I have started making a table and two bench seats for the back yard. I am following a plan from the Custom Woodwork book series (Time Life) and am using some Oregon beams pulled out of a 30yo house during a recent renovation. Beams are 2x8" rough sawn oregon, with some massive knots, but not too many of them. Timber is in fairly good condition despite being stacked out doors for about 24 months. There is a tiny amount of rot which can be excluded by cutting around it. Last night, when i opened up one of the beams on the TS, i found a green stain that had penetrated about 3/4" into the beam. Not sure what it is, but the affected timber seems to be just as sound as the adjacent timber.

I recently purchased an over and under planer/thicknesser and this project is giving me the opportunity to put it through its paces. I have only used these machines once before, and so far i am very pleased with results. Didnt take long to find a nail though

The legs will be joined to the rails via M&T joints on the table and the benches. There will be horizontal rails joining and bracing the end frames together. Titebond III glue all round. The base frames will all be painted with acrylic paint for protection (these peices will live outside in the open, not under a verandah)

The top is a mitred frame with gapped boards 1 1/2" thick. The mitres will be splined. I will use a nicer timber for the top, probably Iroko, and oil it. Oil is yet to be selected, but will need to have zero tackiness after application.

Since we have two little kiddies, (2 and 4mo) there isnt a lot of time for me to hit the shed, but a manage to snatch an hour or two a couple of days a week. I'm hoping to have this project finished and ready for Al Fresco dining this coming Spring!