Block Table

I had a stack of scraps after building the Garden Fence, also here Garden Fence 2.  The fence is four feet tall which means that I needed to crop the eight foot Cedar posts to six feet.  So, I have this stack of 2 foot long, 4x4 Cedar posts.  I thought about making a mammoth chopping block, but Cedar is to soft and porous for a chopping block.

So, maybe a tabletop is what I wound up with.  I went round and round about what hardware I could use to connect the pieces for the top.  At one point I was going to use a 1/2 inch bolts through all the top pieces.  But, also trying to be frugal and only use what was already here I wound up gluing the top together.

I spread I piece of plastic over the saw table to keep from gluing the Block Table Top to the saw table.  Also, I'm using Gorilla Wood Glue.  I looked at the post material a long time trying to get the clearest surfaces on the top of the table, and hide the knots.

Then we'll apply a generous amount of glue between each piece, keeping them in order and aligned simultaneously.  I'm impressed with the glue, it has good adhesion immediately.  Once all the pieces are glued I'll clamp them with the bar clamps.

When you put the squeeze on the stack glue squirts out of every joint, and I spent another couple hours cleaning up the excess glue.  Gorilla Glue expands as it cures, co you have to keep after it for a while.  The pieces are stuck together well, but I am going to give it another 24 hours to cure before removing the clamps.

In the meantime I made the frame and leg pieces.  I'll glue and screw the frame to the top, and then likewise, glue and screw the legs to the frame.  The entire thing is glued now.  It should act as a contiguous piece, very rigid.

Its a short table, 28 inches.  I'm not sure where to integrate it yet.  I'm thinking that it should go with the Rough Cedar Table since they are made from the scraps from the Garden Fence.

The posts are Rough Cedar, so they are not perfect.  I spent a while working the top with a surface plane to make it flat and bet get the ridges out.  I also needed to square the ends with the saw a bit.  Then I sanded the top with 100 grit sandpaper.

Then finally adding the weather proofing stain, the same we used on the fence, so it matches.  I'm thinking that this set is going to look good when its done.