How to make an outdoor work bench.

what do you need gloves and a clamp for?

you aren't using a mitre saw and it's pretty easy to screw a bit of wood into another without clamping it first. i made 2 benches and a table 2 years ago and it was a doddle.
 
Checked Wickes, can do it about £15 less. £10 after I added in some screws.

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Will get these first tomorrow from Screwfix. Actually Screwfix, Wickes, B&Q and that timber Merchant are all 5 mins drive/walk from my house, I could collect it all but none of the wood fitx in my Volvo.

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I have stumbled on a problem.


How do I make the table level….It will be sitting on an uneven surface. The surface is some concrete slabs, whilst it looks level, I can’t be 100% sure that they are totally to each other. There may be a slight mm up on the edge here and there. That means the table will wobble.


My original plan was to put 1 single Coach screw down the centre (into the grain) of the 75mm post. It will both act as a way to raise it off the ground, and I can adjust the height with it as well. But that seems quite cruel way of doing things, are there any product out there which allows easier adjustments and durable for outdoor use?


I thought about getting some casters but the cheap ones have no allowances for height adjustments and having 6 casters will just mean the whole thing will wobble like crazy, even if there is a lock on them.


Bearing in mind the table will have 6 feet, as it is spanning 1.6m, I have allowed for a centre post to support the centre.
 
Can you not just make it with the legs the same length, then tap some wedges under it where it needs jacking up?
 
fobose said:
Can you not just make it with the legs the same length, then tap some wedges under it where it needs jacking up?
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lol I could, but I've come so far to make the thing, putting some random pieces of wood under it seems so cruel a solution.
 
I am not saying tap the wedges in where you can see them. You could paint the wedges the same colour too, then tap them in from behind the legs. I think you might just be over thinking a project and making it more complicated than it needs to be :)
 
fobose said:
I am not saying tap the wedges in where you can see them. You could paint the wedges the same colour too, then tap them in from behind the legs. I think you might just be over thinking a project and making it more complicated than it needs to be :)
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Oh, I definitely am over-engineering the entire thing but I enjoy it :D

Problem, finding a solution that BLOWS away that problem x 100. That's the fun part.

My original plan was get breeze blocks, stack them, place lenths of wood on top with nothing to tie them together. But that's not as fun as this :D
 
A good tip that I always do when cutting by hand is to use my square to draw two lines on the bit of wood I am cutting. One of the top to get me started, and one down the front face so I can see if my saw is starting to drift. With the amount of cuts you have a mitre saw would save you a lot of swearing, just check the cuts are square as even expensive models don't always come set perfectly and need adjusting.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I am leaning on a mitre saw at the moment. Both to speed things up and also ensure a cleaner cut as I have never used a hand saw before.
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You have a lot of cuts there, and trying to get the feet ones square will be tricky if you are not used to cutting. With a mitre saw you could build the entire thing in a couple of hours. £60 on screwfix / b&q.
 
fobose said:
A good tip that I always do when cutting by hand is to use my square to draw two lines on the bit of wood I am cutting. One of the top to get me started, and one down the front face so I can see if my saw is starting to drift. With the amount of cuts you have a mitre saw would save you a lot of swearing, just check the cuts are square as even expensive models don't always come set perfectly and need adjusting.
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If I were to get a M8 feet from here with a 30mm depth, what insert size is that referred to ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/sourcingmap-Furniture-Leveling-Protector-Adjustable/dp/B07FTBQQPN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=M8+feet+30mm&qid=1589561381&refinements=p_76:419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sr=8-1

Is the M8 in the insert the outer or inner size?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/28023477895
 
fobose said:
I would say if you bought M8 feet, you would need M8 inserts.

https://www.toolstation.com/pronged...MIzPPZyMG26QIV0oBQBh2t9QsJEAQYBCABEgLlbPD_BwE
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I went with these

thread

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173941619251

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nut

https://vod.ebay.co.uk/vod/FetchOrderDetails?itemid=221075589345&transid=2399039553012&ul_noapp=true

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feet

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160828426441

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I have went with Tilt-adjustable feet to allow for any uneven concrete slabs in the garden in a 360 degree angle. Casters sound cool but it will seldom be moved and casters just introduces more points of failure over time with bearings and all that. Ordered some low profile nut too which will let me adjust for any difference in level issue.

The problem now solved :) (Beats a wedge under the feet ;) )
 
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