ADA-compliant Picnic Tables

Attached to this Instructable are

• 3D full scale model of the picnic table, both in shareable open format "ADA Compliant Picnic Table.dae" and in SketchUp format "ADA Compliant Picnic Table.skp". The file can also be downloaded from the Google 3D Warehouse listing.
• The table plans and basic materials list "Picnic Bench Plans.pdf" with a QR-code that links back to this Instructable.
• Assembly instructions "Table Assembly Steps.pdf" with relevant measurements labeled.

Anyone seeking to modify the design will find the 3D files very useful for recalculating measurements. A two-sided handout of "Picnic Bench Plans.pdf" and "Assembly Steps.pdf" can be given to table assembly teams to guide table building.

Budget $400 per table. Actual cost was ~$350 per table for the builds in 2011 and 2012. If you are using these plans to make a single table for your home, keep in mind the table's sheer weight of ~300 lbs. The weight can be reduced by using shorter 2x12's (also shorten the 2x4's and recalculate their angles). Alternately, try different lumber, perhaps non-treated. At your store, collect lumber and lift for weight estimate.

The materials for a single table are:

• 5_pieces [ 2" x 12" ] by 10' treated wood
• 2_pcs [ 2" x 6" ] by 12' treated wood
• 1_pcs [ 2" x 6" ] by 10' treated wood
• 1_pcs [ 2" x 4" ] by 8' treated wood
• 16_pcs ¹/₂" x 3¹/₂" stainless steel carriage bolt, with nuts and washers
• 1 lb. 16 penny galvanized nails (~50_pcs)*
• ¹/₃lb. 9 penny galvanized nails (~35_pcs)*
• ¹/₂ gal floor enamel paint**

*FKLP used spiral-shank stainless steel nails.
**FKLP used different paint and quantities from listed in the schematic-materials (primer and top coat instead of 1/2gal floor enamel paint).

Prep-day tools for a large-volunteer program (3 saw-stations, 2 sanding-stations and 1 paint-station):

• 4 20' x 20' shade / rain tents
• Tarps for ground cover at paint spray area
• Extra tarps for wind block, if necessary
• Lots of extension cords
• 3+ power bars with internal breaker switches
• 15+ Saw Horses
• Three 24" x 16' work platforms to set up saw stations
• Sliding Miter Saw
• 3 Miter Saws
• Scrap 2 x _X_ boards for rests and board stops
• Many 3" deck screws to secure saws and stops
• 3 pliers for pulling staples from lumber
• 2 wheel barrows
• 2 belt sanders
• ~10 sander belts, ~80-grit
• Paint sprayer**
• Air compressor**
• Paint-operator safety equipment (goggles**, respirator**, disposable clothes)
• Paint sprayer cleanup equipment**
• Four sturdy poles, ~10' long to carry wet parts
• Stacking spacers for wet parts, ~20_pcs per table
• Work gloves
• Safety Glasses
• Cold water

**FKLP used a primer and top coat instead of 1/2gal floor enamel paint.

Assembly day tools (2 jig-stations, 4 table assembly-stations and 1 paint station):

• 3+ 20' x 20' shade / rain tents
• Tarps for ground cover at paint spray area
• Extra tarps for wind block, if necessary
• lots of extension cords
• 3+ power bars with internal breaker switches
• Custom trestle assembly jig***
• 6 Drills
• 10+ ¹/₈" drill bits
• 2 ¹/₂" spade-drill bits
• 2+ Socket wrenches for ³/₄" nut and bolt
• 20+ Saw horses
• 8+ 20oz hammers
• 4+ Nail punches for 16d nails
• 4+ Tape measures
• 4+ Carpenter squares
• 4+ Pencils
• Paint sprayer**
• Air compressor**
• Paint-operator safety equipment (goggles**, respirator**, disposable clothes)
• Paint sprayer cleanup equipment**
• Four sturdy poles, ~10' long to carry wet tables
• Scrap 2x6 boards to place under wet table feet
• Work gloves
• Safety glasses
• Cold water

**FKLP used a primer and top coat instead of 1/2gal floor enamel paint.
***The custom assembly jig is explained in the following step.

