Technotroop Outdoor Furniture

Sundials have always had an intriguing look. A garden sundial is an impressive focal point in a garden and the most important factor to consider before you choose the one you want is to decide where to locate it. Some people choose to place their garden sundial in their backyard near convenient seating arrangements or at the end of a prominent garden path. Pedestal sundials are instantly noticeable and attractive, drawing those who see it like a magnet.

Garden Sundials go as far back as the Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. To this day there are some antique sundials preserved for posterity. A majority of garden sundials are made of metal or stone and they can be as simple or as complex as you want. The dial faces are usually made out of white marble so that you can see it prominently no matter what time of day it is.

You will come across antique sundials made out of brass or copper. An important point to think about is how your sundial will withstand changes in season. Quite a few are also made of stainless steel, which is a durable material and also the charming terra cotta that has an ethnic look. Then there are the patio sundials that you can position vertically on the wall and if you choose these, you must make sure it receives adequate sunlight, whether your sundial is placed on a pedestal or inside a grassy patch.

There is something about garden sundials that make people very curious. So place it in the right direction, as well as in a spot where you spend the maximum time to give you the best view of it from your patio. You can literally spend hours gazing at it in peace.

There are fixed sundials like the polar sundials or the ceiling sundials, but these could be tough to read. Some people prefer portable sundials but you would have to keep moving them to the right spot depending on the intensity of the sun and that can be cumbersome.

As garden sundials go, most people prefer the horizontal or round sundial as they go well with the landscape. Sundials can be placed on the ground or on a pedestal, according to your choice. Pedestals can be made of stone, brass or a rock. In fact, you can even customize your sundial by offering to engrave whatever you want like a family monogram, crest, dates, or names.

Garden sundials are not very expensive. The antique sundials give your garden a touch of history. Preferably, sundials are best located on open, level ground where they can receive full sunlight. Sundials are a great accent for your garden or patio. In historical times, sundials were the sole means of telling the time, according to the universes rhythms.

Even though we do not use them as the basic timepieces in modern times, they nevertheless have an enchantingly decorative appeal as artistic accents for our gardens. There are exquisitely designed sundials that are totally weather resistant to summer or winter extremes. These are also painted attractively in complementary colors. Some garden sundials combine birdbaths with the sundials and these can look great in your garden.

Interestingly, the time on your sundial will match the time on your clock only on four days in a year. Since the earth has an elliptical orbit, you will also find that there is a difference of about fifteen minutes compared to your clock. There is no doubt that garden sundials are one of the best outdoor decorations for your home and garden and they certainly add character along with being lovely showpieces.

How big is your picnic table? Can you seat 16 people? The new popular octagonal and hexagonal picnic tables these days can be very large. This is fantastic because you can seat so many of your family and friends. And big is beautiful!

There is one small drawback however to large tables and that is you can’t reach the food or drinks in the centre or the other side of the table without having to stand up and stretch over everything else.

The solution: A Lazy Susan! The Chinese use them extensively in their banquet rooms where the tables are also large. It is a simple answer to a frustrating challenge.

They can be purchased but it may not match up with the table that you have, especially if you have made the table yourself. If you have made yourself a large octagonal picnic table with octagonal segments in the table top, it would be great to have a matching Lazy Susan.

The following is a plan to match an octagonal picnic table with a table top measuring around 6′8″ across to the parallel sides.

Materials required for a large octagonal picnic table

Lumber

1/2″ Plywood 50″*50″ square suitable for exterior use.

6*1 1/2 32′ dry pressure treated pine

2″*4″ 13′ 2*4″ dry treated pine

Nails / Screws

3″ gal nails 32

1 1/2″ screws 128

Turntable swivel A 12″ to 14″

Tools Required

1) A power compound miter saw.

2) A circular saw

3) A drill and hole saw to make the hole for the umbrella.

4) Hammer.

5) Tape measure. Small hand plane. Adjustable square. Pencil.

