Outdoor Table (Part 2)

When I started building this outdoor table, I focused on the design and selecting the right wood. For the legs, I began by milling the initial pieces. Now, moving into the second phase of construction, I’m concentrating on milling the remaining boards for the project—this includes the tabletop, the aprons, and completing the leg work. Once those are done, I’ll move on to shaping the legs and executing the joinery, before finally applying the finish.

The Tabletop – Laying It Out

This is my first experience working with white oak, and so far, I’m quite pleased with it. Although I typically prefer walnut, cherry, or mahogany, white oak has grown on me during this project. One challenge I faced early on was visualizing how the rough-sawn pieces would look once milled. Here’s a photo of the raw pieces before any processing:

At first glance, it's hard to tell what lies beneath the surface, but once we start milling, we’ll uncover what’s hidden. After milling, I’ll arrange all the pieces to determine the best layout for the tabletop—what looks most visually appealing. These are the pieces after the initial milling process:

I believe I achieved some excellent grain matches while pairing the pieces based on their width. This is the final layout I settled on for the tabletop before clamping it together:

I’m really satisfied with how this turned out. A few of the pieces had rough edges that made milling a bit tricky, but I managed to minimize the sapwood and highlight the grain patterns. After letting the pieces sit overnight, I ran them through the jointer and planer to achieve the desired thickness. Next, I clamped them together for gluing. While waiting for the glue to set, I finished milling all the remaining components. Here’s the complete stack of materials needed for the table, including the massive laminated legs:

In the next installment, I’ll discuss the joinery techniques used for the legs and aprons (you can preview that here). I’ll also do a dry fit to ensure everything aligns properly before final sanding and finishing. By the third part, we should have this impressive piece fully assembled and ready for its debut!