# Picnic Table Learning Project



## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

I sure had fun with this project teaching my son-in-law some basic woodworking skills. Safe use of a chop saw and setting it up to make identical cuts and angled cuts. Measuring calculating and cutting angle braces. Gluing and assembling. He also learned the hard way how to clean out wood chips when drilling. He got a ½ inch Irwin Aggressive Bore bit stuck half way through 3 layers of 2X’s. It took two battery charges to get it unstuck. He successfully cleaned out the chips on the remaining holes though.

It took two afternoons to complete. The first to cut and build the frame and the second day to put on the tops. The top is 8 feet long X 33 ¾ + inches and the seats are 11 ¼. Sturdy and should last for years along with the skills he learned.

If you look close you can see the stuck bit in the first two pictures.


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## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

Nice work.

The table and seat tops -- looks like a non-wood/composite product??


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

Ray Newman said:


> Nice work.
> 
> The table and seat tops -- looks like a non-wood/composite product??


I think is is recycled wood, you can see some brown chips in it. This is what it is https://www.lowes.com/pd/ChoiceDek-...Beach-House-Gray-Composite-Deck-Board/3612034


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Good job, I like the idea of using the composite wood boards for outdoor projects,they will sure weather better than natural wood.
Herb


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Good looking table Steve - nice and solid.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

Thanks for the nice comments Herb and Vince


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Very nice looking table. I like the recycled wood too.

Some lessons are learned well the first time.. He won't soon forget what it feels like when the bit is starting to plug up. I've seen them snap off when they are stuck that hard.I don't think they are as tough in reverse as they are in forward.


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

Good job to both teacher and the student.


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## old55 (Aug 11, 2013)

Very nice job. Don't think it will fall apart easily.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

That thing is built like a tank! 

Great job


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Nice job. I like the idea of using composit wood for outdoor projects. At present I use redwood for that, which isn't bad, but composit would stay nicer longer out here in the Mojave.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

Composite has less splinters!!!

Thanks for all the great comments.


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## williamm (Oct 10, 2011)

Nice looking table, but I am curious and must ask a question.
Why did you choose the angle the legs are fastened at?
I have found that when the foot of the legs do not meet the ground under the bench, there is a likely hood of the bench tipping over if there are people sitting on one side.
Just curious.


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

williamm said:


> Nice looking table, but I am curious and must ask a question.
> Why did you choose the angle the legs are fastened at?
> I have found that when the foot of the legs do not meet the ground under the bench, there is a likely hood of the bench tipping over if there are people sitting on one side.
> Just curious.


That is a good question. 

There is enough weight on the other side that four big guys could set on one side. The fifth would cause a problem if no-one was on the other side.

One drawing I saw had the bench 14 inches away from the foot, I thought that was too much.


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Nice picnic table. I'll bet it's heavy, but I tend to build things so I will never need to work on them again too.

Charley


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## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

CharleyL said:


> Nice picnic table. I'll bet it's heavy, but I tend to build things so I will never need to work on them again too.
> 
> Charley


A bit on the heavy side - heaver than the DeWalt planner :grin:


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