Outdoor End Table

Out of left-over fence boards and tile, I made a couple of outdoor end tables.

Four 6 foot 1 x 6 pressure treated fence boards, four 8 x 8 inch floor tiles, screws (1", 2"), tile cement, tile grouting, 3/4 inch plywood, endcut

Cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood 19 inches by 19 inches. If your Tiles are bigger than 8 x 8, you'll have to adjust the size of the board.

Cut four 16 inch lengths of fence board. Rip them so one piece is two inches and the other piece is 1 1/2 inches. Glue and clamp the 2 and 1 1/2 pieces together lengthwise to make four legs.

Cut two pieces of fence board 14 inches and two pieces 11 inches. Rip them in half so you have four pieces 14 x 2 5/8 inches and four pieces 11 x 2 5/8 inches. Mark 1 1/2 inch in from each end of the 14 inch pieces and glue the 11 inch onto it. Cut the ends of the 14 inch piece on a 45 degree angle as shown on the picture.

Place the first skirt board so the 45 is into the corner of a leg and the outside of the 11 inch piece is flush with the outside of the leg. Put two screws in. Repeat with each leg and skirt board.

Cut two pieces of fence board 48 inches long. Glue and clamp them together. When they are dry, rip them in half so you have two pieces, 48 inches by 2 5/8 inches. Dado a notch out of the board the thickness of your tile + 1/8 inch by 1 3/4 inches. For example, my tile was 1/4 inch thick so I made the dado so that 3/8 inches remained. This is so, when you apply 1/8 inch of mortar to the table top, the tile will end up flush with the border.

Place the tile on the plywood and center it, leaving a gap between the tiles for grouting. Draw a line around the outside edge of the tile and then remove the tiles. Cut the dadoed wood border with 45's so it fits around this line. Apply glue to each board. Clamp the first board on. Hang it over the edge of the workbench and screw it from the bottom using 1 inch screws. Be careful not to inset the screws as they may poke through the top. Repeat with each remaining piece.

With a 3/8 inch bit, drill two starter holes on the inside of each skirt board about 1 1/2 inch from the top. Turn the top over. Place the legs and skirt upside down on the top and center it. Glue and screw the skirt to the top with two inch nails.

Flip the table back upright. Mix the cement and apply it to the inside of the table top, making sure to get to all the edges. Put each tile in place and press down until it is even with the top of the border board. Ensure the gap between tiles is even. Wait until the cement sets and then mix and apply the grouting. Paint the cut edges with brown endcut.