Thread: Outdoor table

Get it all together with the pocket hole screws then add more brackets from the legs to the side rails ,the pockhole screws would not be enough for a good strong job
For a outdoor table use gal screws

Hi Tiger12,

I've built a similar sized table to the one you are proposing out of Jarrah.
I like pocket hole screws for outdoor furniture, I use the blue coloured ones Kreg sell for exterior use.
One bit of advice, I strongly suggest you fix timber braces the same height as your apron across each internal corner, behind each leg.
It will be pretty much bullet proof.

Cheers,

Oops, didn't see your post nrb.

for outdoor use, how about going for stainless steel screws made by SPAX ?

I have never seen a pocket hole table made out of hardwood such as iron bark survive in the weather.
Personally I would go a traditional table construction route.

Thanks people,

I will put timber braces in the corners behind the legs,

I suppose I could also put steel brackets connecting the legs to the apron but might be overkill and I would need stainless steel to avoid rusting.

Since this is a love job for my son I need to keep the cost reasonable.

Originally Posted by Tiger12

My question is are: Will pocket holes be good enough for a 2 meter table? and if so, what pocket hole screw should I use.

As a real beginner, I could use some sage advice

Sage advice . Throw away the pocket hole gizmo .
Screwed stuff just falls apart pretty quickly . You may get ten to
fifteen years out of the table before it needs a rebuild or throw it .
Specially if the table goes through a few house moves and party's.
If it doesn't matter then fine . Your son will have a table that looks
good for a while.
I just know pocket hole assembly makes it a waste of time and wood.
Not from ever having done it. Just seeing tones of what happens
when stuff is made that way.
Same with steel brackets.

Rob

Pocket holes has their place in wood working however not in outdoor furniture, wood expansion and contraction eventually causes the screws to fail, by this i mean the screw heads completely snapped off. I've seen raised gardens beds fall apart after a couple of years because they were simply screwed together.

Cost effective would be using no additional hardware and going with traditional joinery method, yes takes more time to construct but will outlast pocket hole screws