was my 12" Harbor Freight mitre saw, and my cordless
makita tools for drilling and driving. i may have to reply to the "harbor freight tools
that don't suck" thread about the saw, it's been a trooper for this, including doing all
the rabbits in the 4x4s. they are not furniture quality by any means, but for this purpose
the saw worked well, just takes some time to get it dialed in cutting square, or cutting
mitres. i am on my 3rd carbide blade, and have used a handful of drill bits, but i found
the wood wasn't as horrible to work with as some have said. just need sharp tools,
and patience, and don't try to rush any cutting or drilling.

the table came out pretty good, i have yet to secure the 3 center pieces on the top as
we may have to move it around some and it's nice removing a little weight!



then it was on to benches. original design was 2 60" benches for each side and 2 30" benches
for the ends, but we made 2 long benches instead (10') and then 2 28" benches for the end.

 

[Dutch445]

after sanding we washed it down, and will be covering with a hardwood stain product made
by Flood (recommended by the lumber supplier) here are pictures of the set in place with the
wet look, which should resemble the final finish after we stain the wood.

 

[greenmojo]

Beautiful!

~Moses

 

[mark02tj]

nice!!

 

[Gem99ultra]

I think you did a magnificent job. Perfect for an outside piece of lawn furniture. If you build it "too nice" you'll either never use it, or it'll bug you every time a bird poops on it.

The other thing I particularly like was that you built it heavy enough. You're like me - a belt & suspenders guy. If little bit is good, more is better, and too much is just right Here's a picture of what I built for my everyday work bench:



But - for something a little better, here's my park bench that I restored from a pile of rotted wood and a rusted out frame:



Now - the park bench is all finished off nicely, cypress wood, 4 coats of spar urethane, etc. Perfect to sit out by the pond for the birds to have a good place to poop Oh well - what the heck, it's all for fun anyway. Hopefully building a very nice table with benches will encourage you to add to your list of accomplishments. Job well done!

 

[Dutch445]

Thanks,,
yea, i really need a work bench, and it'll be similar to yours when i build it..
the park bench is beautiful, we bought a cheapy one last month but i don't
expect it to last very long, so new wood and refinishing may be coming in my future!

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Nicely done. Working with ipe gives me awful allergies.

 

[PJSprog]

Very nice work.

 

[Dutch445]

I had read about people having reaction to the dust and was a bit cautious, especially sanding . But a few slivers and 3 weeks working with it and no adverse reactions yet.