2022-03-01 Popular Woodworking

To create each panel, I used dog- Glue Up Sections project, pick a good waterproof glue.
eared fence pickets. These pickets Epoxy works well, especially if your
come from the lumber yard at about With the legs all cut, mortises joinery is a little loose. I used Tite-
5/8"-thick and perfectly flat. That’s routed, tenons cut, and panels glued bond III as it’s waterproof and has a
a joke. You’ll need to dig through up, you’re almost ready to do some pretty good open time.
the pile to find fairly flat, uncupped assembly. But first, let’s cut the
fence pickets. And, even after taking panels down to size. Lay a leg on the bench and fill
your time to flatten one face, plane the mortise with glue. I use an acid
them to rough thickness, joint an Unless you’re a glue-up wizard, brush to spread the glue around the
edge and glue them up, you’ll prob- the end of the panels are probably mortise and brush any extra onto
ably still find that they move. Not uneven and in need of trimming the tenon. Insert the upper and low-
kidding, I had a few panels that, after to square them up. These panels er rails in place before sliding the
two days in the shop, the 32-inch are fairly thin and floppy, so you’ll panel into place. Cap it off with the
panel had shrunk by almost half an want to come up with a good way other leg before applying clamps.
inch! Ah, the lovely world of com- to cut them. A track saw, or circular
mercial lumber. Just plan for your saw would work. However, I hap- As you can see in Photo 11 below,
panels to start a little oversized and pen to have access to a large edge the right-most pair of legs on my
cut them down. sander. So, I struck a line, held the kitchen has one large, solid panel.
panel up to the edge sander, and This caps the end of the kitchen
10 squared up one end. Conventional? and is a clean look. For the left side,
No. Did it work? You bet ya. Once where the grill sits, there are actually
11 you have a square edge, trim the three rails, as seen in Photo 12 on the
panel to size. next page. There is only one panel
here, located between the middle
Now, let’s get each pair of legs and lower rail. This will be where
glued up. Because this is an outdoor the drawer unit is installed later. The
open area to the front, left and rear
10 Use a water proof glue and of the grill cubby will help provide
spread plenty of glue inside of each adequate air flow to keep the outside
mortise, but don’t worry about of the grill cool,and allow airflow
gluing the grooves. into the firebox. The right-hand side
of the grill cubby (which are legs F2
11 Slip the panels into place after and B2) is identical to this one, but
fixing the rails into one of the legs. with a panel between the middle and
upper rails.

With the four sections glued up
in clamps and the glue drying, you
can take care of the next pieces
of the cart: the four long stretch-
ers that connect each of the legs.
There’s also a pair of front and
back rails that define the top of
the drawer opening, along with the
back of the grill cubby. The long
stretchers are pretty simple — the
front pair are simply cut to size.
The back ones, however, have
grooves down the inside edge.
These grooves, like on the legs, will
be for the back panels. Instead of
routing individual grooves for each
panel, I went ahead and cut one
continuous groove down the length
of the panels. I simply stopped it
a few inches short from each end,
so you don’t see it on the ends of
the kitchen.

POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 49

Outdoor Kitchen 12 The grill cubby parts have middle
12 13 rails that hold shorter panels.

