Custom Picnic Table

I designed this table for a deck exposed to winds frequently gusting strong enough to blow over umbrella and table. My mission was to design a table heavy enough to resist wind forces on the umbrella. Also the table was to be stored outside, on the deck so would need to be rot resistant.

I used pressure treated materials for the support structure and cedar for the top to keep food away from pressure treated wood. I often noticed the ends of picnic table tops warping up or down so I added an end cap and glued and screwed it to the ends of the top to keep the cedar boards aligned.

For greater leg and knee room I used trestle style legs. The uprights passed through cutouts in the trestle legs which I secured with four bolts each and glue while the upper connection I only bolted to allow the top to be separated from the bottom. By removing a few screws, the bottom can be disassembled further for easier transport.

The bottom connector between the trestle legs has a foot in the center to support the weight of umbrella.

Benches were not required in the design because the owner has a deck with benches incorporated in the railing as well as a moveable bench with a back as seen in one of the photos. The lower part of the table will be stained to match the top when the pressure treated wood has dried.