This picnic table is made entirely from salvaged old growth red cedar. The design is the same as a standard picnic bench, but I added some curvy lines with the joints between the table slabs. Since this table will be live outside, I thought leaving some space between each slab would be better than glueing it all together so water will drain off better. The cedar is screwed on from the frame below so there aren’t any screw heads on the top side. This will help stop water from getting into the wood. I like to use screws when attaching cedar as they tend to hold better than nails and are easier to change or maintain later if needed. The varied colour tones of the natural cedar are brought out with 2 coats of OSMO clear UV protection oil finish, which will also protect against fading in the sun. Even with 2 coats of oil, in a sunny spot on the ocean, it will need re-coating in a few years. If finish isn’t applied regularly as needed the wood will start to go silver, and will eventually need resanding to get the colour back.
