Do something plumb crazy!

Galvanized steel pipe, traditionally used in plumbing, creates this haute industrial style picnic table that will give you years of enjoyment.

What You'll Need

Materials

• 1" galvanized pipe and fittings
• tees (18) 3239-150
• floor flanges (24) 3243-234
• close nipples (12) 3243-840
• 6" nipples (29) 3243-939
• 3" nipples (8) 3243-877
• couplings (18) 3242-556
• 18" pipe (4) 
• 24" pipe (2) 3245-410
• 48" pipe (2) 3245-447
• 3/8" x 10' threaded rod (2) 2160-232
• 3/8" washers (18) 2190-244
• 3/8" nuts (18) 2147-703
• #14 x 1 1/2" wood screws (60) 2174-444
• 1 x 3 x 8' pine
• 8/4 x 10 x 10' pine (2) (measures 1 3/4" thick)
• 8/4 x 10 x 12' pine (2) (measures 1 3/4" thick)
• Wood Shield Best semi-transparent stain 1866-843 (tinted Weathered Brown WST04-9)

Tools

• 2 pipe wrenches 
• thickness planer 1332-533
• drill press 
• Forstner bit 1 1/2" 

Here's How

1. Assemble pipe bases for the benches and table, starting with the centre pipe, then the leg rails and then the legs.
2. For the bench tops, cut the two 10' pine boards into four 56" lengths.
3. For the tabletop, cut the two 12' pine boards into four 70" lengths.
4. Rip all four boards. Rip the outside pieces at 23/16" wide and rip the inside pieces at 2 1/4" wide.
5. Plane the edges of all the pieces to a finished board width of 21/8".
6. In the 70" pine pieces for the table, drill 7/16" holes positioned 10" in and 35" in from each end of the boards. Centre the holes on the 21/8" height.
7. In the 56" pine pieces for the benches, drill 7/16" holes positioned 6" in and 28" in from each end of the boards. Centre the holes on the 21/8" height.
8. Drill the outside boards with the 1 1/2" Forstner bit to create a recess for the nuts and washers for the threaded rods.
9. It is best to make a jig for the drill press to position the wood precisely.
10. Rip surplus boards to make 75 spacers that are 1 1/2" x 4" x 1/4" thick.
11. Drill 7/16" holes in the spacers. Position the centres of the holes 2" from the sides (on the 4" dimension) and 1/2" from the tops of the spacers. (This will allow the spacers to be lower than the tops of the boards and almost flush with the bottoms of the boards.)
12. Stain all pieces.
13. Cut threaded rods to length plus a few inches extra.
14. Assemble the bench tops and tabletop starting with a nut and a washer on the threaded rod and then an outside board with a Forstner counter sunk hole.
15. Insert a spacer, then another board and repeat until the last board (with a countersunk hole) has been added. Then add a washer and nut and tighten. Cut off the excess rod.
16. Install three 1 x 3 stiffening braces to the underside of the table. Install them 3" in from the front and back edges.
17. Now fasten the bench tops and tabletop to the bases with 1 1/2" screws.