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23rd April 2009, 11:40 PM #1
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Wood? for Large Outdoor Dining Table
Hi folks,
We have a big yard (small house) so I'm trying to make the most of it and build a big dining table so we can have lots of people over when the weather is nice. I'm not a skilled carpenter but can get stuff done so I was just going to build a plain rectangle table (12 feet long/3.5 meters) and leave a little space between each board on top to allow for expansion similar to the concept of a wood deck. Anyways, I have questions and would love your opinions:
1. What type of wood should I use? Mahogany? Cedar?
2. How thick should the wood be? - obviously I know the thicker it is the more expensive but I thought maybe it's worth it if it wouldn't cup as much as thinner wood?...is my logic correct?
3. What's the maximum width of each of the board you'd reccomend?
Thank you very much!
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24th April 2009, 01:00 AM #2
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Few questions
What is your climate, colour preference, joinery methods etc.,
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24th April 2009, 01:09 AM #3
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Reply to What is climate, colour, joinery
Hi,
Climate - I'm in the New York area where we get some snow in the winter (around 0 C usuually) and the summer can get a little humid (32 C). Most of the very high end homes around here use either Mahogany or Ipe for decks.
Colour - We like the Dark look of Mahogany the most.
Sealer - I was planning on using Sikkens Stain since I heard from some local pros that it's the absolute best.
Joinery - I wasn't planning on joining the board for the table top b/c I figured it wouldn't last outdoors. Instead I was simply going to screw them down with stainless steel screws and maybe plug them so they look a bit nicer.
Nick
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24th April 2009, 01:45 AM #4
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Go for mahogany. But a real mahogany not a luan/phillipine/meranti/crap type mahogany.
African mahogany (sapelle) is good import variety.
The type of Cedar you are after is redwood/heartwood and is considerably expensive, so I say stick with mahogany
2 x 4" is a great standard size that dresses down to a good size.
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28th April 2009, 05:06 PM #5
almost a woodworker
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Welcome to the site Nick.
If Ipe is a common timber there and not too expensive I think it will be the most durable.
From what I have read it is one of the most durable timbers there is. Also very hard.
Regards
John
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