Starting off with pressure treated wood, as it will sit out in the open for the foreseeable future, directly on grass, in mixed sunshine and shade. Doesn’t need to be a beautiful work of art, but should be sturdy enough for two adults or four squirmy kids at once.
I’m thinking a 36 to 48″ wide top, that’s at least 11 inches deep, and 2 inches thick. Four struts of about a foot in length/height, also 2 inches thick. And then braces cut at a forty five degree angle to support legs and top. Counter sunk holes and 3 or 4″ wood screws to pull it all together. Also means I can replace parts as they saturate or rot out over time.
Do I split the top bench to help water pour off, or leave it as one big plank? Decisions, decisions. I’m not going to lie, I think it’ll be ugly, but functional. To dress it up, I could round over all edges with the router. I could paint it? But it is pressure treated, so maybe no paint. Do I use mortise and tenon joinery or skip that to get it done sooner rather than later. We’ll see how busy the say gets before I decide.
**Due to work requirements I went for 3 inch wood screws and 45 degree braces only, no mortise or tenon joinery. I used pressure treated that I had on hand, but some of it had a twist, some had cups, and some were just ugly. So no beauty pageants, but it is sturdy as all get out, and should last a few seasons left out in the elements 24/7 – 365. And that’s all that matters. Plus I got it done in an hour or so, which is even better.
Yesterday I even managed to finish my 45 Degree cross cut sled for my HP Trunk building operation. Nice to have a parallel surface to work off of, and a place to keep your hands safely away from the blade. Plus the sled means I can reliable make repeatable cuts without having to measure each time I make a cut. Or end up have to shave every piece down until I have too little left for what I was aiming for.
I have a couple of minor leather projects I’d like to do, mainly upgrading my shop apron, and adding some more functionality to it. Make getting it on and off easier, and keeping the shoulders where they need to be. Displacing the weight of the tools more evenly, and adding some quick connectors for tying it on me. If I had the money lying around I’d get one of those split legged Savage Industry aprons, but I don’t have $100 USD burning a hole in my pocket at the moment. Plus whatever the shipping is from San Fransisco to Ontario, Canada.
Greatwall Studios Graphic Design 
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