Cedar table top advice

[Tom Porter]

I'm relatively new to woodworking and need a little advice on a project. I'm planning on building an outdoor table out of reclaimed cedar fencing. It's pretty thin and will be thinner after I plane it smooth. So I have two ideas to how to glue it up to a reasonable thickness. I can either glue the edges and then glue these up in layers until it's the thickness I want (offsetting the joints). Or I can rip the boards fairly narrow and glue them face to face, so the edges will be the surface of the table.

Other than aesthetics, are there any advantages or disadvantages to either approach?

I apologize if my descriptions are inadequate or my terminology is off.

[Jim Matthews]

If you take each board, and glue an opposing piece to it, along the widest face - you can make a lamination that has grain in opposition.
These can be tremendously strong, for their weight.

I would consider an outdoor table with edge grain showing to be a handsome, if overbuilt alternative.
It will also be quite heavy, even when made from Cedar.

If you don't build drainage channels between the boards, you'll need a cover to keep water from pooling on the surface.

newmast1.jpg

[Sam Murdoch]

Why glue up panels at all? A wood outdoor table top is best off (IMHO ) with gaps between the boards to allow water to flow through and easy drying with movement not an issue. I propose an alternative (assuming you have enough material) lay up the table top from 2 layers of boards - one layer perpendicular to the other. At each layer the boards could be kept apart 1/8" or so (not much more). The top layer could be fastened to the cross bottom layer with screws from the under side. One#6 stainless screw at every other junction should make a pretty rugged and pretty good looking top.

All can be finished prior to screwing together with a good marine varnish - such as Epifanes or Petit - OR simply treated once each spring with a penetration oil like Watco exterior oil - OR - as it's cedar - left unfinished altogether.

By the way - your 2nd alternative of making up an - edge face - top like a butcher block , makes for a challenging glue up and will surprise you as to how much wood it will take. Nothing wrong with it but just lots of work, and messy too.

[Tom Porter]

The butcher block top would be the better looking of the two in my opinion but I've had the same thought about the amount of wood as well as the difficulty of the glue up. One other factor I forgot to add: the boards are shorter than the table top planned, so there will be end grain joints as well. One advantage of the butcher block is it will be easier to make it look good with a variety of different length boars. But again, this might make assemble even trickier.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I agree with Sam. All this talk about glue and outdoor use unsettles me. The boards could be attached from underneath with deck screws if you don't want to spring for stainless.

[Gilbert Vega]

About 10 years ago I built an outdoor cabinet using reclaimed cedar fencing material. The top I used was from 2 x 4's ripped in half then glued face to face. I used polyurethane glue (Gorilla brand) and it has survived daily exposure to the elements with only 1 problem. I did re-glue the mitered end on the right side last week. Pics taken within 2 weeks.

[Sam Murdoch]

The butcher block top would be the better looking of the two in my opinion but I've had the same thought about the amount of wood as well as the difficulty of the glue up. One other factor I forgot to add: the boards are shorter than the table top planned, so there will be end grain joints as well. One advantage of the butcher block is it will be easier to make it look good with a variety of different length boars. But again, this might make assemble even trickier.

You could still use the short pieces on the top section using my concept by simply butting the joints where they would be supported by the boards underneath.

I don't say that you should not do an epoxy glue up I just think that it wouldn't be a fun/clean/worth the effort project. If it's your only real option though - do it - why not. You'll have a table and the satisfaction of a challenging project completed.

[Tom Porter]

I'm not too concerned about the glue/outdoor use issue because I'm using free materials and it's as much about building it as it is about having it. So if it suffers from the elements, so be it. Having said that, I thought I could speed up the process by securing the strips in the butcher block version with deck screws as I assemble rather than gluing and clamping. Any drawback to this?

Thanks for all the input. I appreciate any thoughts. The more ideas I hear, the better this thing might turn out.

[Gilbert Vega]

I've thought about doing something similar for end grain cutting boards but I was going to use stainless 23 gauge pins. I would use stainless hardware or at least the treated deck screws you mention, if you were concerned with it lasting more than a year. The end grain will certainly wick moisture into the wood.

[Jim Matthews]

That is the biggest Jackalope rack I've ever seen.

They sure do grow them big in Texas.
(Nice looking veranda, too.)

[Gilbert Vega]

That is the biggest Jackalope rack I've ever seen.

They sure do grow them big in Texas.
(Nice looking veranda, too.)

Thanks Jim. By the way, that's a rack from a baby Jackalope. lol

[Tom Porter]

My question has been hijackaloped.

[Jim Matthews]

Not exactly.

The two ideas have merged.
It's been Hijackeloped.