| Project by Bill | posted 366 days ago | 482 views | 4 times favorited | 14 comments |  |
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A customer approached me on building a table for their outdoor area. They like to entertain outside sometimes by having a bar-b-que. They wanted a table to hold things like dishes, food, drinks, etc. However, they did not want a plain table. Instead, they found a plan for a potting bench that they liked, with a few modifications. Based on the plan, I build this Redwood Potting Table.
The table is made of Redwood. The legs are kiln dried 2×4s that were jointed on all sides to make them smooth and straight. The legs are approximately 3 inches square. The base sections are made with 2×4s, also jointed down and fastened together with dominos. These were the only parts that were permanently attached. The remainder of the bench is 1×6 redwood planks (not fence wood material) that is screwed in place with outdoor screws. This way, if a board should warp, it can be unscrewed and replaced easily.
The entire table was sanded to 150 grit, and then finished with tree coats of spar varnish to protect the wood and maintain its wonderful color.
The planks have a 1/4 inch gap between, to resemble a redwood deck or potting bench. Overall, the customer loved the bench.
Redwood is easy to work with, since it is a soft wood. It does have some knots in the 2×4s, but I tried to avoid as many as possible. One or two did break during the jointing, but they were in non critical areas so not easily seen. Like pine, it does have pitch pockets so you have to watch out. I read about sealing these with Shellac, and tried it. Well, it helped but a few of the pitch pockets still leaked. When I applied the spar varnish, there were no more leaks.
All in all, it was a fun project to work on. The wine bottle, glasses, and bucket are the owner’s. The pictures were taken on their patio.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
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14 comments so far
CharlieM1958
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3968 posts in 661 days
posted 366 days ago
That’s just beautiful, Bill!
I sure wish I could buy redwood down here in south Louisiana without paying through the nose to have it shipped in from somewhere.
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
TomFran
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2340 posts in 437 days
posted 366 days ago
Bill, that is excellent! Beautiful craftsmanship and design.
I’ll bet the customer was real happy with it.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
Jojo
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319 posts in 415 days
posted 366 days ago
Nice table Bill! I love the “tiger” look of the wood with all that sap.
-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto ยท http://www.japanese-woodworking-tools.com/
RobS
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1073 posts in 749 days
posted 366 days ago
Great job, Bill, looks like you met their needs and then some.
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
TreeBones
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1378 posts in 466 days
posted 366 days ago
Very nice Bill, this is the best “potting table” I’ve seen
-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3
MsDebbieP
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11555 posts in 603 days
posted 366 days ago
((clapping)) I love this, Bill.. It is So beautiful. I wouldn’t be putting a single pot of dirt on it, though. Gorgeous
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Bill
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2512 posts in 604 days
posted 366 days ago
Thanks for all the compliments.
Debbie, the owner does not plan on using it for potting plants either, just for their outdoor table.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
jockmike2
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4011 posts in 689 days
posted 366 days ago
You know Bill a person could use that table for two different kinds of” potting” one with a bottle the other with a pot. LOL. Just beautiful Bill, magic, pure magic. Jockmike
-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com
jembo
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104 posts in 456 days
posted 366 days ago
Very nice table, “and dominos too, how cool is that” ;-)
-- James - Geneva, Switzerland
cajunpen
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5352 posts in 509 days
posted 366 days ago
Outstanding table Bill. I’ve been thinking about building one for my wife for some time now – maybe this will give me the push I need…..but I’m thinking Cypress or Cedar – Redwood is as hard to find in this area as Hen’s Teeth or Frog Hair.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
Bob #2
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1799 posts in 464 days
posted 366 days ago
I sure do like the outstanding colour you got Bill. I have need of one like that behind my greenhouse and it never gets done.
Next time you are up here I’m going to put you to work. <g><
For you fellows worried about shipping costs- don’t be, just get your wood. You would be surprised at how little it really does cost,
Especially if you get a bunch with a friend.
bob
-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner
Bill
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2512 posts in 604 days
posted 365 days ago
Around here, they have cedar for fencing and the aromatic cedar. For some reason, they do not have the regular cedar. Douglas Fir was just too expensive to build this with. Amazing the local lumber yards did not have what I was looking for. So, a trip to Lowe’s, some careful selecting, and here is the end results.
I enjoyed working with Redwood, it was nice color, cut easily, sands well. But it sure makes a lot of dust. After sanding, my grey hair and beard were a slightly reddish pink color until I hit the shower.
I am looking forward to building some more outdoor items with Redwood in the future. Since I can not find Western Red Cedar around, I guess I will be using Redwood again.
-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com
mot
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4837 posts in 479 days
posted 364 days ago
That’s awesome, Bill. I’ve been threatening to build one for my mom. Just great!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
oscorner
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4576 posts in 754 days
posted 364 days ago
EXCELLENT JOB, BILL!!
-- Jesus is Lord!