Build a sturdy, slate-top table

Sunset, July, 1995 by Peter O. Whiteley

Rugged good looks make it at home on the patio. Slate tiles, fir poles, and redwood make it durable. Cost: about $120

This picnic table is handsome enough to use indoors but sturdy enough to leave outdoors year-round. It's built of three rugged materials: pressure-treated poles for the legs, redwood 2-by-6s (the kind intended for decking) for the top frame, and slate flooring tiles for the tabletop.

These materials are available at home supply centers, and you can build the table for about $120 in a couple of weekends. The precut jade green slate tiles (about $2 each) are consistent in size - they measure just under 12 inches square - but they vary in thickness. If you want a more uniform surface or one of a different color, consider substituting granite, marble, terra-cotta, or ceramic tiles. Slate tiles can be difficult to find; if your home supply center doesn't carry them, check at a tile supply store.

The tile dimensions determine the table's size: our tabletop measures 3 tiles wide and 4 tiles long. Changing the proportions or number of tiles will give the table a different size, and you can make it coffee-table height by shortening the legs.

The tile top makes this table heavy, but the top lifts off for greater mobility.

Most peeler-core poles measure about 5 inches in diameter and have a pale greenish cast. Select two that are dry, free of marks, and similar in color.

FIRST, BUILD THE TABLETOP

To make a table like ours, arrange the tiles in a three-by-four pattern on the plywood sheet, starting in one comer. Butt the tiles together with no allowance for grout; be sure they're flush with two adjacent edges of the plywood. (If you prefer the grouted look, use spacers between tiles.) When tiles are in place, draw an outline of them on the plywood. Remove the tiles, setting them down in order; cut the rectangular base for the tabletop from the plywood. The top's actual overall dimensions will depend on the true size of the tile squares - our top measures 34 15/16 by 46 11/16 inches.

TOOLS

Tape measure Combination square Framing square Handsaw Circular or table saw Electric drill 3/8-inch countersinking bit 3/8-inch plug cutter Chisel Wire brush Dust mask Paintbrush Notched trowel for mortar Rubber mallet Hammer

MATERIALS

12 slate tiles 1/2 sheet 3/4-inch exterior plywood 1 fir 2-by-4, 8 feet long 2 clear redwood 2-by-6s, 10 feet long 2 clear redwood 1-by-3s, 8 feet long 2 pressure-treated peeler-core poles, each 6 feet long 68 2 1/2-inch deck screws 1 1/2-inch galvanized finishing nails Sandpaper Wood glue 1 pint satin-finish polyurethane 1 quart wood stain Thin-set mortar 1 pint silicone sealer

Ripsaw the 2-by-4 into two 1-inch-wide lengths. Glue and nail these boards to the underside of the plywood rectangle so each creates a lip that's flush with one edge. These will keep the top from sliding on the frame. Seal the plywood top with the polyurethane; allow to dry.

THEN MAKE THE FRAME...

The base has two parts: the upper frame, upon which the tile-and-plywood top sits, and the legs. Make the upper frame 2 1/2 inches shorter and narrower than the plywood top. Cut the 2-by-6s down to size, mitering the ends (save remnants to make cross-braces later).

For screws (five countersunk screws will join the boards at each corner), equally space and drill holes - three in each end of the longer boards and two in each end of the shorter ones. Assemble the rectangular frame with glue and deck screws. Check alignment with a framing square.

...AND THE LEGS

Put on your dust mask (remember to wear it anytime you cut or sand pressure-treated wood), then cut four 30-inch lengths from the two poles. Each leg will need a notch cut into its top to accommodate a brace (see detail photo at left); braces will angle across the inside of the frame at the corners to keep legs from pivoting and to lock them in place. To make the notches, draw a line across the top of each leg pole, 2 inches from an edge. Using a handsaw and following the pencil line, cut straight down 5 1/2 inches into the top of each pole. Finish each notch with a horizontal cut from the outside of the pole (see detail photo at left). Sand the leg poles smooth.

JOIN TABLE LEGS TO THE FRAME

Place the rectangular frame on a flat work surface, and position a leg pole in one comer with the notched side facing in. Cut a cross-brace with 45[degrees] ends to slip into the notch. Sink three rows of three screws in the cross-brace to hold it to the frame sides and to the flat face of the notch. Repeat for the other legs.

To lock the legs firmly in position, countersink three more screws into each leg through lines drawn on the outside of the frame 4 inches from each corner. On the long side, center one screw, and on the short side, align two screws with the screws running into the corner.

Cut plugs from leftover scraps of redwood, and glue them into the screw holes in the frame. When dry, trim the plugs flush with a chisel. Sand off glue and pencil marks.

In an optional step, you can use a stiff wire brush or wire brush bit on an electric drill to raise the grain on the outside of the frame and on the 1-by-3s that will edge the tabletop. This adds a weathered look to the wood that complements the slate's craggy texture.