6) Battery drill to screw all the screws in.

Step by step construction

Step 1

Cut the 2*4 accurately in half with the circular saw. This now gives you 2 pieces 2″*2″.If you have an electric plane, smooth the saw cut. Now cut the 8 pieces to 19″ with 45 degree angles. This is the outside frame.

Make sure that the cut side is down so that the saw cutting is not visible.

Step 2

Arrange the pieces on a flat surface in an octagon shape and nail them together.

Step 3

Place the frame onto the plywood board and accurately measure corner to corner until you get the frame perfectly “square”. When you have it exactly right draw a pencil line right around the inside of the frame onto the plywood. (Note. If there are any gaps in the outside corners of your frame you may need to do some slight adjustments because this is what you are going to see.)

Step 4

Shift the plywood onto a bench and cut accurately along the line with the circular saw. Tidy up with the hand plane. You now have a perfect octagon to fit exactly inside the 2*2 frame. Place it inside the frame on a flat surface and rule lines between the opposite corners onto the plywood

Step 5

Now measure each board, cut and fit the outside row of 6*1 1/2. Plane the cut edge to give it a bevel. Don’t nail anything. When the outside row is complete start on the next row and then the next until all the centre is filled. You will need to be accurate with cuts to make sure it all fits with no gaps.

Step 6

Nail 2 nails through each section of frame into the outside row of 6*1 1/2. Now turn the Lazy Susan over. Draw lines between the corners. Take a piece of 6*1 1/2 to use as a guide and draw where the boards would be on the other side. Do each board in turn because this gives you a guide as to where to put the screws.

When you know where all the screws go, screw the plywood tightly to the Lazy Susan top. In this way there are no nails or screws showing on the Lazy Susan top.

Step 7

Turn it over so that it is right way up. You should clearly see where the centre of the umbrella hole goes. Use the hole saw to make the umbrella hole.

Step 8

Centre the turntable swivel accurately and screw into place.

You now have a Lazy Susan to transport your food and drinks effortlessly around your large octagonal table.

You can make your wooden bird feeder as simple or extravagant as you desire, according to your level of expertise. Those who are more adept with the tools of woodworking, may want to try their hand at making a wooden castle bird feeder. The idea behind this is to have all the stools on each side of the castle manufactured so as to stick out for the birds to eat their food out of. Or maybe you consider yourself to be talented enough to make a tube that spirals around, having a trough for the birds to snack away at. However, if you are not so talented and have never built one before, you may want to start with a simple step-by-step design.

You could try starting with a simple wooden tray feeder, where you just glue and nail a few pieces of wood together. As you become more experienced in constructing your wooden bird feeders, you’ll be able to experiment a bit more until you feel confident enough to make the bigger feeders that call for a lot more talent and patience. As a child, perhaps you may have built your very first wooden tray feeders in wood shop. On the other hand, if you weren’t fortunate enough to take the class you may have built your own bird feeder at home using a soda bottle or a coffee can. I can remember, back when I was a child, taking the empty coffee can, filling it up with my dad’s sunflower seeds and hanging it from a tree just to watch the birds come to the yard Endless hours of pleasure!

Check out this quick and easy way to make a simple wooden tray feeder. Please keep in mind that if you are a child you will need adult supervision.

MAKING A WOODEN TRAY BIRD FEEDER

4 pieces of wood about 2 inches wide

1 square piece of wood

Nails

Use the square piece of wood as the base for your wooden tray feeder. Now take your four pieces of wood and prop them up on all sides of the square. Hammer each strip to the base until you have a small square dish with sides. Insert a newspaper into the base, making sure to flatten it down properly so it doesn’t fly out. Pour in the seeds and you are set to go. On top of a large post or table would be a great place to position your tray.

Children love building bird feeders as well. Once they spot you making one they’ll naturally want to do something to help. Try giving them a pine cone, butter knife and some peanut butter and have them spread it all over the pine cone. When finished, have them sprinkle seeds all over it. They’ll be happy that they got to make a bird feeder too.