• 4' x 8' sheet of ³/₄" plywood
• 10_pcs stop-blocks made from leftover sections of 2" x 6" in 3" lengths
• 6_pcs  angle-blocks made from leftover sections of 2" x 4" cut in 45^o triangles
• 12_pcs 3¹/₂" deck screws
• 6_pcs 2" deck screws

• 48" Framing square
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Miter saw
• Drill
• ¹/₈" drill bit
• 2" Hole saw
• Phillips-head screw drill-bit
• Drum-sander drill attachment

1. Mark the long-side midpoints.
2. Connect the marks, making the mid-line, running across the plywood.
3. Measure 15 ¹/₂" up the mid-line and draw a line extending 31" (62" total) in both directions, the top edge of the seat-support.
4. Measure 27 ¹/₂" up the mid-line and draw a line extending 17" (34" total) in both directions, the top edge of the table-support.
5. From the right end of the table-support line, measure inwards 7" and make mark #1.
6. From the right end of the table-support line, drop a line straight down to the seat-support line (12" down) and make mark #2.
7. Draw a straight line connecting marks #1 and #2, continue to the bottom edge of the plywood. This is the right leg's outside edge.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 on the left end of the table-support line, outlining the left leg.

• 3 volunteers
• Set up the Sliding Miter Saw with a stop 10' further down work surface. Sliding saw is necessary to cut 12" width.
• Trim the leading edge of the 2 x 12 and then to the full 10'.
• Volunteers should watch for good seat boards, smooth faces and free of knots and stack separately for bevel crew.

• 2 volunteers
• Set up two Miter Saws, 9' 7" apart.  Set both blades to a 45º outward angle. (Outward = leading saw +45º. trailing saw -45º, see saw setup and figure for beveled corners).
• Set or mark stops 2 ¹/₂" outside of each blade.
• 2 x 12 boards will fit between stops snug, allowing the two corners by saws to be trimmed off- forming a table side board.
• Flip 2 x 12 boards to cut the remaining two corners forming a seat board.
• Volunteers should keep track of seat, side and middle board quantities, ensuring correct # of parts per table.
• Supports from #3 and #4 can be individually beveled as become available.
• Finished parts sent to sanding on all cut edges

•   1 volunteer
•   Set up a saw with a 34" stop further down work surface.
•   Trim the leading edge of the 2 x 6 x 10' and then three support's to full 34" length.
•   Send all supports to #2 Saw Station

• 2 volunteers
• Set up a saw with a 62" stop further down work surface.
• Trim the leading edge of the 2 x 6 x 12' and then the support's full 62" length.
• Send support to #2 Saw Station
• Send remaining board to #5 Saw Station

• 1 volunteer
• Set up a saw with a 30^o angle.
• Trim a ~ 6" long piece from scrap 2 x 6 to make a 30º stop.
• Set the stop 31⁷/₈" further down the work surface. The 30º will butt against incoming, angled boards flush (see saw setup and figure for angled cuts).
• With the leftover 2 x 6 from #3 Saw Station, cut two legs to length.
• After all legs are cut, cut a small "toe" off each leg on the ground-face (saw to 0º and stop ⁵/₈").
• Send finished parts for priming, no sanding

• 1 volunteer
• Set up a saw with a 21º angle.
• Trim a ~ 6" long piece from scrap 2 x 4 to make a 21º stop.
• Set the stop 39 ¹/₄" further down the work surface. The 21º will butt against incoming, angled boards flush (see saw setup and figure for angled cuts).
• Cut two braces from a 2 x 4 x 8'.
• Send parts straight to priming, no sanding

Assembly day gets started at 7:30, setting up tents and dividing the stack of primed wood. Two 20' x 20' sun-shade tents side by side provides space for two trestle teams and four table teams. Separate the painting tent far enough to isolate the paint spray. Lay tarps down on the ground to protect the area from paint.

