Truss Table and Benches (Western Red Cedar)
We built this outdoor table and benches using Western Red Cedar for a patio area outside our house. The cedar is pricier than doug fir or other woods, but is highly rot resistant and the best choice for an outdoor table. We used Ana White's 4x4 Truss Beam Table and Benches plans and Kreg blue kote screws since they are weatherproof. The breadboards were a little wobbly, so we reinforced them with black metal corner braces (http://www.truevalue.com/product/Hardware/Miscellaneous-Hardware/Corner…) and black coated exterior screws (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-12-x-1-1-4-in-Phillips-Flat-Head-Wo…). These braces provide a cool architectural look and provide much needed support for the table ends, and especially the bench ends. We stained the Western Red Cedar with Minwax Weathered Oak and finished it with two coats of Man O War Spar Urethane in Satin finish. Hopefully it will stand up to the elements and last for years to come. Thanks for the plans Ana!