Check out these great DIY woodworking projects for your yard, from benches and planters to chairs and tables!
The key to building outdoor furniture is to use rot resistant wood—such as pressure treated pine, redwood, cedar, or cypress—and corrosion resistant nails and screws, like stainless steel or galvanized.
Deck Bench
This backyard bench is perfect for a deck or patio and can also be used to display potted plants. The bench was made from 2×12 and 2×4 pressure treated lumber using a circular saw and jigsaw to cut and shape the pieces and a drill and screws for assembly.
Find out more at How to Build an Outdoor Bench.
Backyard Picnic Table
This 38” wide by 60” long picnic table seats six to eight. Galvanized carriage bolts were used to join the legs and seat supports together. To prevent the top from cupping, attach the boards with the annual rings in the grain arching up like a rainbow.
Find out more at Building a Picnic Table.
DIY Adirondack Chair
Made from cedar using plans from Woodcraft, this Adirondack chair was assembled using galvanized carriage bolts and screws. To save time, sand and round off the edges of the individual parts before assembly.
Find out more at Building an Adirondack Chair.
Build a Patio Planter
This 18” by 21” patio planter is 25” high. The paneled sides and mitered top were made from pressure treated 1×4 and 2×4 lumber and was joined together using corrosion resistant deck screws.
Find out more at How to Build a Patio Planter.
Hanging Plant Post
This easy to make planter post is perfect for displaying hanging plants. To make, cut a treated 4×4 post to length, attach metal brackets to the sides, and set the post plumb in the ground.
DIY Tool Jigs
These homemade jigs can make your next woodworking projects easier.
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- Crosscut Guide: Screw two pieces of lumber or plywood together in a “T” shape to make a guide for your circular saw. Watch Making a Crosscut Guide to find out more.
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- Rip Guide: Clamp a strip of wood to the base of your circular saw parallel with the blade to make a homemade rip guide.
- Miter Saw Table: To support long stock when crosscutting with a power miter saw, place an extension ladder on sawhorses, attach the saw to a plywood base then position it on the ladder. Construct “T” shaped brackets from scrap lumber to support the stock when cutting. Watch Miter Saw Work Table to find out more.
Other Tips from This Episode
Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Brass Screw Tip
To keep brass screws from breaking off when installing, drill a pilot hole slightly smaller than the diameter of the screw. Next, screw a steel screw the same size as the brass one in the hole. Unscrew the steel screw, and screw in the brass screw. (Watch Video)
Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
Decorator Pendant Lights
Decorator pendant lights are available at The Home Depot in a wide range of styles and designs that can add a touch of color and pizzazz to your breakfast room, bar, or kitchen. Lights include bulbs to make installation a snap. (Watch Video)
Ask Danny Lipford:
Sunlight from Windows
Sunlight from windows allows heat and UV rays in your home that can fade furniture and increase air conditioning costs. To reduce the sunlight coming through single pane glass, install window film on the inside of the glass. Chose new windows that have a Low-E coating to block UV light and reduce heat gain. (Watch Video)
I have a concern with your picnic table being built with treated lumber. Wouldn’t that be a bad choice considering the chemicals that are forced into it. If some food should fall on the table and someone picks it up and eats it, they could become sick. I did not get to see the whole project, so you might have put some kind of treatment on it before use that I missed.
Hi Lonnie,
While pressure treated wood is commonly used for picnic tables, you are correct that it is not considered a food safe surface and you should not be used to prepare food or eat directly on it. A rot resistant wood (like redwood, cypress, or cedar) would be the best choice for a picnic table particularly if you plan to place food directly on the surface. Pressure treated wood sold today is treated using ACQ (alkaline copper quat) or CA-B (copper azole) which is much less toxic than the older arsenic based CCA (chromated copper arsenate) pressure treated wood that was taken off the market for most consumer uses in 2004. Hope that helps!
DANNY
I ENJOY YOR SHOW EVERY SATURDAY AND MAKE SURE I AM UP AT 4:45 TO WATCH IT
ON YOUR GARDEN POSTS I MADE SOME YEARS AGO BUT WENT ONE STEP FURTHER I MEASURED AND PUT A STEEL ROD IN BEWEEN HE TWO POSTS. I LIVE ON THE BEACH AND HAVE VERY LITTLE YARD SPACE, THIS GIVES ME PLENTY OD ROOM TO HANG BASKETS FOR FLOWERS, VEGTABLES AND HERBS.
I ALSO DO A LOT OF POT PLANTING AND WHEN THEY BEGIN TO LOOK SAD I PAINT THEM WITH RUSTOLEUM PLASTIC PAINTS IN DIFFERENT BRIGHT COLORS. MAKES FOR A NICE CONVERATION PIECE
Hi PJ,
Thanks for the tip, and it’s good to hear you enjoy the show!
would to know where I can buy the fusion like brick where we can use with brick without having to use Mortar can I buy it locally Albuquerque NM I saw it on one your shows