Each team is ~4 people with a designated foreman. Foremen are picked by the organization prior to the build date. When volunteers arrive, have sign in sheets for each team with foreman listed as the first name. Volunteers sign their names in available spots, thus assigning themselves to a team & foreman.

Trestle teams get started early assembling. Two volunteers use the jigs to align and nail the trestles together. Two volunteers drill the bolt holes using the ¹/₂" spade bits. Place scrap wood under the trestle to avoid breaking out the bottom face as the drill bit comes through. The remaining four volunteers insert and tighten the carriage bolts. Nuts and washers go on support face sides, not leg faces.

Tables teams follow these assembly steps:

1. Attach middle board to 34" table support, center on center. Use ¹/₈" drill bit to set nail holes. Use nail sets to avoid marring table surface. Ensure all boards snugly fit against each other.
2. Turn assembly upside down and attach 2 x 4 braces. Braces should be offset around the support middle.
3. Attach trestles to braces, same offsets. Legs go on outside.
4. Turn assembly right side up, onto trestles. Square trestle to table top. Check that clearance depth is > 19"! Attach to middle board.
5. Attach the two table side-boards. These should overlap the support ends by 1".
6. Attache the two seats. These should also overlap the supports by 1".
7. Carry finished tables to painters, or staging area for painters. Four volunteers lift the table, a volunteer at each corner.

The painting team applies the top coat and moves completed tables to the drying area. Four people pass long poles under the seats of painted tables to lift and carry the wet tables to the drying area. Additional volunteers position scrap wood under each foot, directing where to set the table down. Allow at least one day for paint to cure before moving.

• The first table is usually complete in ~1hr,  the second table in ~1/2 hour and subsequent tables in ~20 min.  Once the volunteers understand the steps and their team, the work will go very fast.  Thus, ~3 tables is a good quota per team, leaving time for setup, instruction and cleanup.

• Forethought for volunteer safety & comfort will go a long way towards a better build.  Safety should be a priority.  Comfort is also very important- exhausted volunteers are prone to bad decisions and injury.  For example, tents not only help with sun-burn, but reduce heat exhaustion and headaches from eye-glare.  FKLP could never provide too much ice water.  Anyone working or assisting with painting is likely to ruin their apparel.  Plan ahead to avoiding frustration / anger.

• Finishing by lunch, and providing lunch, goes a VERY long way towards a happy project.  Making the tables is one goal, but enjoying the community and social nature of the project is perhaps more important.  Tired, hungry volunteers are not fun; they are a mob with power tools...

• Be prepared to juggle setups and work flows.  Any large build will encounter problems. Have a work-site coordinator who floats and addresses these problems.  The coordinator should brief foreman and manage the team sign in.  A coordinator watches for bottlenecks in the workflow and shifts volunteers as necessary.  Ensure no one is stuck waiting for work, something volunteers have little patience for.

• Pay attention to people with professional/practical experience.  Many volunteers will gravitate towards projects that overlap their skill sets.  Often very knowledgeable people will introduce themselves for the first time on build days.

• Issue two PR releases to gather volunteers.  A general announcement ~1 month in advance, followed by a nice write-up ~3 days in advance.

• Use the prep day as a "shakedown".  Volunteer turn out will be less, if it seems too small, get aggressive with recruiting for assembly day.  Take note of any tools missing or in short supply and ensure sufficient amounts for assembly day.

• Use power-bars with built in breaker-switches for branching electricity if wall-outlet connections are limited.  Running multiple power tools off a single outlet will not trip the current limiter often. Most tools will not be simultaneously in use.  However, current faults will happen and it is a shorter walk to the center of a work area than all the way to the building breakers.

1. parking,
2. path to the table,
3. placement surface with space to back away from the table and move around the table