On 7/21/2016 10:56 AM, Jack wrote:
On 7/20/2016 7:27 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
Avoid pressure treated. Do you want to put your food and beverages on
chemically saturated wood? Even construction grade lumber will get you
7 to 10 years with minimal care. some of the exotics will last 50+
years with no treatment. Stainless steel screws, of course.
If the table will be sitting on grass or dirt, at least make the legs
out of PT wood. Wood in contact with dirt and grass in your climate
will rot in no time, it is designed to do just that. I would make the
whole thing out of PT lumber and not worry at all about it. All wood,
off the ground and built so it will not stay damp for long periods will
last a long, long time. Where it cannot dry out, like in joints, and
where it makes contact with other pieces will stay damp and will rot
first. PT wood will not rot and stays nice. You need to stain it, or
it will crack and discolor. Best to use solid wood stain. You will need
to refinish every few years, but mainly just where the sun hits it.
Agree with using PT for ground contact and pretty much for any bracing
that you will not make normal skin contact with.
My son built this picnic table when he was in HS, and it's been in Pgh
weather ever since, about 15 years. It been refinished 2x and only the
top parts, never flipped over to refinish. Takes about 15 minutes to
rough sand and 20 minutes to repaint, but only if you leave it go long
enough to need some sanding, which you will. You need to leave it out a
year or two before staining, to insure it is dry when stained, or the
stain will not hold up. It is fastened with galvanized bolts and deck
screws.
Here it is unfinished:
http://jbstein.com/Photos/woodwork/DCP2_1327.jpg
and 15 years later, finished:
http://jbstein.com/Photos/Woodwork/P1030520.jpg
Did you get the wrong picture, this table is not the same as the one
referenced directly above. Top and seat supports are on the inside on
one and out side on the other. And the top and bottom material do not
seem to be the same thickness in both pictures.
If you own a Texas oil well, you might be better off using Teak, but use
PT where anything is sitting on bare NY ground.