A big cedar table and benches I made several years ago

[Mark Norman]

I wanted a big table for the patio and I know a local guy with a sawmill.
I went over to his place and picked out a ten foot piece of tree he had layin around that was about 30 inched in diameter.

He goes on to tell me the history of this chunk of tree. Apparently it was along side a logging road and was responsible for saving a few logging trucks from going over the mountian side.

It was beat up for years and just kept healing itself. It wasnt any good for the structural members he made for custom timber frame homes but would be ideal for what i wanted. Killer deal I thought to meself.

I had him cut it up into 3" slabs and had him cut up a few rounds to use as bases for the table and benches.

It has served our family well for several years and I decided to get a few pics to share with you all. He also provided me with the pieces needed to make the arbor overhead. I have some pics from back when I built it I'll try to dig up. We planted a few grape vines to climb the arbor and they have flourished over the years.

Its real neat when the grapes just hang over your head while having a meal and you can just reach up and grab one. the kids love walking on the table and hanging from the arbor.

I know whats a post like this without pics....

[Jim Becker]

Now that's a major stout table! Very nice.

'Curious about the "extra" slab on top, however...doesn't it get in the way, or is the size of the whole thing deceiving?

[John Thompson]

I love it and share the same curiousity as Jim on the additional slab. All I can say is you could invite a team of Sumo wrestlers to visit... it'll hold em up with no serious doubt.

Sarge..

[Craig Hemsath]

What do you move that with? A truck? Nice piece to have.

[Mark Norman]

What do you move that with? A truck? Nice piece to have.

It dont Move...never will either

The 'extra' slab on top is for serving and works out well. There is plenty of room on either side of the center to have the place settings.

Thanks for the kind words. It was fun to build and has served us for several years.

[David Keller NC]

Mark - Nice table. One comment, though, based on building a few outdoor pieces that weren't made of treated wood - even Eastern red cedar and cypress, two woods famous for their outdoor durability, will rot if the end-grain is left in direct contact with concrete or (especially) the ground.

I has to repair a couple of pieces before I figured out that raising the endgrain up off of the patio with a 3/4" thick flat-sawn board solved the issue of water "wicking" up into the support posts. It's easy to do and will add years and years to the life of your table.

[John Olson]

That is a really nice table.

[Mark Norman]

Thank you John.

Thank you to David. Not to worry though, with the stamped concrete patio the water drains away real well from uner the table and benches.

On the Arbor I put 1" of grout under each leg for the reasons you mention. then I trimed out the bottom of the posts with thin guage copper to hide the mortar.