Thread: Outdoor fully exposed table help

Ok. Decided I'm going to take the day or afternoon off work tomorrow and get more Timber so that I can use solid 30mm slats for the top (needed to plane 5mm off some pieces that had warped and cupped a bit over the last year).

I'm going to do three breadboards like Lappa but a slightly different approach. Full mortise and tennon for the outer boards and center board and then 10mm Dominos for the rest. The large tennons will secure the breadboard whilst the Dominos should be plenty to stop the other boards cupping I believe. Particularly because I'll also add spars below and screw from underneath using oversize pilot holes. Otherwise I'd need to cut 44 individual mortise and tennon joints by hand and I just don't have the time.

Because I don't have time to order z brackets I'll make some wooden equivalents and route a 1/4" groove in the aprons to accept them. This is how I'll secure the outer boards and breadboards

Thanks to all. Now to make 15 hours into 60...

Have you considered tonguing and grooving the boards?

Originally Posted by Chrism3

Have you considered tonguing and grooving the boards?

I did consider this. But wouldn't this just create more areas for water to sit? The other downside is of course more time / work.

So I drove to Kinglake on Friday and got more wood.

Made a bit of progress over the weekend, but probably not enough progress. I have a handfull of hours left after work this week to finish!

Frame done. Top to go.
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Now to mill a heap Timber, cut a heap of mortises and tennons and do a heap of finishing and fastening in the few hours I have left until SWMBO kills me...

Originally Posted by DomAU

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Now to mill a heap Timber, cut a heap of mortises and tennons and do a heap of finishing and fastening in the few hours I have left until SWMBO kills me...

or

the frame's done so, if get yourself a sheet of 3/4 ply, edge it with hardwood (about 20 mm thick) and cover the lot with a table cloth for Christmas Dinner.

Only you will know. None of the guests will notice.

Originally Posted by ian

or

the frame's done so, if get yourself a sheet of 3/4 ply, edge it with hardwood (about 20 mm thick) and cover the lot with a table cloth for Christmas Dinner.

Only you will know. None of the guests will notice.

An idea not without merit. It has crossed my mind. But being as stubborn as I am I'm going all or nothing. I'll hopefully get home early tonight, before 6, so will have a few hours to see what I can get done.
If it still looks like mission impossible after tonight I may pull the pin and get a piece of failure- ply.

Originally Posted by DomAU

An idea not without merit. It has crossed my mind. But being as stubborn as I am I'm going all or nothing. I'll hopefully get home early tonight, before 6, so will have a few hours to see what I can get done.
If it still looks like mission impossible after tonight I may pull the pin and get a piece of failure- ply.

it's not failure-ply
it's "important-ply" destined for a future project that just being pressed into service ...

Originally Posted by ian

or

the frame's done so, if get yourself a sheet of 3/4 ply, edge it with hardwood (about 20 mm thick) and cover the lot with a table cloth for Christmas Dinner.

Only you will know. None of the guests will notice.

Skip the edging as it will be covered by the table cloth and only you will know.

Originally Posted by Bohdan

Skip the edging as it will be covered by the table cloth and only you will know.

May as well skip the plywood as well and just throw on some plaster...

No. I'm going to give this a red hot go. Like I said I'll know more after tonight.

Cut three times measure once will be my motto.

On that note. Do you think it would be a good idea to cut a couple of saw cuts along the bottom of each board to help minimise cupping? I know this is something people do to wide decking boards to help reduce cupping. Worth doing in this case? How deep through the 30mm board if so?

Managed a few hours last night.

Finished milling up planks - jointed, planed, thicknessed and ripped to size. Will need to cut them to length once I've determined the exact length required. No mitre saw station so need to think of a fast way to get 18 boards to the exact same length.

Also set up the router and did the 12 mortises for the breadboards. May square them up or just make the tennons slightly smaller.
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Cut the tennon boards to length.

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That's it until after work tonight.

Great progress, and not a drop of sawdust in sight!

Originally Posted by Chrism3

Great progress, and not a drop of sawdust in sight!

Haha thanks. Yeah I'm pretty fastidious with dust collection. The Clearvue cyclone certainly helps there.

Well my parents dropped in for an impromptu visit last night so I didn't get as much done as I had planned in my optimistic plan with negative 30% contingency haha. So I'm really behind now.

Only managed to cut and dry fit 6 tennons. Was hoping to have all twelve done plus some extra stuff.

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And the poor frame is still waiting to see if he will be shamed with plywood or triumphantly introduced with a solid Timber top...

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