13 After attaching the back, lower
stretcher, slip the back panels
into place.

14 Cap the back panels by adding
the top stretcher. The groove in the
top stretcher sits over the panels.

15 The front stretchers are simply
located in the dadoes and notches
and lagged in place.

14 15

When the glue is dry on the leg into the other cubbies. Then, you Internal Structure
assemblies (I leave my clamps on for can add the top rear stretcher and
about 2 hours, but overnight would attach it. Use clamps if you need to With the externals done, we can
be better), you can attach the lower twist the legs into position before now add a little bit of internal
back stretcher. I do this with Power- you drive the lags. structure to the kitchen. The big-
Lags from Spax. These lag screws gest things to add, at least for this
often are able to be driven without Now, flip the kitchen onto its layout, are some cleats and ribs to
pilot holes, but I pre-drill the end back. The front stretchers are the grill base, along with inside the
locations to make sure the stretch- simply a mirror of the back ones, double door cabinet (for the floor).
ers don’t split. When attaching the but there are no parts to worry There are a few other odds and
lower back stretcher, start from the about slipping in place. Simply grab ends to add, but up first are the ribs
grill cubby side. The back and front the stretchers, position them, and and cleats.
middle rails need glued into the drive the lag screws. If you use the
mortises at the same time as putting Powerlags, I would set your clutch The ribs and cleats in the grill sec-
in the short, back panel and the back on your drill, as the power lags will tion run can run from front to back
lower rail. It’s kind of a dance, but pull the heads deep into the cedar if or side to side. The ribs are cut to fit
it’s doable. Once the rails are in you don’t. A few tests on your first between the rails. To attach them, I
and the stretcher is in place, drive power lag will allow you to drive the used pocket screws. Cleats are glued
the Powerlags through the stretcher lag and snug it down while just bare- along the outside, unsupported
into each leg. With the lower back ly squishing the cedar fibers. After sides. At this point, glue up the grill
rail in place, slip the back panels attaching the stretchers, you can see platform and cabinet bottom. These
how the kitchen looks in Photo 16. are simply panels, not unlike the
ones you’ve already made. They’re

50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING

a little thicker and the four corners 16 19
get notched to fit around the legs. 17
The notches can be cut with a hand- 18
saw or jig saw. Once you’re happy
with how they fit, set them off to
the side for now... you’ll want to get
some finish on the cabinet before
you drop them in place.

While you’re inside the cabinet,
you’ll want to also add some drawer
slide blocks. These will be for the
shallow drawer that we’ll add later.
You can pocket screw these in place,
or glue them.

Moving to the middle cubby, I
thought it would be great to have a
place to store charcoal. I have a bad
habit of leaving my bags of charcoal
out and letting them get rained on.
So, I figured a pull-out bin (think
kitchen garbage can-style) would
work well. I found a large “pet food
container” on Amazon that seemed
like it would fit, and it had the
benefit of having a seal on it. This
also requires a pair of drawer slides.
So, I mounted one slide block with
pocket screws between the third set
of legs. For the left-hand side (along
the inside of the grill cubby), I used
some thin spacers to make the panel
flush with the legs (Photo 19). I’ll
glue these in later, when I figure out
exactly where the slide mounting
holes are going to be located.

Finally, let’s deal with the inside
of the double doors. This section
will receive a bottom, like the grill
area. Ribs and cleats, exactly like
before are the ticket. I’m leaving
this as a large open cabinet for my
purposes, but you could very easily
add a shelf in here. Heck, after you
add the top later you could cut an
opening for a cooler. If you did that,
you would want to add some brac-
ing to hold the cooler. The choice
is yours!

16 This view, without an internal structure, makes it easy to 18 Cleats, along the left and right sides, will support the
see how you could mix and match any of these cubbies. edges of the grill platform.

17 Use pocket screws to attach the ribs to support the grill 19 Thin spacers are attached to the panel and create a
platform that we’ll add in a bit. mounting surface for the slides.

POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 51

Outdoor Kitchen

GRILL SECTION PULL-OUT DOUBLE DOOR
CHARCOAL BIN CABINET
with lower drawer
3" 5/8"
FRONT VIEW
11/4"
111/2"

3" 3/4"(W)
81/2" 2" ( L)

3" 28" 3/8"(W)
11/2" 2" (L)

3" 3" 15" 3" 24" 3"

3" B1 B2 B3 B4
36"
271/2" NOTE: All mortise and

tenons are 3/8" wide x 10 1/2"
3/4”-long

28" 241/2" diameter TOP VIEW 8"
51/2" cutout for the grill
(based on your grill).

51/2" 3/8"(W) 10 1/2"
3/4" ( L)
3" F1 F2 F3 36" F4
81"
F W F
BD B
B DB A
A
A NOTE: Make a 13/4" notch on each A
X
corner of the decks (K/AA) to fit around
B
the legs.
Z
301/2" K

G

C I IE 313/4"

JH JC
H
LEFT SIDE RIGHT SIDE

with grill and lower drawer AA with double door cabinet

B DB B DY Y

34" Z

Materials: A A
D
Item No. Product D
N881-904 B
N11-830 4" Ornamental T-Hinges A A D D B D
- I A A
5 3/4" Pulls JC
- E B Z
18" drawer slides A A
2525-LHW-CL D
(for lower drawer) CE Y

