Friday, July 3, 2009

Making a Picnic Table

I need a table for my backyard. Currently I have a great little yard, but not a great table to sit at... there's my beloved "bucket furniture" made entirely of paint buckets and round pieces of wood, but they sorta fit a tea party for 4 year olds...My dad handmade the picnic table I grew up with, so I love the idea of making my own now... Tim offered to make me one - I LOVE that idea... in the long run I think that would be spectacular (I even printed out plans for a sweet table that folds in half to make two benches - this video is a must-see! click this link to check it out)

Seems I am the only one at my house that thinks the folding table is amazing (Tony thinks its too small, Tim thinks its silly) so its back to making a simple picnic table. We thought starting with making the benches would be great, and putting an old flat door on top of a pair of saw horses makes for a fast table.

A trip to the Rebuilding Center was all I needed to get going on this project (thanx Maggie for giving me a ride in Colonel Mustard!) - I picked out a big flat door from the "dollar door" section and a whole bunch of wood to make the benches (the wood is reclaimed from someone's deck - all pre-treated for outdoor use and already seasoned and dry - I got all this wood for $20!)This is the door I picked out, its huge (and it had little wheels on the bottom which made it easy to roll out to the truck - gotta love that!) and it cost $1!
The best part was as we were driving to the Rebuilding Center, Maggie spotted an old table on the tree-lawn of a house we passed - it was free! It was just waiting for me! It needs a little TLC, but its simply awesome. I may put the door on top of the table (makes it bigger and flatter and it just seems too easy to not do) which would keep the sawhorses free to make the benches.
It already looks so happy in my backyard! Yeah for picnic tables.

4 comments:

aimee said...

When's the picnic!?!? :D

rosebud101 said...

Leah, I'm with you! I love the table that turns into benches. Good luck and enjoy the one you are building.

Whole Food Pioneer said...

How fun! I wish we had a recycling center near us, but what great timing to find the old table. Your idea sounds good to me, just make sure those legs can handle the added weight of the $1 door.

Good luck, whatever you and your husband come up with will be great.

Leah said...

Tim already took the ol' table apart, cleaned up all the pieces, flattened out the top boards and put it all back together with 5 new braces. Its wonderful.

I am sitting outside with my laptop on the picnic table right now.