|
FREE
to your e-mailbox!
What's new in gardening, upcoming events
gardeners won't want to miss - PLUS all the latest
from Canadian Gardening magazine and our website.
Subscribe
now! |
|
Win
fabulous prizes -- see all our contests and enter online.
Enter
to win! |
| 
Find great
gardening books to inspire and inform you. Plus, order
custom binders to house your Canadian Gardening
magazines.
Start
shopping! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dual personality
|
 |
|
A hard-working table does double duty in the garden
|
|
|
By Paul Lewis; Photography by Mark Burstyn; Illustration by Paul Lewis
|
|
|
|
|
This little table has two purposes: it's a great side table for a small space, but lift the top and voila – it becomes the perfect place to stash a few garden tools for those impromptu pruning or weeding sessions. It's built from off-the-shelf cedar lumber, and with the exception of the compartment bottom (which is 1⁄4"-thick plywood), the only sawing you need to do is to cut the components to the right length using a handsaw and mitre box, a circular saw or a powered mitre saw (a.k.a. chopsaw). The dimensions shown in the materials list are actual sizes; when buying the lumber, look for 1x6 deck boards to make the top and rails, and 2x2 balusters for the legs.
Materials
3 Top boards, 1” x 5 1⁄2” x 17 1⁄2”
4 Legs, 1 1⁄2” x 1 1⁄2” x 23”
4 Rails, 1” x 5 1⁄2” x 11 1⁄2”
1 Bottom panel, 1⁄4” x 12 1⁄4” x 12 1⁄4”
8 Bottom cleats, 3⁄4” x 3⁄4” x 2
2 Strap hinges, 3”
Glue
Biscuit joiner (if using biscuits)
150-grit sandpaper
16 galvanized finishing nails, 1⁄4”
8 biscuits (or dowel), #20
Screws
Preparation and assembly
1. Cut the top boards to three equal lengths (171⁄2"). Next, arrange the boards with the best-looking sides up and run a bead of outdoor-rated Type II PVA glue (such as LePage Easy Flow Outdoor) along the edges to be joined. Use bar clamps to hold the top together until the glue dries.
2. Cut the legs and rails to length.
3. Give everything a light sanding with 150-grit sandpaper before assembling. It's easier to do it now, before everything is put together. I attached the legs to the rails using #20 size biscuits (compressed wafers of beech wood that fit into slots cut with a biscuit joiner) and glue. Joining the legs and aprons with dowels is another option.
Click here to see the rest of the preparation and assembly steps!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