24" drawer slides D B

(for charcoal pull-out bin) D

SPAX exterior lag screws:
1/4" x 2 1/2" washer head,

T-30 star drive

Hinges and pulls are from National-Hardware.com. R
Spax Powerlags are from McFeelys.com. S

CHARCOAL V
PULL-OUT BIN TU

3/4" U

2 5/8" 4" T

Q Q Cut List

3 3/4" No. Item Dimensions (inches)
8 3/4"
R 8 A Legs TWL
3" 4 B Front/back rails
14 1/2" 2 C Middle rails 3 3 30 1/2
R11/4" 8 D Side stretchers
223/4" 2 E Middle stretchers 1 1/4 3 79
1 F Top
1 1/4 3 29 1/2

1 1/4 3 29 1/2

1 1/4 3 29 1/2

1 1/4 36 81

GRILL SECTION WITH LOWER DRAWER

3" 1 G Upper side panel 3/8 12 1/4 28 3/4
9 1/4 28 3/4
14 3/4" 3 H Lower drawer panels * 3/8 2 1/4 31 1/2
1 1/4
BIN DOOR 20" 151/2" 2 I Ribs 1 1/4 31 1/2 28
31 1/2
FRONT VIEW 2 J Cleats 1 1/4 7
7 27
1 K Deck 3/4 17 1/4 17 1/4
7 3/4 26 1/4
13" 2 L Drawer front /back 3/4 27 3/4

NOTE: All door mortise and BIN HOLDER 2 M Drawer sides 3/4
tenons are 3/8" wide x 3/4”-long.
Door grooves are 3/8” x 3/8”. FRONT VIEW 1 N Drawer bottom 1/4

3/4" 1 O False drawer front 1 1/4

2 5/8" CHARCOAL PULL-OUT BIN 3/8 15 3/4 23 3/4
1 1/4 3 22 3/4
1 P Back panel 1 1/4 3 10 1/4
2 Q Door stiles 3/8 10 1/4 17 1/2
2 R Door rails 3/4 3 14 1/2
1 S Door panel 3/4 3 17 1/2
2 T Bin holder front/ back 3/4 14 1/2 20
2 U Bin holder sides
1 V Bin holder deck

223/4" DOUBLE DOOR CABINET 3/8 23 3/4 28 3/4

3" 1 W Side panel 3/8 24 3/4 28 3/4
12" 6" 1 X Back panel
2 Y Ribs 1 1/4 2 1/4 27 1/2
3" 2 Z Cleats
24" 1 AA Deck 1 1/4 1 1/4 24
4 BB Door stiles
DOUBLE DOOR CABINET 4 CC Door rails 3/4 27 1/2 31 1/2
2 DD Door panels
FRONT VIEW 1 1/4 3 22 3/4

1 1/4 3 7 1/2

3/8 7 1/2 17 1/2

* There are two side lower drawer panels and one back panel.

Outdoor Kitchen

Inner workings a box. This “tray” will get a rabbet ing the rails from the leg assemblies,
along each edge later for slide spac- these should be simple. Simply cut
Now let’s shift to the guts of the ing. At this point, you can test the fit tenons on the ends of the rails, and
kitchen where we have a few things and set it aside. groove the inside of the rails and
to put together. First and foremost, stiles with the router. Small panels
there’s the “trashcan” holder for the The drawer and doors are next. get slipped into place in all three of
charcoal container. The drawer construction is about the parts.
as simple as you can get. I created
Sizing this requires a little my drawer with rabbets and screws Wide Top
measuring of the container. After — no need to get fancy. If you want
deciding the opening size, I defined to view an article on a few different The top of the kitchen is made
the four corners with a large Forst- ways to build drawers, we have one from 2x6 material. Take your time
ner bit. Then, after marking cut at popularwoodworking.com/te- picking this out. If you need to, buy
lines that connect all of the holes, chinques/four-good-ways-to-build- longer, 14 or 16ft material instead
I used a jigsaw to cut the waste drawers. The false drawer front is of 8ft. Often, the longer material is
away. A sharp blade, slow going, and simply solid cedar that I glued up. less picked over, and it’s usually cut
pre-scoring the cut are the keys to from a better tree!
chipout free jigsaw cuts. After the The charcoal pull-out and double
opening was defined, I screwed on a doors share a standard construc- Because of the nature of the cedar,
frame of plywood under it to create tion—frame and panels. After mak- it wants to warp and move, even
after surfacing it. So, after laying
20 21 out the boards and marking their
locations, I made marks for some
22 23 biscuits. These will help in aligning
the boards during glue-up ... the
20 Pre-score the cut lines with a utility knife before cutting with a jigsaw. This biscuits themselves add no strength,
yields a much cleaner result than the jigsaw blade alone. but the do help keep the faces of
21 Attach plywood boxing under the charcoal holder. This will allow the front to the board aligned. A series of five
be attached, and offer an attachment point for the drawer slides. biscuits seems to be enough for this
22 Test the fit—at this point you can measure for the drawer slide placement. length of top.
23 The double doors and charcoal door are simple frame and panel construction.
Cut the tenons at the table saw and rout the grooves. Another tip that helps with unruly
timbers like this is to glue the top
up in sections — preferably sections
that will go through your planer.
Three boards fit through my planer,
so I glued the top up in a series of
steps. After gluing three sections up,
I brought them all together for the
final width of the top.

