| Project by Bill | posted 2096 days ago | 3211 views | 14 times favorited | 14 comments | ![]() |
![]() |
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
| Pin It |


























14 comments so far
CharlieM1958
home | projects | blog
14866 posts in 2391 days
#1 posted 2096 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
home | projects | blog
2933 posts in 2166 days
#2 posted 2096 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
home | projects | blog
593 posts in 2144 days
#3 posted 2096 days ago
Nice table Bill! I love the “tiger” look of the wood with all that sap.
RobS
home | projects | blog
1331 posts in 2479 days
#4 posted 2096 days ago
Great job, Bill, looks like you met their needs and then some.
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
TreeBones
home | projects | blog
1797 posts in 2196 days
#5 posted 2096 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 http://www.portablesawmill.info
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
18320 posts in 2333 days
#6 posted 2096 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
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Bill
home | projects | blog
2579 posts in 2334 days
#7 posted 2096 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
home | projects | blog
10636 posts in 2419 days
#8 posted 2096 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
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
jembo
home | projects | blog
105 posts in 2186 days
#9 posted 2096 days ago
Very nice table, “and dominos too, how cool is that” ;-)
-- James - Geneva, Switzerland
cajunpen
home | projects | blog
11677 posts in 2238 days
#10 posted 2095 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
home | projects | blog
3808 posts in 2194 days
#11 posted 2095 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
home | projects | blog
2579 posts in 2334 days
#12 posted 2095 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
home | projects | blog
4912 posts in 2209 days
#13 posted 2094 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
home | projects | blog
4565 posts in 2483 days
#14 posted 2093 days ago
EXCELLENT JOB, BILL!!
-- Jesus is Lord!
Have your say...