Hexagonal Outdoor Table

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Hexagonal Outdoor Table

Knock up this stylish little outdoor table for next to nothing.

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To complement slat timber outdoor chairs that are popular at the moment, we are making a hexagonal shaped outdoor table from blue gum timber and ply.

1
Make a "compass" using a scrap piece of wood, a nail and pencil. Simply measure 440mm (the radius) from the nail in your piece of scrap timber, and use the pencil to draw a circle on the ply. This will become the hexagonal table top. After drawing the circle adjust your compass to 368mm and mark out points for six isosceles triangles.

2
Mark the triangles out around the circumference by first drawing straight lines around the circumference leaving an 80mm gap between each one. Using a scrap piece of timber as a ruler, join the points across the diameter of the circle to form the triangles. Following this method, you will obtain six separate triangular sections. See diagrams 1 and 2.

3
After cutting off the round edges (making the ply into a hexagon shape) cut out the blue gum cross pieces and glue them into place. Then measure and cut more blue gum pieces to fill the triangular spaces using a drop saw set at a 30 degree angle. See diagram 3.

4
Pin the cross pieces in place before filling in the triangles, so that all the triangles are consistent in size.

The cross pieces will end up overhanging the ply top by at least 20mm. The pieces are positioned (use Sikaflex on the back as a glue) and nailed into place. Use scrap timber spacers to leave a 3mm gap between each piece. Then fill these seams or gaps with Sikaflex. Remember to overfill the gaps, then scrape off the excess and sand off flush when dry.

5
Flip the table over when completely dry and attach the two rails 400mm apart and centre them. Glue and screw together.

6
Now make up two pairs of cross legs, each about 850mm long. Drill a hole in the top of each leg-large enough to fit a bolt through. In between where the legs meet in the middle, position a small square wood spacer (it needs to be the same thickness as the batons on the underside of the tabletop).

7
Bolt the two pairs of legs (in a "cross" position) either side of the rails on the underside of the tabletop and nail two braces diagonally across each pair for extra support. See diagram 4. The table can now be finished using a weatherproof sealer.

Materials
Tools

Sikaflex
Sander
Drop saw
Pencil

Materials

22m x 80mm x 10mm Blue gum (top and rails)
4.2m x 75mm x 20mm Blue gum (legs)
Off cut strips (15mm x 15mm for braces)
1 sheet of 12mm x 900mm x 900mm exterior plywood
6 x 3 inch bolts/nuts/washers
2 tubes of Sikaflex (black)
Outdoor varnish (1 litre)

Cost
$111.00

More Info
All materials are available from your local hardware store.

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