After the glue dries, you can trim
the top to the final size. A track
saw makes this cut easy, but the
easy-to-work cedar is easily cut with
a panel saw as well. Now to tackle
the surface. The biscuits do a fairly
good job of keeping everything flush,
but a little work with a jack plane
is necessary to level the rest of the
surface. If you don’t feel like getting
a workout with a jack plane (and
frolicking through in the shavings),
a belt sander can be used very con-
servatively to level it out.

To cut the circle where the grill
will sit, you have a few options. First,
you could use a jig saw. This leaves
a fairly rough cut, but will work. A

54 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING

24 25

24 Four or five biscuits help align the
boards while you’re applying clamps.

25 Glue up the top in sections.
Three boards with glue are much
easier to manage than 8 or 9.

much better approach, in my opinion, 26
is to use a router trammel. You
can easily make one with a scrap of 27
plywood or use a commercially made
one. Photo 26 shows the Multi-Func- 26 A router trammel pivots the router around a central point. Make the circle in
tion Router Base from Woodpeckers a few passes, increasing the bit depth each pass. On the final pass, leave a few
(combined with my Colt router, it’s a “tabs” to hold the waste in place until you can cut it free with a jigsaw.
mighty little package). When routing 27 To soften th edge of the top, rout a roundover along all edges. Start with the
the circle, I made it in three passes. endgrain first, that way any chipout will be removed when you rout the side grain.
On the final pass, I left three little
tabs to hold the waste in...I then
snipped the tabs with a jigsaw.

Finally, to soften all of the edges,
I routed a roundover around the
perimeter of the top, both top, and
bottom edge. Attaching the top to
the base is done with a series of fig-
ure-8 fasteners. These get recessed
into the base rails with a Forstner
bit, then screwed in place. Matching
screws get driven into the underside
of the top. This allows the top to ex-
pand and contract separate from the
base. At this point, you can go ahead
and apply a finish to the kitchen.
The article on page 58 will give
you a little more info on outdoor
finishes. For this project, I used a
new (to me) product by Nova. It’s
an outdoor tung oil that you apply,
let soak in, then wipe off. The tint I
used on this was the “natural” flavor,
and I like the color it gave it.

POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 55

Outdoor Kitchen

Assembly the false front—double-sided tape Most grills will probably require re-
and screws from the inside. moving something from the outside.
With finish applied and everything dry, Mine involved removing the flip-up
it’s time to put this puppy together. Mounting the double doors is a wings that came with it. If you look
Start by mounting the drawer slides little more work. For these, I used back at the main photo of this article,
inside the case. The drawer can get a pair of surface mount hinges on you’ll also notice that I have the grill
mounted to the slides using shims to each door. Mount the hinges to the sitting on top of a series of firebricks.
space it out. To make sure the false cabinet first. I use an awl to locate This is to help promote airflow
front is centered, use a series of dou- the screw holes and start them around the bottom of the grill and to
ble-sided tape strips to stick the front (pilot holes usually aren’t necessary also act as an insulator between the
in place. Shims help position the front, with cedar). Check the fit with both grill and the cedar bottom.
and after pushing firmly, you can open doors and shims. If any trimming is
the drawer and permanently attach it necessary, do that now. Then, you Overall, I think this outdoor
with screws from the inside. can mount the doors with screws. kitchen will provide a great area to
To keep the doors in place and act cook, gather, and entertain all sum-
The charcoal tray is mounted as stops, I used a pair of magnetic mer long. If you think this project is
onto the slides like the drawer was. catches screwed to the bottom of something you could benefit from,
Here, you’ll need to rabbet the sides the cabinet. The metal strike plates I encourage you to take this design
of the tray to fit between the slides. are installed inside each door. and customize it to suit your needs...
Insert the charcoal bin and make then send me an invite for the first
sure it operates as intended before After moving your outdoor kitchen cookout! PW – Logan Wittmer
mounting the door the same way as in place, you can drop your grill in.

