Inspired by the "what you last made thread" I want to make a Lazy Susan to use on a round garden table. Trouble is I don't know much about wood and woodworking.
All my googling just gets plans/shops with indoor ones. I want it to 'look' like real wood and be durable enough (once treated) to stay outside for long periods. It's going to be fairly large (about 500mm diameter) so not easy to store inside and it may end up in a shed for the winter which could be damp.
So what wood should I go for?
Outdoirs
Oak, teak or larch.
But not larch cos its soft for a tabletop.
Not teak because its naughty and forin
So....
Oak. Classy, timeless and requires no treatment.
What the **** is a lazy susan?
Also..
500mm diameter is not big. Like its really quite small. Are you sure thats right?
Simply Bearings have a good selection of turntables.
https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/Bearings-Lazy-Susans/c3_22/index.html?page=1
What the **** is a lazy susan?
A roundabout for food.
Malvern Rider - Obvious joke is obvious, I'll set them up, you knock them down 😀
Joshvegas - I read up on Oak before posting, but stopped where it referred to warping and splitting. Will decent treatment prevent that?
joshvegas - OK 500mm is not actually that big, but it suits the table size and would be too bulky to store in the kitchen cupboards we have hence the 'big' comment
joshvegas - What is a Lazy Susan? - It's a 'spinning tray' it will go in the middle of the table and reduce conversation along the lines of "can you pass the coleslaw" (or more likely "****!" as I knock my beer over when reaching across the table to get something)
Kayak23 - In my head I was going to do something with glass marbles, but they may be a good backup plan when the marbles idea fails 😉
Oak. Classy, timeless and requires no treatment.
The first two are true but the latter is questionable. Gonna be pretty tricky to find something that won't warp and at least start to look a bit tarnished. A few coats of teak oil (tung if you're really bothered about food-safeness) will see you right.
I'd have a look on eBay/Gumtree/Facebook marketplace for someone local getting rid of an offcut of hardwood worktop. Then oil it to hell. I picked up a couple of offcuts of iroko worktop a few years ago, and I've just made a really nice standing desk top and a board for making bread in the garage (where I don't have to clean up the flour so carefully). Something nice and thick and heavy.
Borrow a decent 1/2" router with a straight cutting bit and rig a jig to cut a circle (bit of ply screwed to the router base with a screw to pivot around at the right radius. Several passes cutting a bit at a time. Go over the edges with a round-over bit if available.
I really like the marble idea! A steel bearing will rust, but you could make races really easily while you've got the router and circle jig, with a round ended bit. The weight of the board should keep it all together if it's nice thick dense hardwood.
Off you go now, come back when you've got pics 😉
thenorthwind - Bay/Gumtree/Facebook marketplace for someone local getting rid of an offcut of hardwood worktop. Then oil it to hell.
Like that idea! It answers the next question I had about where to buy the wood 🙂
thenorthwind - I really like the marble idea! A steel bearing will rust, but you could make races really easily while you’ve got the router and circle jig, with a round ended bit. The weight of the board should keep it all together if it’s nice thick dense hardwood.
I was pleased with that idea myself. The rusting steel/bearings started the idea. I guess it will be a bit of a rustic bearing feel for my engineering head, but that could be part of the charm/learning curve 🙂
you knock them down
i keep trying to knock it down but it keeps springing back up again
A steel bearing will rust, but you could make races really easily while you’ve got the router and circle jig,
marbles wouldn’t rust
not as characterful as wood but as something to route smooth channels for the bearings.... you can get Exterior Grade MDF (not that widely available and pretty expensive mind - this is the grey tinted exterior grade not the more common green tinted moisture resistant grade) which is weather proof even when unpainted and would make more functional bearing surfaces that stay flat then may sit a more decorative wood platter over the top which won’t disrupt the bearing action if it warps or cracks a bit
I always wonder who the original Susan was.
"We've made a dining thing for you, where all the food you need comes right to your nose"
"amazing, what have you called it?"
"erm...."
For the bearings, first thing that comes to mind is a bottom bracket, weirdly
Is Walnut likely to be any good?
I have found an off-cut on eBay that looks very nice and is about the right size. It has some dabs/smears of glue on it and two knots. I think the glue will 'sand' out. The knots may add to the character.... maybe filled with resin and then sanded flat to keep most of the character, but weatherproof
I always wonder who the original Susan was.
Likewise. Also, the original Betty.
The outdoor MDF is called Tricoya Extreme , perfect for outdoors like soffits and cladding - it costs a bit but is unbeatable for outdoor jobs - 25 years underground - 50 years above ground , just does not look like wood - so maybe look for stable durable oily wood and look after it.
For the bearings, first thing that comes to mind is a bottom bracket, weirdly
Or an old wheel. I made a clamp carousel for my growing clamp collection out of an old fatbike wheel. Could be used for a lazy Susan with a bit of imagination.
It makes a lovely pleasing click as it rotates too though it only rotates one way obvs. 😃
Are you anywhere near Norfolk? Unfortunately I’ve generated quite a few off cuts of oak this week, most about 600x150-200x20mm. Biscuit a few together, cut into a circle and you’ll be grand.Free to a good home!
sandboy
Are you anywhere near Norfolk? Unfortunately I’ve generated quite a few off cuts of oak this week, most about 600×150-200x20mm. Biscuit a few together, cut into a circle and you’ll be grand.Free to a good home!
Sadly not, but if the Walnut proves not to be suitable I would be happy to pay postage/beer-tokens/charity-donation for some Oak Offcuts 🙂
I want wood; what do I need?
I will trade you for 3 wheat
OP, I’ll keep an eye on this thread and if you don’t get the walnut I’m sure we ca sort something out.
@ Kayak.
Nice storage for them, all ive got is a box 🙁
Even nicer workshop. 😀
If it’s an outside table, has it got a hole for a parasol in the middle? Mount the board on a pole, thread through the whole into a parasol base and it will spin in that!
Another option instead of marbles is to use the rings that a microwave plate runs on as a bearing.
Or an old wheel
A 29” one really makes the food come alive.
@sandboy The Walnut was much smaller than I thought (measurements in cm's not inches as I originally thought). I bought it anyway as I wondered if I could make the centre out of Walnut surrounded by Oak (may be a skill test too far, but it was only £11 so not a huge risk).
So on the basis of ;
OP, I’ll keep an eye on this thread and if you don’t get the walnut I’m sure we ca sort something out.
Can you have a think about what you want for some of your offcuts?
PM me if you prefer 🙂
Thanks
OP, PM’d you.
Accoya. Fantastic modified timber. Same properties as trycoya but is modified pine
OP, PM’d you.
I tried to reply, but the messages do not seem to be sending correctly so I sent an email to the address you shared on a PM. It might end up in your spam/Junk folder though as its from a webmail domain that gets blacklisted occasionally.