Redwood Slab Table

[SonomaProducts.com]

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 build ings they have demo'd.

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

The leg pedestal is tenoned into the cross member foot. The upper cross bea m 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 3

0" and I will lower the benches from 18" to 17" to account for the 6" thick ness of the table top to allow room for thighs when seated.

[woodchucker]

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.

[SonomaProducts.com]

The pedestals are construction Fir or the like. They\ tables will be outsid e but under cover. Nice thought about the tenon rotting. Would be pretty ha rd 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.

[Swingman]

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.

[jloomis]

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

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.

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.

[Sonny]

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

[Sonny]

Check that. The ad is still up, in Belle Chase, not here in Lafayette as I thought.

Sonny

[Lee Michaels]

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.

[woodchucker]

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.