28 29

30 28 Double-sided tape is a great
way to temporarily position
56 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING false fronts, allowing you to line
them up for an even reveal.

29 Slip the charcoal holder in
place and check for function-
ality before attaching the door
in place.

30 Surface mount hinges are
an easy way to mount doors.
Use thin scraps of plywood
as spacers for an even reveal
around all of the doors.



Finishing

Outdoor
Finishing

A guide to three kinds
of finish that shield
wood from the weather.

By Rob Petrie

When I was a kid, my dad made 1
a pair of Adirondack chairs that sat
out front of the old farmhouse I grew 1 Paint, film-forming finishes, and penetrating oils will all protect your pieces
up in. Looking back, they added a from water and weathering, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.
quaintness to the house. They were
attractive pieces, but in time the wood. Spending all day in the sun A Good Starting Place PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR
finish started to peel off. As other will really take its toll (as anyone
projects came up, refinishing the who burns as easily as me can tell Before diving into the options for
chairs was put on the backburner. you), which is where UV inhibitors outdoor finishes, I feel it’s neces-
Years went on and they slowly be- come into play, helping to preserve sary to first talk about building the
came gray and cracked. Those chairs the wood’s color. Fungi like mold and furniture itself. One of the first
still sit there, just outside the door, mildew will eat the wood away if left things to consider when building
battered, beaten, and colorless. alone, so mildewcides are mixed in to outdoor furniture is material selec-
keep pieces from rotting. tion. While aesthetics is usually all
Naturally, I’ve been haunted by I consider for an indoor project, a
those chairs since. I dread watching Now for the kinds of protection project that’s going to live outdoors
a piece of furniture that I put so outdoor finishes offer. When you merits a little more thought than
much time and effort into making break it down, there’s three basic that. Domestic woods like white oak,
drain of color and waste away. Lucky kinds of outdoor finish: film-forming cedar, redwood, and cyprus are all
for me, there’s a few options when it finishes, penetrating oils, and good naturally resistant to moisture and
comes to finishing for the outdoors, old paint. Exterior grade paint has rot. More exotic hardwoods like ipe
all of which are capable of keeping the necessary additives and pro- and teak are good choices too for
my pieces safe and my mind free vides a thick barrier over the wood. the same reasons. Now, I’m not im-
from worry. Film-forming finishes also create a plying that these woods are entirely
layer of protection, though theirs is of- waterproof or immune to rot. Given
First of all, what separates an ten thinner than that of paint, as well enough time and moisture exposure,
outdoor finish from a standard as being transparent or semi-trans- they’ll break down just the same,
indoor finish? The main difference parent. Finally, penetrating oils soak but the dense fibers and natural oils
is the additives that, while unnec- into the wood itself to seal it and help of these woods will keep moisture,
essary for an indoor piece, will save strengthen it, though they do need to fungi, and insects at bay the longest,
the life of your outdoor furniture. be reapplied more often. and when it comes to outdoor furni-
As you’ve probably seen before (and
I in my youthful horror witnessed)
raw wood left out unprotected will
become a rough, gray mess from
the elements. The big three forces
that take a toll on outdoor furniture
are fungi, moisture, and ultra-violet
(UV) light damage. While we can’t
completely avoid all of these things,
we can give ourselves a fighting
chance with some careful planning.

All outdoor finishes have some
means of keeping humidity, rain, and
any other sort of moisture from the

58 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING

Outdoor Finishing 2 Cedar, redwood, white oak, and cyprus are all excellent
choices for building outdoor furniture. Whether it’s the
CEDAR resins, the oils, or the way the wood grows, each of these
CYPRESS features a way to resist moisture, rot, and bugs.

