On Jul 17, 10:05*am, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:
I'm just trying to think of some means to ensure
the ends of the legs are not sat directly on the concrete patio slabs.

Most of the rot is due to trapped water, and the risk is always that
your spacer will trap water just as effectively. So I start by using
the driest timber I can find or produce, vacuuming it (if it's small
enough to fit in the vac bucket) and getting as much polyester rot
repair resin as I can into the timber.

For fixed posts, the traditional Japanese carpentry solution is a
bronze disk with a slight convexity to it, and a small locating pin,
set on a stone plinth. I've used this for timber-framed structures, up
to the size of garages (Archi-knobhead didn't permit it for the
swimming pool house).

For picnic tables, I usually just insert a couple of nails into the
ends. Use the decorative ones intended for studding oak front doors,
as they have nice big heads. Mine are smithed in wrought iron, so
they're longer-lasting than mild steel.