Outdoor Drop-Leaf Table Support

[Richard Norwood]

I am building an outdoor drop-leaf teak table and I am stuck on the supports. I am planning on using solid brass or stainless hinges, but I cannot find any "outdoor Friendly" drop-leaf supports. Any ideas?

[Jamie Buxton]

There are quite a few ways to support drop leaves. Some involve metal arms, but many can be built from wood. If you can't find stainless drop-leaf arms, use the stainless hinges and build the rest from wood.

For stainless stuff, you might look in places which supply sailboats. A galley tends to be very compact, so tables which fold up are often used. And sailboats tend to employ rust-resistant hardware.

[Danny Thompson]

Consider a wooden hinge made with dowels.

See Norm's Butterfly Table for an example of a wooden support (although I think he uses metal hardware to hinge the wing/support.:

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