REDWOOD 3 Waterproof glue, two-part epoxy, and polyurethane glue
WHITE OAK are all good choices of outdoor adhesive. They’re strong,
resilient to the elements, and, best of all, waterproof.

23

ture I’ll take all the help I can get. hardware. All your work on the paint is hiding the natural beauty
Once you’ve chosen your wood, finish will be for naught if the of the wood. While in some cases
project gets stained from a bolt this could be good, and paint may
it’s wise to give some thought to that’s starting to corrode. provide the best outright protection,
the adhesive as well. In my opinion, I can’t always bring myself to cover
standard wood glues won’t cut it. Good Old Paint up the grain. In those cases, I look to
While they are somewhat water the other two types of finish.
resistant, a true waterproof glue First on our list is the classic choice
will work much better after years of painting the wood. There’s a Film-Forming Finishes
outside. Applied much like standard reason so many things are painted,
glues, waterproof glue is specifically and it’s not just for the fun colors. Finishes such as spar varnish, exte-
designed for exterior use. A few layers of paint can provide rior polyurethane, and deck sealer
protection to anything it’ll stick to. all fall into the film-forming finish
Two-part epoxy also makes an I consider paint the most practical category. These create a thin coat
excellent outdoor adhesive. Epoxy’s choice of finish on this list, provid- over the wood to protect it, allowing
slow set time comes in handy for ing a durable protective coat over all you to enjoy the grain of the wood
complex glueups, such as a trellis. the wood. In exterior-grade paint, while still granting protection from
additives help stop UV rays and fun- the elements. The finishes are simi-
Polyurethane glue also deserves gus, plus it’s available in the entire lar to the varnish and polyurethane
some time in the light here. I grew up rainbow’s worth of colors. used indoors, but they’re often
using polyurethane to seal most proj- mixed with more solids for a thicker
ects, and exterior polyurethane can be Applying paint is a simple enough coat, along with UV inhibitors and
a great choice of film-forming finish, task as well. I’m sure most of you mildewcides for added protection.
but it took me some time to appreci- out there have painted something at
ate its use as an outdoor glue. It does least once in your life, but exterior To apply, brush an even coat
foam as it dries, which may turn some paint has gotten even easier to apply onto the sanded piece and let it dry.
off of it, but it provides a strong hold in recent years, as many paints come Apply several coats this way, sanding
that’s impervious to water. with the primer mixed in already. lightly in between. Most film-form-
Simply slap a few coats on and ing finishes will last you for three to
As one last note on building, if you’re good to go. five years, depending on how much
your project has hardware (such punishment nature decides to dish
as bolts or screws) be sure you’re Of course, the drawback to
picking up stainless steel or coated

POPULARWOODWORKING.COM ■ 59

Outdoor Finishing

45

4 Film-forming finishes are applied
similar to indoor varnishes or
polyurethanes.

5 On larger surfaces, rollers can be
used to apply penetrating oils.

6 Outdoor finishes, such as these
from ZAR, include UV inhibitors to
keep your project looking good.

6 the piece is sanded and clean, use
a brush, rag, or roller to apply the
out during that time. Eventually One final consideration regarding oil and let it soak for about fifteen
you may notice parts of the finish film-forming finishes is that clear minutes, wiping off the excess
beginning to wear down or peel off. or not, the finished piece will have afterwards. Work with the grain
This is where a film-forming finish a glossy look. This may be great for where possible to get an even coat,
gets a little tedious, as all of the some pieces (and maybe less so on and be sure to work the oil up into
finish must be sanded off before others), but it is an important thing any corners. I usually apply another
refinishing the piece. While this to keep in mind before committing coat after it’s dry, but there’s no use
finishing process can get tiresome, a to a finish. in applying more than three coats,
film-forming finish is still an excel- since the oil won’t build up a barrier.
lent choice of protection when you Penetrating Oils
want the grain to remain. The issue with penetrating oil fin-
The third option for outdoor fin- ishes is that they’ll be absorbed by
While film-forming finishes are ishing is penetrating oil. Unlike the the wood before paint or film-form-
available in clear versions, they other options here, penetrating oils ing finishes would start to peel,
don’t protect as well against the (as the name implies) seep into the leaving the surface unprotected. On
sunlight as a pigmented option. wood in order to protect it. While average, this means you’ll need to
Because pigment reflects certain this does mean the wood itself is on reapply the finish every year.
light, it offers some additional the front lines, the UV inhibitors,
protection, and a bit of color can water repellents, and mildewcides However, this point also leads
really make different woods pop. For mixed in will keep your wood from me to one of my favorite aspects of
instance, the ruddy color of cedar graying or rotting. penetrating oil: the ease of refinish-
is complimented well by red finish. ing. Although penetrating oil needs
In general, the darker the color, the Applying a penetrating oil is to be reapplied more often than a
more protection offered against UV. similar to applying an indoor stain film-finish or paint, you only need
or a standard finishing oil. Once to clean the wood and reapply the
oil. This makes it a great choice for
larger outdoor pieces that are dif-
ficult or impossible to move inside
for refinishing.

