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Fancy Picnic Table - Definately worth the extra little effort!

Submitted by mlmerrel on Wed, 06/20/2012 - 10:30

Needed a table for our deck, but didn't want to spend the $400-500 on sets at the store. Followed the plan for the most part and it was fairly easy to build. The only thing I did differently was in building the ends was put the "X" supports in after making the "I" shape in case I was off with my cuts.

Spent an hour cutting all the pieces on a Friday night and about 3 hours assembling Saturday morning. Table was ready to eat lunch on!

Built from Plan(s)
Fancy X Farmhouse Table
Estimated Cost
$90 (thanks to the Veteran discount at Lowe's)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None, yet... plan to stain at the end of the summer once the wood dries out.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mlmerrel

Thu, 07/05/2012 - 12:05

I did not use a Kreg jig because i dont havd one and I didn't try to hide my screws. I did pre-drill all my holes so that I didn't split any boards... and my dad is a carpenter so he helped me attach the 2 cross pieces (which is the only part I had trouble with) to the ends, which we did by just angling the screws in. I will try to take a few more detailed pics in the next few days so you can get a better idea of how I did it.

I Rub (not verified)

Mon, 07/02/2012 - 03:37

Hi, great build !
Could you please explain how and from where did you screw the curved pieces at the bases ?
same question for the table top boards ?

Thank you!

mlmerrel

Thu, 07/05/2012 - 12:03

If you look at the first drawing I have attached it will show you where to screw the curved pieces in. I screwed through the 1 x 4 to attach the smaller curved piece. Then I would screw through the larger curved piece into the smaller curved piece to attach it.

The table top pieces I screwed in from the top into the side pieces that you build first. I used 2 screws per board per side. The 2 boards in the middle should have screws at least 2 inches in from each side. The 2 boards on the end will have one set of screws 2 inches from the side that is next to the boards in the middle. The second set of screws will end up in about the middle of the outside boards. I'm going to attach another drawing to explain. Let me know if this helps.

I Rub

Mon, 07/09/2012 - 11:22

I plan on building the table this week, will use your advice. Much appreciated.

Gus (not verified)

Sun, 07/15/2012 - 16:20

Thank you for posting this. I started the project yesterday and I started with putting the cross braces on first and it did not turn out leveled. I thought that I would try to put it together first and then add the cross braces but was scared if it would hold. Thanks to your post I feel more confidant about it. I am going to make a run to the big box store and start over. Its okay because this is my very first build and I am just happy with my first 45 degree cut with my new circular saw ;) I guess its a learning process.

Thanks again for your post,
Gus