Custom Outdoor Glow Table / Vent Cover

I decided to build an outdoor table to hide a vent and the power supply to my hot tub. I've used acacia wood which has good rot resistance, an aluminum patterned screen to allow venting, and created a custom table top made from epoxy resin with a geometric maple leaf inlay. I decided to use a glow powder in the fist pour of the resin. It is white in color during the day and will charge from the sunlight and have an aqua glow at night. For an extra charge of light I've installed a rechargeable waterproof power bank with UV twinkle lights that operate off of a remote.

MATERIALS

(2) Handrail - Acacia - 1.5''' x 2.5'' x 10'

Decorative Aluminum Sheet 24" x 36"

Ecopoxy Flowcast Epoxy Resin

(3) Stardust Micas Blue Algae Glow Powder 36 gr jar

Ecopoxy UVPoxy

OSMO UV-Protection-Oil

(4) 4"x4" L-Brackets

(1) 3"x5" L-Bracket

(4) 2" Stainless Steel Straight Braces

10,050mAh Power Bank, 2.1A USB Portable Charger [Water/Shock/Dust Proof]

40ft LED UV Black Light, USB, IP65 Waterproof

(4) 1.50-Inch Diameter Rubber Feet

(4) 0.59-Inch Diameter Rubber Feet

Titebond II Dark Wood Glue

Clear Exterior Waterproof Silicone

TOOLS

(3) 36" Dubuque Aluminum Bar Clamps

13IN. Helical Plane 2 Speeds Craftex CX13H

The Dust Deputy Cyclone Oneida

Table saw

DeWalt dw611 router

Milescraft 1219 Circle Jig for Routers

Veritas Table for Compact Routers

Orbital Sander

Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig

Drill/Driver

Makers Reuseable Mold 21.5" Round Mold

Staple Gun

All dimensions were made to fit the table to cover the vent and the electrical disconnect box for the hot tub. The Acacia handrail wood was cut for 9 18.5" pieces. As the handrail isn't perfectly square, the pieces were squared on the table saw. The 9 pieces were glued together using Titebond Dark Wood Glue and the Dubuque Aluminum Bar Clamps. This wasn't perfectly flat, so the piece was ripped down the middle and flattened on the 13" Helical planer hooked up to the Dust Deputy and a shop vac in order to minimize shavings and dust. The 2 pieces were then glued back together.

The router and circle jig were used to route 2 circles, the outer at 18" and the inner at 16" using several passes at deeper depths, but did not route through the full depth of the board. The piece was then ripped down the middle in the same spot as before, and cut using a jigsaw, and then sanded.

The 21.5" Round Mold was partitioned off with a 2"x4" covered in tuck tape to prevent the epoxy resin from sticking. a thin bead of silicone was used around all edges of the mold to prevent leaking. 30 oz. of flowcast resin was mixed with 1.5 jars (54 grams) of Stardust Micas Blue Algae Glow Powder. This was trial and error, after mixing the glow powder in the epoxy resin, I shined a UV flashlight on the mixture for 2 minutes and turned the lights out to test the glow of the mixture. For this pour I mixed another 20 oz. of epoxy resin with 1 jar (36 grams) of Glow powder. I placed the geometric maple leaf in the mixture, which was just higher than the resin level. I held the maple leaf in place with a couple of mixing sticks, and let it cure for less than 2 days. The resin was still tacky, then I poured the 2nd layer which was clear of approximately another 50 oz. This created a sort of floating effect for the maple leaf. (Note: if the resin is no longer tacky, the first layer would have to be lightly sanded for the second layer to adhere.)

I sanded the piece as I planned on using a topcoat of UVPoxy which will help prevent yellowing of the epoxy resin over time. I also added a nice edge all around, top and bottom, using a Roundover 1/4" bit in the router. I found it much easier to route, installing the hand router in a Veritas Table for Compact Routers. This was a great addition to my tools given the limited amount of space that I have. The piece was then coated with UVPoxy and cured for about a week.

I used the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig to drill 2 holes in each side of the round bases. Two 28.5" pieces of acacia wood were cut for the outer posts of the base. A 25.5" piece was cut for the middle post and 2 pocket holes dilled on each end of the middle post. When joining the second post to the bottom base, i heard cracking of the wood and immediately stopped, as the wood started to split on the grain of the curved base. I removed the screws and used Titebond Dark Wood glue to conceal the crack. I then filled all the holes on the curved base with Titebond dark and sawdust from the cyclone dust collector. I routed the curved bases, the outer edges of the outer posts and both outside edges of the middle post with a Roman Ogee 5/32" bit in the router. All pieces were treated with OSMO UV-Protection-Oil.

The workaround to the cracked piece was using L- Brackets. I used (4) 4"x4" L-Brackets to secure the round bases to the outer posts. The inner post was secured using Kreg Screws as originally intended. I also added strength to the round bases by attaching (4) 2" Stainless Steel Straight Braces on the inside to the outer posts; these will remain hidden. I added 4 small rubber feet to the middle screw while attaching the L-Brackets to prevent scratching as this table will rest against a brick wall. I then added (4) 1.50-Inch Diameter Rubber Feet to the bottom of the base.

A 24" x 36" Decorative Aluminum Sheet was installed with staples to the inside o the table base. The width was perfect, and a small piece was trimmed off the length using regular household scissors.

A  3"x5" L-Bracket was attached to the inner post to hold the power bank. The waterproof power bank was attached to this bracket using 2 Velcro strips. Screws were attached every few inches along the curved bases and inner posts, and a 40 string of waterproof UV Black lights was attached, weaving along the top and close to the screen to prevent entanglement with the vent that sticks out.

Since the base is coated with an outdoor wood oil, I applied a coat of Zinsser Bulls Eye Sealcoat Shellac Base Universal Sanding Sealer on the top of the wooden base so that silicone would adhere to it. I noticed that because I attached L brackets to secure the outer posts to the upper curved piece, the rear (straight section) of the table top rested slightly higher than the front. To fix this I attached a single small round clear silicone pad to front of the curved section to level out the top (if you look closely you can see it below the maple leaf in the 2nd picture). A bead of clear silicone was then used to conceal the gap and attach the table top to the base.

Occasionally in the Toronto area of Canada we get strong winds (strong enough to blow over and damage my BBQ a couple of years ago) so I decided to secure the table to the wall. I attached eye screws to the table base and attached thin wire cable rings to them. I attached hook screws to the brick wall and hooked the cable rings on these to secure the table to the wall.

I like how this project turned out despite a hiccup along the way. I think it's a nice improvement over the unsightly vent that was protruding out of the deck.