The church I attend is converting an old dairy property into the new church campus. Someone in the church gave them 3, well dried, redwood log slabs 6" thick, 18-30" wide and 9 feet long. They asked me to consider making some picnic type tables out of them.

We worked through several table leg design ideas and came up with a single pedestal type design using some salvaged 6 x 8's from some of the old buildings they have demo'd.

Here are pics of the first of three I will build.

http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-1.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-2.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-3.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-4.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-5.JPG

The leg pedestal is tenoned into the cross member foot. The upper cross beam is sitting in a slot in the top of the pedestal. Three long lags up into the table and 3/8" bolts through the tenon and cross member.

Everything oiled with clear exterior fence type oil.

I cheated the top of the table up to 32" which is higher than the typical 30" and I will lower the benches from 18" to 17" to account for the 6" thickness of the table top to allow room for thighs when seated.

On 4/25/2014 5:58 PM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
The church I attend is converting an old dairy property into the new church campus. Someone in the church gave them 3, well dried, redwood log slabs 6" thick, 18-30" wide and 9 feet long. They asked me to consider making some picnic type tables out of them.

We worked through several table leg design ideas and came up with a single pedestal type design using some salvaged 6 x 8's from some of the old buildings they have demo'd.

Here are pics of the first of three I will build.

http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-1.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-2.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-3.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-4.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-5.JPG

The leg pedestal is tenoned into the cross member foot. The upper cross beam is sitting in a slot in the top of the pedestal. Three long lags up into the table and 3/8" bolts through the tenon and cross member.

Everything oiled with clear exterior fence type oil.

I cheated the top of the table up to 32" which is higher than the typical 30" and I will lower the benches from 18" to 17" to account for the 6" thickness of the table top to allow room for thighs when seated.


Nice work. I hope you are not keeping that piece outside... looks too good.

is the pedestal also redwood? Be careful with mortise and tenon legs
like that, there's no way for the moisture to leave, so they stay moist
and rot. One of the ways to avoid that is to have a chamfer on the top
of the wood both side, and make the tenon shoulder follow the chamfer,
so the water just runs off instead of sitting on top the wood travelling
into it.

Just an opinion.



--
Jeff

is the pedestal also redwood? Be careful with mortise and tenon legs

like that, there's no way for the moisture to leave, so they stay moist

and rot. One of the ways to avoid that is to have a chamfer on the top

of the wood both side, and make the tenon shoulder follow the chamfer,

so the water just runs off instead of sitting on top the wood travelling

into it.



Just an opinion.

The pedestals are construction Fir or the like. They\ tables will be outside but under cover. Nice thought about the tenon rotting. Would be pretty hard for water to get in there and the tenon is 2" x 5" the 3" long so would take some time to rot, but maybe I will add in some weep holes in the next ones and drill some into the first one next time I am onsite.






--

Jeff

On 4/25/2014 4:58 PM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
The church I attend is converting an old dairy property into the new church campus. Someone in the church gave them 3, well dried, redwood log slabs 6" thick, 18-30" wide and 9 feet long. They asked me to consider making some picnic type tables out of them.

We worked through several table leg design ideas and came up with a single pedestal type design using some salvaged 6 x 8's from some of the old buildings they have demo'd.

Here are pics of the first of three I will build.

http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-1.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-2.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-3.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-4.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-5.JPG

Very nice, and well done! Those slabs would be worth a fortune in this
area, and the rougher the better.

I left a client's home just a bit ago where the dining room table sides
were as finished as the end grain in #5.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Love to see old redwood being used. I have lots of it up here on the coast,
and enjoy making
various items.....
Great job.
john

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in message
...

The church I attend is converting an old dairy property into the new church
campus. Someone in the church gave them 3, well dried, redwood log slabs 6"
thick, 18-30" wide and 9 feet long. They asked me to consider making some
picnic type tables out of them.

We worked through several table leg design ideas and came up with a single
pedestal type design using some salvaged 6 x 8's from some of the old
buildings they have demo'd.

Here are pics of the first of three I will build.

http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-1.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-2.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-3.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-4.JPG
http://www.sonomaproducts.com/images...lab/slab-5.JPG

The leg pedestal is tenoned into the cross member foot. The upper cross beam
is sitting in a slot in the top of the pedestal. Three long lags up into the
table and 3/8" bolts through the tenon and cross member.

Everything oiled with clear exterior fence type oil.

I cheated the top of the table up to 32" which is higher than the typical
30" and I will lower the benches from 18" to 17" to account for the 6"
thickness of the table top to allow room for thighs when seated.

On Friday, April 25, 2014 4:58:41 PM UTC-5, SonomaProducts.com wrote:
Someone in the church gave them 3, well dried, redwood log slabs 6" thick, 18-30" wide and 9 feet long. They asked me to consider making some picnic type tables out of them.

I love them. Great job.

As Karl said, around here, redwood slabs are premium. Within the past 2 weeks, or so, someone, on Craigslist, had a 3" X 36" X don't-recall-the-length slab (raw or natural edges) for $2500. The ad is no longer there, so someone must have snapped it up.

Post some pics of the remaining tables and seats/benches, also, when done.

Sonny

On Friday, April 25, 2014 9:42:16 PM UTC-5, Sonny wrote:
Within the past 2 weeks, or so, someone, on Craigslist,

Check that. The ad is still up, in Belle Chase, not here in Lafayette as I thought.
http://lafayette.craigslist.org/mat/4394625779.html

Sonny

Not only are these tables beautiful, They are unique and strong. They will
have no problems dealing with any kind of load you could put on them. It is
nice to see old wood recycled into new furniture.

On 4/25/2014 7:29 PM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:


is the pedestal also redwood? Be careful with mortise and tenon legs

like that, there's no way for the moisture to leave, so they stay moist

and rot. One of the ways to avoid that is to have a chamfer on the top

of the wood both side, and make the tenon shoulder follow the chamfer,

so the water just runs off instead of sitting on top the wood travelling

into it.



Just an opinion.

The pedestals are construction Fir or the like. They\ tables will be outside but under cover. Nice thought about the tenon rotting. Would be pretty hard for water to get in there and the tenon is 2" x 5" the 3" long so would take some time to rot, but maybe I will add in some weep holes in the next ones and drill some into the first one next time I am onsite.






--

Jeff

I don't think the weeping hole will solve the problem, it's the fact
that no air gets in their to dry it. So it's really a matter of keeping
it out in the first place. The fact that it will be under cover will be
good enough, as long as they don't carry them out doors and leave them.



--
Jeff