Wrapped up to ward off winter’s chill, your thoughts probably tend more to gluhwein than to gelato. Well, don’t mothball your tools just yet: here’s a project that will set you up for those balmy days you just know are coming. To get things started, I’ve acquired a new seven-burner gas grill and four ground-shaking speakers for my outdoor sound system – and I’ve built a sturdy picnic table to replace my old one. (It was a creaky, splintered mess of timber that listed to one side like a parallelogram.)

The new table took a weekend to construct, including a trip to a home centre to hand-pick the timber and buy fasteners. One of the project’s best features: the top and bench seats are made from composite decking, a material fashioned from plastic resin and sawdust. It’s easy to clean, it’s impervious to wood-boring insects, and it never splinters. I chose pressure-treated timber for other parts of the project – and rust-proof fasteners everywhere. I have to admit that my design is heavy. On the other hand, it’s durable; this is probably the last picnic table you’ll ever need.

Start at the bottom

Begin by cutting four picnic table legs out of pressure-treated 50 x 150 beams. Cut two legs at a time on a power mitre saw (1). You can also use a circular saw and a guide to cut the angles on the top and bottom of the legs.

Next, crosscut and bevel the seat support and lay the support across the legs. The tops of the supports should be 450 mm from the leg bottoms (as shown in the profile illustration), and the ends of the supports should extend 375 mm from each leg. Secure the 50 x 100 supports to the legs with 75 mm deck screws (2). Later, you’ll strengthen the joint with carriage bolts. Be careful to drive the screw head flush but no deeper; otherwise, you risk the screw point poking out the other side.

Now move on to the frame for the tabletop. Crosscut the side rails, and predrill 4 mm pilot holes to prevent splitting; join the parts with 75 mm deck screws (3). Duplicate the process to cut and fasten the seat frames.

The next step is to assemble the picnic table structure. First, position the tabletop assembly flush with the top of the legs and clamp it into place. At each end of the top, drive 75 mm deck screws through the inside of the frame and into the legs (4). Later, install carriage bolts to bolster the joints. Fasten the seat frames by driving deck screws through the outside of the seat support into the frame (5).

To reinforce the table base and ensure that it doesn’t tilt out of square, install two diagonal braces. Use a power mitre saw or a circular saw to cut the angled ends on these pieces. Slip the braces between the seat support and top-frame cross support and secure them with 75 mm deck screws (6).

Use a drill and a 10 mm-diameter bit to bore carriage-bolt holes through the legs and tabletop frame. To ensure that any splintering occurs on the inside face of the legs, run the bit from the outside to the inside. Use a hammer to tap the carriage bolts through the holes, slide on galvanised washers and nuts and tighten with a socket spanner (7). If you use longer bolts than those I’ve specified, be sure to cut off any excess bolt shank and file the cut surface smooth. This will prevent the possibility of injury from a protruding shank.

Crosscut the composite decking for the top and seats. To increase accuracy, gangcut several planks at once. Lay the decking planks across the frame with their woodgrain texture facing up. The planks should have a 125 mm overhang on each end, and the end planks should project 25 mm. Bore 3 mm pilot holes through the plank and the frame (8). Fasten the planks with 63 mm trim-head deck screws.

To maintain a uniform 6 mm gap between the planks, use plastic spacers designed for composite decking. Fit these between each plank.

Finish the project by rounding off the square ends of each plank with a router and a 10 mm-radius rounding-over bit (9). Finally, fire up the grill and sit down to your first meal at your new table.