I plan to build picnic tables w/tops of 5/4×6 red cedar decking (because 2×6 cedar is about five times the cost). The rest will be pressure treated. My questions:
– Is this thick enough to feel sturdy? Some of the tables will be 8′ long, which means a 6′ span between legs (with support at the middle via diagonal braces and a cross-rib, as is typical)
– Is red cedar (as opposed to white) appropriate for resistance to decay? I can never keep them straight. I’m looking for very low maintenance (but I don’t want PT for the eating surface).
– If I must put a finish on it, what is appropriate for an eating surface?
Thanks – lj
Replies
With that big a diff in cost you are probably looking at #2 5/4 vs. clear all heart 2x6. See if somebody has the 2x6 in #2 if cost is a factor but the 5/4 should be OK with a runner underbracket in the middle.
Red cedar is more rot resistent than the white. And prettier.
I wouldn't finish them but an oil based solid stain should be Ok once it cures. There are interior finishes likke Behlens Salad Bowl Finish which ar esort of a nontoxic rubbing oil but I don't know if they stand up to exterior use. Linseed oil is also nontoxic. It's another name for flaxseed oil which some folks drink for their health. It will encourage growth of mildew tho'.
If you live in the West where Red Cedar grows, see if you can find somebody with a portable mill. Or email me and I can put you in touch with someone.
I have a woodmizer but I'm too busy with building right now but I've cut a lot of stock for picnic tables, big thick ones like the Forest Service builds. One guy has an RV campground and for him, I've cut a lot of Port Orford Cedar stock. He just treats them with a couple of coats of Penofin Danish stain and they look Awesome! And no one has gotten sick yet.
By the way, Port Orford Cedar is pretty rot resistent. And it's not terribly expensive if you know where to go, it's much stronger than Red Cedar and it machines well and smells so wonderful that you'll save the shavings and sawdust!
Measure with a micrometer, Mark with chalk, and cut with an axe.
The dust of POC is toxic, don't know if the surface is for food.
I love the smell but it did land me in the hospital, other guys on the crew get sinus infections from it - use the dust mask.
Excellence is its own reward!
Red Cedar dust, Yew wood dust and Redwood dust are worse.
I think a finished table of any of those woods is safe, but you're right...working rot resistant wood requires precautions.Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut it with an axe.
Thanks for the warnings, I will use my breather.
And thanks for the offer to put me in touch with a mill. I am on the East Coast as it happens, and already have a source lined up.
lj
To whom it may concern: I made 3 of the 6 tables this weekend. The 5/4x6 cedar top is not quite as rigid as I'd like. Definitely usable, but exhibits just a bit of flex. That's on the 6-footers, the 8-footers are still to come. I'll see how they feel in actual use (won't be for a couple months) before deciding whether they need corrective measures.
I think as a do-over I'd probably make the top --- and also the seats, which are P.T. and _heavy_ -- out of spruce, planning on restaining every few years. That would save weight and be very rigid while keeping the maintenance hassle to a bare minimum, just the sun-facing slabs, no underneath structure (which I'd keep P.T.).
lj