Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Outdoor Carpentry: More than 40 Projects Including: Furnishings - Accessories - Pergolas - Fences - Planters

809 Pages·2009·27.64 MB·English

by  Editors of Creative Publishing

BLACK & DECKER®
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
OUTDOOR CARPENTRY
More than 40 Projects Including:
• Furnishings
• Accessories
• Pergolas
• Fences
• Planters
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
www.creativepub.com
Contents
Introduction
SEATING PROJECTS
Side-by-side Patio Chair
Knockdown Garden Bench
Sling-back Adirondack
Classic Adirondack Chair
Porch Swing
Porch Swing Stand
Tiled Garden Bench
Slatted Garden Bench
Trellis Seat
Rose Bench
Storage Bench
Luxury Sun Lounger
DINING & ENTERTAINING PROJECTS
Trestle Table & Benches
Cedar Patio Table
Teahouse Table Set
Children’s Picnic Table
Picnic Table for Two
Patio Prep Cart
Pitmaster’s Locker
Timberframe Sandbox
YARD & GARDEN PROJECTS
High-low Potting Bench
Trellis Planter
Versailles Planter
Mailbox Stand
Plant Boxes
Mini Garden Shed
Pump House
Garden Bridge
Compost Bin
Pagoda Lantern
Yard Cart
YARD STRUCTURES
Freestanding Arbor
Lattice Arbor
Trash Can Corral
Firewood Shelter
Picket Fence
Wood Panel Fence
Two Simple Gates
Arched Gate
Trellis Gate Combination
Classical Pergola
Resources
Credits
Metric Conversions
Index
Introduction
Ask any experienced woodworker or carpenter to tell you about his or her first
woodworking project and the chances are pretty good that it was built for the
outdoors: a birdhouse, doghouse, picnic table, or perhaps an Adirondack chair
from a kit. For a number of reasons most of us are more comfortable with
building exterior projects. The tolerances are not as tiny as they are for indoor
furniture. The joinery tends to be simpler. The materials are easy to find and
fairly inexpensive. But none of these reasons takes anything away from the
appeal of outdoor carpentry. The fact is, the things we build for our outdoor
living are almost always fun to use and very rewarding to make.
In The Complete Guide to Outdoor Carpentry you will find plans, step-by-
step pictures, and instructions for 41 shop-tested projects built from wood. They
cover a wide range of skill levels, styles, materials, and functions. Although
several of the projects might be easier and faster to build if you have a workshop
equipped with stationary tools, every bench, table, fence, and gate in this book
can be crafted using only common handheld power tools.
Although outdoor carpentry presumes that you will be working with wood,
you’ll find a few interesting ideas for working other materials into your projects.
You’ll find a trestle-style picnic table where the traditional wood seat boards and
tabletop are replaced with composite decking for a low-maintenance furnishing
that’s also a great conversation piece (pages 78 to 85). For the backyard cook
who is looking for a safe spot to store fuel and grilling accessories, check out the
locker with an aluminum angle iron frame and cedar plywood panels (pages 112
to 115). For the more experienced carpenter or woodworker, you’ll find projects
featuring traditional hardwoods and woodworking joinery, such as the mahogany
sun lounger (pages 68 to 75) and the white oak Adirondack chair with canvas
sling seat (pages 20 to 25).
Outdoor carpentry is a much bigger category than simply “furnishings.” For
the gardener in the family it means potting tables, planters, and yard carts. You’ll
find clever plans for several of these practical projects as well as decorative
garden accessories like bridges, water pumps, and lanterns. If you’re thinking
big, look for the gates, fences, arbors, trellises, and portable garden shed.
Whatever your preference is when it comes to outdoor living, you’ll find a
project or two (or more) that’s just for you in this book.
Seating Projects
You’ll never fully enjoy your backyard without comfortable seating. Chairs,
benches, and swings are mainstays of outdoor living. In this chapter you’ll find a
dozen seating projects that range from fanciful to simple, classic to retro, and
nautical to Eastern-inspired.
Each design in this chapter has been carefully shop-tested for comfort. A
couple of degrees of slant in a seatback might not appear to make much
difference when you’re drawing up a plan, but your body can tell immediately.
And if your seating is not comfortable, what use is it? You can be confident that
the benches and chairs that follow have been subjected to hands-on (well, not
hands exactly) testing from sitters of all sizes.
If you are a relative newcomer to carpentry, consider starting with one of the
simpler projects, such as the Knockdown Garden Bench or the Slatted Garden
Bench. If your skills are a bit more advanced, think about tackling the Porch
Swing and Porch Swing Stand or perhaps the Luxury Sun Lounger that’s crafted
from mahogany and features stainless steel brightwork.
Side-by-side Patio Chair
You can share a view, some shade, and a table for snacks and a beverage with a
friend when you’ve got this side-by-side patio chair in your backyard. You
might recognize the design, as it was inspired by the side-by-side chairs that
were often included in the ubiquitous redwood patio sets popular in the ’ 50s and
’ 60s. Those sets typically included a lounge chair, some small tables, a patio
table with an umbrella holder, and a side-by-side table and chair similar to the
one shown here.
You’ll find that these seats are most comfortable when they’re appointed with
cushions, but they’re still easy to enjoy when left bare. And just about any patio
table umbrella can be used with this set—simply size the umbrella post hole to
fit. The optional umbrella should also be secured in a weighted base that is
placed under the table.
Even a beginner can build this side-by-side chair in a day using less than
$100 in materials. It’s easiest to build if you have a table saw, miter saw, jigsaw,
and router. If you don’t have a table saw, then you can use a circular saw to rip
the 2 × 4 frame pieces down to 3" widths. The purpose for these parts being 3"
wide is to give the set a more refined appearance, but you can simplify the
design and avoid rip cuts by using full width 2 × 4s. If you choose to use full-
width 2 × 4s, then you must move the front rail notch up 1/2" and the seats will
end up being a 1/2" higher.