text: Have You Ever Built an Outdoor Project? - The Wood Whisperer
  Poll	- June 30, 2014
  It's summertime, and the living's easy. Without the threat of blizzards, freezing temperatures or ice storms, everyone is looking to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Even in sweltering Florida, Arizona and other hot climes, at least the kids are out of school, and getting them outside keeps them – and you – from going stir crazy.
  With all of this outdoor activity, I'm sure that we woodworkers have thought at least once, "Gosh, it sure would be great if I could build a garden shed/planter box/picnic table/play structure/some other outdoor project that could be perfect for outdoor enjoyment."
  So, this week, tell us if you have ever built an outdoor project, and what the experience was like for you.
  Dale	July 1, 2014 5:26 pm
  Yep, largest was a 12 x 16 pergola built a couple of years ago. Not much since, took a while for my back to recover!
  Bill	July 2, 2014 8:14 am
  Built a deck for the back of my house.
  Jim	July 2, 2014 10:41 am
  I made a pergola or arbor from wood from a dismantled kids fort , a bench for the deck, some Adirondack chairs, some planters for the deck, plus the deck.
  Craig	July 4, 2014 8:27 am
  I have built a few projects. I built what you would call a Boma out of recycle Pallet wood and gum poles. I am busy constucting a sandpit for my son using gum poles to make a shaded support. I have a plan for a nice outside table similar to the one above just need the materials for it though.
  Michael Sweet	July 4, 2014 4:51 pm
  Just finished helping my son build a 12′ x 16′ shed. It was very difficult but fun. Everyday required us to solve a problem that wasn't addresed in the plans. We couldn't just say, "screw it I can't fix it". Very challenging. Jigs to build the trusses, gable-ends. The header fit perfect for the door but one door had to be trimmed. We still need to get the shingles on and install windows including an octagonal one on one of the gables. Then we have to add gutters and hope the inspection passes. The most difficult part was carting 32 yards of crushed rock and leveling the piers. It was a great experience and we seemed to use every tool in our arsenal including nailers, framing hammers, saws, drills, mallets, clamps…it was a blast. I'm 61 years young but it was one of the most exhausting and enjoyable things I built.
  Ken	July 4, 2014 8:02 pm
  When we rebuilt our front porch into a wrap around porch, I kept the 100 year old wood and used it to build a porch glider. I haven't finished the 8 sided table for the octagon gazebo yet, but almost there.
  Dennis	July 4, 2014 10:08 pm
  I have a few outdoor projects. Most of them are raised gardens with pressure treated 2×4 for the base and kiln dried 1×6 for the top where the dirt goes. The one I liked the most was a picnic table I built out of extra construction lumber from a covered back patio my friend had built. All the extra lumber he couldn't return because it had cuts from being used as a platform for circular saw work he gave to me. I built it without plans and even left the legs long to put a 2×4 on the ground to draw a line to make the legs sit flat on the ground. It turned out great and we ate fresh grilled food off of it a couple of times a week. I even told my friends to carve anything they wanted into it because the wood was already damaged and I thought it would give it more of a park table feel. Lots of good quotes and pictures of ninja turtles came out of it. Even though I don't have it anymore over time it was one of the more rewarding projects I have ever built.
  Cindy Braunheim	July 5, 2014 11:50 am
  A few years back I built a 7′ X 3′ garden bridge for an auction event out of cedar. Great experience and really stretched my small, one-car-garage shop. Coincidentally, my next-door neighbors bought the item for their son, so I get to see it often!
  Gary Owens	July 5, 2014 6:57 pm
  I've built 5 Adirondak chairs from the Guild project, round table with 6 garden chairs for our poolside furniture, and I just finished a garden bench with a planter box in each end. Next up is an outdoor kitchen but I'm still in the design phase of that one.
  Steve Clark	July 8, 2014 8:25 am
  My first woodworking project was a tree house for my kids. What a great experience, I did not even own a circular saw when I started this project. My wife was scared that I was even going to attempt it. It took me the whole fall and half this winter to build it. Since then I have built a couple of picnic tables, a loft bed, sofa table, tv console, play room storage and a couple of really nice cabinets at my office that I get complements on all the time. I am hooked
  Jack in TN	July 8, 2014 2:40 pm
  I built a full concrete table for 2 for my daughter, and a couple of simple slatted chairs to go with it. This was for patio furniture.
  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/396035360955370727/
  Ralph	September 9, 2014 11:29 am
  Because our soil is so poor, we grow vegetables in Earthboxes. To make life easier, I built stands to elevate the boxes. I built them from 2X4's using half-lap joints (cut on my RAS). I cut a groove in the sides and install slats to support the boxes and allow drainage. I don't finish them, so they eventually deteriorate, but it's easy enough to build a replacement.