Outdoor table using Merbau fence panel

[daniel4]

Hi All.

I was inspired by this Custom Industrial Table  by @ogosh for my outdoor / backyard deck. 

Contrary to @ogosh situation, I could not source any good quality of this Pine Sleeper. (cupping or crook). Therefore I went with merbau fence panel Merbau Fence Panel

And frankly, I am a bit intimidated while working with cupping timber  👻

Earlier I built a low level deck and encountered many difficulties with cupping pine and deck timber.

But lessons learned, for sure.😃

I added bearers on top of leg table to line up with the table leg hole 3x 2 holes per leg.

It added approximately 40 mm of total table height but still maintain a reasonable height when sitting on the bench. 

  

Completed by placing the Merbau Panel on top of bearers and secured it with bolt and nuts.

Placed in the deck with 2x Mimosa Merbau Bench  .

..

Thank you and please let me know any feedback.

Regards, 

Daniel

[EricL]

Hello @minklet 

Thank you so much for posting that update on your Merbau table. I suggest taking the M10 bolts out and putting in some M10 washers above on the head and below under the nut so that the heads don't dig into the timber. Another method you can try is to place another bearer in the middle a little bit wider and drill offset holes in the timber and steel to provide better bracing.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @JoeAzza and @ogosh for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @minklet and all

We all run into issues with the first table we build Welcome to the club! Was there a reason you didnt put washers under the bolts?

When I was looking at the underside pics you have only used two rails. Would you be able to put a third down the center? That with the washers may firm up that wobble. 

Looking closely at the underside, what size holes did you drill in the wood? If you are worried about the bolt heads sticking out of the timber especially with the washers you could countersink the hole by a few mm.

Just so you dont feel too bad on something not working my table was over enginered lol I drilled countersink holes for my 12mm bolts and then realised that I couldnt get the socket or spanner in the hole to tighten them....  I can still hear my screams now See Dining table-build and seats reupholstering if you want to see the mistake

Dave

[minklet]

Yeah there's only holes for two bearers so I just went with that. I will have to get a metal drill bit to add another

The washers, I actually bought washers but slightly too short bolts so pure laziness on my part. I assumed they would also dig into the wood. I'll get some longer bolts when I pick up the other bearer and drill bit

Thanks for the moral support 😂

[Noyade]

Morning @minklet 

Thanks for the 'wobbly video' on the previous page. I can't tell from your other photos if the tops of your legs are solid steel plate? The legs certainly look hollow.

Look, it's just a Friday thought - and it would involve welding. Welding an extension (with pre-drilled holes) in line with the top plate (1), better still, welding edge-wise the plate from leg to leg (2).

I picked up these bench legs from the tip and applied new wood. Note the bolt arrangement - it still moved from side to side. The steel plate (40mm X 5 mm) welded by the edges made it rock solid.

Just random thoughts..

Cheers.

[Dave-1]

@minklet 

been there with the too short a bolt. (Found if you do one up with out washers then the other may be able to have washers on them and then you redo the first) The wasers provide a larger surface area for the bolt to clamp, it would then not be as easy to shake the table. (would be interesting to hear back if the washers solve the problem ?

The washers will dig into the timber, well compress the timber when you do them up. Countersinking would let the compression not be seen. The wider the washer the less compression into the timber as the force is distributed across the whole washer.

Dave

[minklet]

So, to come back to this quite late, I tried the longer bolts with washers - no difference. I then tried just following the product recommendations, so I got 12g x 40mm decking screws, and screwed the legs into the 42mm length of the wood, with a washer. Still wobbly. Definitely tight enough as two of them broke and I have to do it again.

Before I drill holes into this chunk of metal, I'm curious how these particular legs are supposed to be put together, considering they have 2 sets of holes not 3 as OPs has? What wood is it supposed to use? Because surely the product should be able to function correctly without having to drill additional holes into the metal - thereby invalidating the warranty, potentially damaging it's structural integrity, and introduce areas for rust to attack. Not to mention the additional cost of a drill bit, rust protection, extra fixings and additional wood.

Not trying to have a sook, but I'm reticent to go out and spend more money, and more time on this when I have no guarantee it will work. In fact looks like other people tried it with some different legs and didn't have any luck and was left with unreturnable legs
https://www.bunnings.com.au/rapidmesh-73-2-x-70-x-6cm-black-cayenne-steel-tube-table-furniture-leg_p...

[MitchellMc]

Hi @minklet,

Please allow me until after the weekend to contact the manufacturer for more information on why these legs would be wobbling. At first, I presumed that it could be your construction technique and the wobbling introduced by using a fence screening panel instead of a solid tabletop. However, as you've rightly pointed out, there could potentially be a design issue here that needs to be addressed. I'll be keen to hear from the manufacturer as to why this is happening.

Speak soon.

Mitchell

[minklet]

Thanks @MitchellMc . yeah the wobbling is evident with just the support struts, so it's not the weight of the fence panel. I notice that they're not longer for sale, so perhaps they were discontinued for this reason? 

[EricL]

Hello @minklet 

My apologies for the late reply. Would it be possible for you to post a photo of your entire assembly at the top and bottom? We just need a visual aid to show the manufacturer what's happening.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let me know.

Eric

[minklet]

I will have to put it back together with the 12g fixings if they require as it's back to using the m8 bolts and washers. Otherwise if they could imagine that it’s the same set up but with the 12g screws into the thicker orientation of the main support beams