Was planning to build the table from smooth cedar... But at the lumberyard I happened across this beautiful batch of 5/4 poplar and adjusted on the fly. The tabletop is actually a crazy assortment of widths... 6, 8, 4, 12, 4, 8, 6 (respectively). Kregged, sanding like the dickens, two coats of light stain (cause I love all the ribbons/grain in this top) and fought with the poly for a few days to get it smooth. Decided to paint the base cause the broad grain of the pine base wouldn't match the top. My wife picked the little accent color for the stretchers on the base and that added some nice contrast. I didn't intend to build a bench at the start, but I had enough wood and the remaining 5/4x12 poplar top was too pretty not to use!
snagged the 4 chairs on Craigslist too. Really rounded out the set.
