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I choose to review the book “Outdoor Furniture – Built to Last” from Fox Chapel Publishing because it seemed to fit well with the theme this month. Outdoor furniture has to be designed to stand up to the elements for years. When building outdoor furniture we need to account for the fact that it will get rained on, scorched by the sun, and dried out by the wind. With the right supplies, design, joinery, and hardware our furniture can be built to last, and this book can help. The 14 projects in this book include Chairs, Benches, Tables, Swings, Gliders, Planters and more. Step-by-step instructions include exploded diagrams, patterns, and illustrations of each project.
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Thanks for the review.
I’m especially interested in finishing outdoor furniture in ways other than painting. Does this book provide much info. on that?
Thank you for listening …
This book touches on it very briefly. But, not really enough to learn a “new” method. It has more very general guidelines on how to protect an outdoor project. It is really a project book.
Later this month I will be covering my method for finishing outdoor projects in a post and a seperate podcast. Later in the year I will also be starting a fairly in-depth finishing series as well.
If you have any specific questions feel free to post em … or shoot an email … If I don’t know the answer I will do my best to find it.
My main concern is being able to get a decently durable, clear, exterior finish using products available from a home improvement or hardware store. I have heard about Epifanes being the best exterior clear finish, but it’s not locally available. I know it can be ordered online, but it’s fairly expensive and has high shipping costs.
It seems this would be a commonly requested item so I don’t know why a quality exterior varnish wouldn’t be stocked at a Lowe’s or Home Depot. The Lowe’s nearby has Cabot Spar Varnish and Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane. I purchased the Cabot, but have yet to apply it. Any ideas?
I asked your question on the latest podcast with Marc Spagnuolo.
I will also be covering outdoor finish more in a post later this month if it doesn’t clear it up enough.
If you are meaning clear as only adding the amber of an oil finish Spar or Marine varnish can be found at almost all of the big box stores. I prefer Marine varnish.
If you mean clear of all color, … like water. That will be a little harder to find in the local stores that I know about.
I hope my responce and the podcast clears things up some.
If not feel free to drop me another note …
Hey dude interesting review and theme.
I’m thinking of making a bench seat for my arbor in the front of the house. It has a metal one in it but I’ve been thinking of covering it with wood.
If I end up doing it this month I’ll have to take some pictures and upload them.
Thanks for reviewing the book, looking forward to more. My workshop is devoted almost entirely to outdoor projects for our family, a few clients here and there, and to help support my wife’s backyard farming business here in Portland. I usually build things for the landscape leaving them untreated, with either cedar or pricey teak, allowing them to weather naturally. I’m interested in learning more about good long lasting finishes and how to prevent UV coloration effects allowing me to expand into others types of lumber.
Hi David … and welcome to the site … We talk about some of the finishing questions in the conversation I had with Marc Spagnuolo (The Wood Whisperer) the link to it is HERE
Feel free use the Forum and Contribute when you see fit … I would love to see some of your work
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Good review. … Wish I had found it before I built a couple of chairs for my daughters deck. … Who knows, more might be coming.
Thank you for the complement … I seen the pic of the chairs on the forum … awsome table too … I think you did a nice job even without the book … good luck on the contest, if you win maybe it will inspire some more outdoor projects
The table was pretty easy to do, but a friend has a grinder that made smoothing the top pretty easy. We were going to make it light up from below using fiber optics, but it didn’t work out, so we just chopped it off. Possibly on another one!
Still the table is pretty sturdy with only to legs. We fastened them onto the top using construction adhesive. It only needs 2 or 3 people to move it now.