using cedar 1 x 6's as outdoor patio table top
Has anyone used 1 x 6 cedar fence boards as the table surface for an outdoor patio table? I am looking for inexpensive wood for a patio table. I saw an all cedar patio table plan on the web that used 1 x 6's but am not too sure if they were fence boards. Fence boards are cut and sawn kind of rough, so I would obviously have to look for the best boards and sand them down smooth. They fit the bill as being inexpensive, that's for sure. Table would be no bigger than 36" x 36". What type of finish or oil should I put on to make it food safe?
If you want cheap wood for a patio table, try ACQ or CBA-treated southern yellow pine. Be absolutely certain to get ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) or CBA (copper boron azole) treated lumber and not CCA (chromated cupric arsenate). This comes in 1x6 pieces. Cedar fence pickets wouldn't be much good because they like to split--they're too thin. And forget sanding rough-cut lumber smooth; this is a job for a hand plane. Now, if you really want cedar you can get cedar 1x6 at most Home Depots, who sell it as fascia board. That's thicker than a fence picket--thick enough to be stable. Figure about $1 a linear foot. Spar urethane comes to mind. As does Sikkens Cetol 1 but that's $58 a gallon if you can find any--you can't get it in Fayetteville. -- --jmowreader
If you have a circular saw, buy it a rip guide and you can rip off the rounded edges. (This assumes you don't have access to a table saw--if you do, just use that.) This will take the boards down to a little less than five inches wide. -- --jmowreader