Hi All.
I've been asked by my daughter's preschool to make a pair of outdoor play tables. The tables will be ~36" on a side. One has a 3x3 grid tile top of nominal 12" tiles (actual 11 5/8") and the other will have the same basic layout but will not have the grid. Instead table #2 will be an elevated box that will have a few inches of sand for the kids to play in.
I have some 2x6 WRC that I plan to use for the project. The WRC will be taken down to 1 3/8" so get it true and square.
Not to be stingy with the school, but I do need to minimize time invested since I've got a handful of little ones needing my attention.
That being said I hastily put together the plan below. I was thinking to rely on butt joints with screws (2 5/8" stainless) through the whole project. Corner blocks would be added at the corners of the "tops" of the tables. But now I am now I am second guessing myself thinking that may not be the best option, since these tables are bound to see some hard times...
Unfortunately I have already rough cut the wood to size, so switching to a method of joinery that requires full overlap at the ends of the board would require me get more lumber.
So... Would screws in endgrain work well enough here? Other things that have crossed my mind are using 1/2" dowels or adding cross grain dowels to the endgrain pieces and driving the screws through those to get a better hold.
Any feedback is appreciated.
TIA
KidsTableGrab.JPG