Outdoor furniture help

[Mike Holbrook]

We have about 12 acres that we do dog training on. We are going to devote some of this area to a dog park. We need to build picnic tables, chairs, and maybe a gazebo or roofed pole structure or two. These structures would be located in cleared areas along trails. We also want some dog exercise/obstacle course stations along our trail including: a climbing wall, cat walk, stairs, jump through etc. I am interested in any suggestions on how and with what materials and construction methods to build these structures.

The area for the park is visible at wolfbrook.com.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I have had very good luck with mechanical fasteners in outdoor furniture. Use treated wood or cedar and use bolts, lag bolts and screws to build it. We used to build cow bunks in Ag Shop(The place a cow eats out of in the pasture). These things get beat to crap, but they always stayed together because of heavy fasteners. I would think that you would want the same type of durablitly.

If you have specific constructions questions on a specific peice, be sure to ask them.

[Scott Banbury]

Outdoor stuff expands and contracts mercilously.

I always use draw-pegs or through tenons with wedges.

As mentioned, stainless steel fasteners are good too since they can be tightened if necessary.

[Doug Shepard]

Sounds like my dog would love your park.
I've built outdoor chairs and a picnic table out Ipe (and it's cousin Garapa). It's got a few good things going for it and a few minuses.

Plus:
- Withstands the elements very well
- Doesn't need to be finished, but often is.
- The wood has a very rich dark brown color.
- Compared to other outdoor use woods, price is normally similar to Cedar, less than Redwood, and a lot less than Teak.
- Very Heavy stuff (furniture wont be easily stolen without at least 2 people with hernia coverage on their insurance)

Minus:
- Dulls blades and bits easily.
- You need to use pilot holes for all screws and pilot hole size is pretty critical or you risk breaking off screws. Once screws are in though, they aren't going to loosen and pull out.
- Pretty particular about what finish will work on it. Penofin and Waterlox are supposedly good with it, but I haven't personally tried them.
- Pretty particular about what glue will work on it.

[Bob Smalser]

Have a local mill cutting cedar, sasafrass or other durable wood?

The slabs and tops make great benches....poles tarred and driven into the ground witht he slabs lagged on.

All work done with sledge, chainsaw, stringlines and level.

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594265/29955706.jpg