Hopper feeders are little wooden bird feeders that look like houses; birds love these because they keep the wind and rain off them.

When caring for your wooden bird feeders always remember that you need to empty them of food every night, unless you can somehow cover them. Rain can ruin bird seeds and make birds extremely sick, and I’m sure that’s the last thing you want.

Bird watching has always been, and always will be, a fun hobby. By building your own wooden bird feeders, you can make this a time full of memories for you and your children.

Decide what type of feeder you’ll use and where in the yard it will go. Location is a key item when it comes to wooden bird feeders. If you don’t have it in the right place the birds may never find it.

A weather vane, also known as wind vane or weather cock, is an instrument used to make out the direction of the wind. Weather vanes are usually found on top of buildings and in other open air places like gardens, barns, and garages. Weather vanes are usually made of metal, which makes them very durable. They can be mounted anywhere—in the garden, lawns, or rooftops. They have a classy look and are often made to look like antiques. They can be used even as garden décor rather than just weather vanes on the roof.

Weather vanes have ornamented buildings for thousands of years. They are available in several designs shaped like simple arrows, shapes of animals, birds, humans, crests, exotic figurines, or a combination of some of these. Roosters are the most commonly used designs for weather vanes. They have a very classic look and so they are generally used in movies for country, farm or barn scenes.

Rooster weather vanes can be made of copper, bronze, brass or steel. Rooster weather vanes are also designed in various models, sizes and breeds. Some vanes have additional arrows while in other vanes, the rooster itself indicates direction. Rooster weather vanes are also available in several models, such as deck or fence weather vanes, lawn weather vanes, roof top weather vanes, table top weather vanes, and more.

They are also provided with the other accessories like cupolas, mounting shafts, and roof mount bases. Modern rooster wind vanes are also mounted with an anemometer, a device for measuring the speed of the wind. They may also be connected to a remote reading station. They can be crafted as per requirements in terms of design, size, shape or the material used. Even today, weather vane artists are enjoying the opportunity to create new kinds of rooster weather vane forms in addition to recreating the old forms.

As you finish up the details on your lawn and garden décor and begin to furnish your porch, you have a few more major decisions to make to complete your design.  The elements that you include in your patio furniture will say a lot about you and your particular taste and style.  That brings up one major decision about which you have been wavering back and forth.  You know you want to put a rocker on your porch, but you aren’t sure if you want a standard outdoor rocking chair or outdoor glider chairs to complete your design.  Both are classic and have elements of beauty and nostalgia that can make for a very relaxing day spent overlooking your yard.

To make this choice, consider both closely.  The outdoor rocking chair is going to provide you with more of a traditional look with its rounded ends and smooth back and forth motion.  The outdoor rocking chair can be one that is simply designed, for comfort and ease of use.  With a high back, it can be a large portion of the design in your furniture.

On the other hand, consider the outdoor glider chairs on the market.  A variety of styles and sizes are available.  Instead of the larger motion of rocking back and forth, with these you slide slowly and low to the ground.  These gliders can be very helpful for those that are looking for something with less motion or a smoother movement.  The largest difference in these two is not so much the motion but the style that they are in.  A glider is a more modern look, rather than one of traditional style.  They may be a bit larger in size and heavier in their make up, but take up about the same amount of room.

When considering the options that you have in an outdoor rocker, do think about the other items in the area.  For example, you may have additional seating in planter benches.  Match the style of the rocker with the style of the other seating.  Alternatively, look towards other wooden elements in the space where the rocker will be placed.  Even wooden arbors are going to be important to consider in the type of wood, coloring, and style if you want everything to blend well.

The best way to determine the right type of outdoor rocker for your space is to select what works for your tastes, your budget and the space that you have.  Both options provide you with an excellent way to watch the sun set or the kids running in the yard.