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CLEAR FINISH CLEAR them, making the surface more
durable. Once cured, you can apply
“CEDAR” SEMI-TRANSPARENT FINISH CEDAR-TONED your paint or varnish.

“REDWOOD” SEMI-TRANSPARENT FINISH CEDAR-COLORED Another use for epoxy is making
SEMI-TRANSPARENT a “shoe” for your outdoor furniture.
End grain sucks up moisture read-
SOLID-COLOR STAIN CEDAR-COLORED OPAQUE ily, and it’s the most easily worn
place on any outdoor piece. By
7 making a reservoir of tape around
the foot and applying a thick layer
7 Similar to indoor stains, penetrating oils have a selection of pigmented options. of epoxy, it seals the end grains and
Opaque oil last the longest as they have the most pigment, but they are obscure creates a waterproof shoe that pro-
most of the grain. tects those end grains from wear.
Epoxy can also be used to seal up
8 Applying an epoxy “shoe” to the foot of a piece seals the pores of the end any cracks or knots before finish-
grains and forms a protective pad. Not only does this help prevent wear, but it ing. Just pour a little epoxy in, wait
also closes the ends of the fibers to prevent “wicking” of moisture up the leg of for it to dry, and sand it down.
the furniture piece.
The issue with epoxy is that the
As with film finishes, penetrating cost can add up quick. However,
oils come in a variety of colors, and if you’re looking to ensure that a
more pronounced color will give project will stand the test of time,
better UV protection. then some epoxy may just be worth
the investment.
Epoxy
Aging Naturally
One last note should be made for
As much as I’ve talked about
epoxy. There’s a trick to making keeping your outdoor furniture safe
from the elements, there can also
paint and varnish more durable be beauty in the way it weathers. In
some cases, you may want a piece of
that we can steal from shipwrights: outdoor furniture to have an aged
look. In this case you may be better
applying epoxy to the wood before off with no finish at all.

putting on the top coat. For these Some woods (such as cedar,
redwood, ipe, white oak, or teak) can
purposes, you’ll need an “epoxy develop an intriguing, rustic look
as they age. These woods grow into
coating” rather than one that’s spe- their gray well, becoming reminiscent
of old barns and farmhouses. This
cifically an adhesive. distinctive, antique aesthetic can’t
be duplicated with anything shy of a
To apply, mix as the product professional paint job. The weathered
look of natural aging isn’t going to
directs you to and brush it onto the work with every project, but some-
times the nostalgic tone of grayed
8 wood. As it cures, the epoxy seeps wood can be a nice change of pace.
into the wood fibers and hardens
Though it will wear eventually,
a well-built piece can last for some
time unprotected. The Adirondack
chairs from my childhood still sit
outside that house decades later.
They may not be what they once
were, but maybe I was too hard
those chairs. Maybe a little change
can be a good thing. PW—Rob Petrie

62 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING

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missionable. Send to: Popular Woodworking Magazine, 5225 Joerns Dr, Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or Jack
Christiansen, [email protected] Phone: (847) 724-5633

End Grain

Over the last few months, we’ve been sharing parody covers we’ve created on social media. Based on some of our
favorite magazines with recognizable covers, one of our most popular was this parody of a MAD magazine cover.
I don’t think we'll be changing our covers any time soon, but everyone sure seemed to get a kick out of these.

HIGH-SPEED MODULAR
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Wood carving photos courtesy of J Paul Fennel
To see how Nakanishi hand tools help you with your project,

Contact NSK America directly.

www.NSKAmericaCorp.com | Phone: (847) 843-7664 | Toll Free: (800) 585-4675 | [email protected]

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