Picnic Table
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Our first project of many to come!!! Thanks Ana for your website!
Our first project of many to come!!! Thanks Ana for your website!
Started off as the rustic farmhouse bed, but I couldn't help adding bits to it - dentil moulding, panels on the headboard and footboard.
I saw the plans for this project and decided I wanted to do something of the sort. I tweaked the plans a bit and made it longer and took out the drawer. My favorite part about it is Annie sloans chalk paint. Look into it, it's great stuff.
We were looking for a table with custom dimensions for our little office nook, but it was really hard to find. Most of them were very expensive, too. We decided to make our own table and share it with all of you as well. It's an easy project to do and minimum tools are required. You can also always use substitute tools as opposed to using the exact one we did in the project.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step one: Cut the Wood
You need to cut 4 (2 x 4's) pieces for the legs using a miter saw, or you can have The Home Depot or Lowes cut it for you. You can adjust your own measurements according to the plan above. The plan is according to our space. We drew it in Google Drawings, and you can get that idea and draw your own.
Step Two: Pocket Holes
Drill pocket holes in the legs using a Kreg Jig but if you don't have that tool it's okay too. Tou can use regular nails as well. I am in love with the Kreg Jig though, and I highly recommend the product to everyone as it makes your joints stronger.
Step 3: Put The Leg Together
Once you are done with making the joints, it's time to screw the legs together to make it like a frame. See the picture. It should look like a rectangular box. We also placed scrap wood in the middle just to give extra support to the table, so it will not go wobbly.
Step 4: Attach The Top
Now, since your legs are ready, it's time to attach the top onto the legs, which is also an easy process. You can attach them using a brad nailer or regular nails. We just happened to have those tools but you don't have to buy everything.
Step 5: Cut the lips
In the end, we placed lips or edges around the table to make it both more sturdy and prettier.
Step 6: Sand It
Now, since your table is ready, you need to sand it to paint or stain it. Sanding is a very important part. Otherwise, your paint won't adhere to the wood unless you are chalk painting. We used an electric sander but you can use any 120 grit sanding block from your local store. Just use your elbow grease to sand it nicely.
Step 7: Paint or Stain It
Paint it with whatever paint you would like We wanted to stain it so we used color stain to match with other furniture in the room. We are pretty happy with the project turned out. It saved us tons of money and looks nice in the room as well.
Hope you liked it and I would love to see your project using my plan. You can read the whole blog post in-depth on my blog. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Happy DIY'ing! Love,
Bushra
Entry Way Table with Slatted Bottom!
Mon, 07/24/2023 - 20:19
So perfect with the bottom shelf! Love this! Thank you so much for sharing a photo!
I used Ana's pattern, but modified it a bit to suit my needs and my materials. I used a large pallet I got for free from a local building supply company. My total cost was $8.00, which was for the hinges and the screws. I am so happy with it, and very grateful to Ana White for providing the plans!
Tue, 08/20/2019 - 14:54
Can you post some pics of the back/underside so I can see modifications better? I was hoping to do something just like this and wanted to get some inspiration for the backrest portion.
I got tired of the aluminum framed bunk beds in my kids room, and wanted to build something they can enjoy for years to come.
My 7 year old didn't have the luxury of one of our dogs jumping up on his bed, as he was on the top bunk, and my wife and I didn't interact with him as much as we would have liked during his reading time prior to bed.
Only one thing to do....build the boys some beds. Although they have a little less room in their bedroom, they have their own individual beds and storage nooks.
In an effort to reduce wasted space, I took a similar page out of birdsandsoap's book by hinging the footboard to create easy access to the void under the slats.
The head and footboards were 'tiled' by simply cutting 1x2 and 1x3 pieces and attaching them with wood glue.
Between the sanding, staining, and poly coats, it took about a week (on and off) to complete the set, but overall am very happy with the finished project.
Only 1 bed is included in the pics, as the other one is identical.
Wed, 01/08/2014 - 18:03
This looks super! The "tiled" wood design on the headboard and footboard looks awesome, love the finish too!
Thu, 01/09/2014 - 04:05
I was unsure exactly how I wanted to design and finish, so I just looked through tons of brags on here. I think they are very cool now that they are done, and my kids end up using the hinged footboard to gain access to build small forts.....
Thanks for the great feedback!
Handcrafted amish side table. Easy to do
I built this coffee table for my son's first apartment, along with the rustic X end table. It's a very sturdy table and the plans were easy to follow! It's so much fun being able to build my kids furniture!
This is my very first build ever! I learned so much from this project. I also bought my first power drill and brad nailer for this project. My husband helped me cut the wood pieces to my measurements and I did everything else. I never knew how fun woodworking can be!
Emily Mangiaracina
My husband built this for me because it cost as much for one pedestal as it did to build this. I got storage and height for both my washer and dryer for the price of one pedestal. My husband built it, We painted it and I stenciled it.
This was really a quick project. It's sized to fit a standard American girl doll. I tag-teamed with my mother to make a Christmas gift for my 4-year old daughter. I built the bed and she sewed the mattresses, reversible blankets, and pillows. My daughter loved them. My only regret was using plywood instead of backboard for the box springs. The plywood was too thick making it a tight squeeze to get the dolls in the bed with the pillows and mattresses.
I used the plans here and the hardware plans that are linked in the comments (with the 1-1/2 inch pulleys). In retrospect, it wasn't that hard, although I built it up to be so since I was doing so many things for the first time, including cutting and drilling metal. With the right blades and drill bits, it was a breeze. This took me a few months to actually finish, but if I were to do it again start to finish, I'd say one person could do it in 3-4 days. I got the reclaimed barnwood from a local salvage place. I used the tea/steel wool/vinegar stain for the top and regular paint for the body. Total cost was somewhere in the low $200's. I absolutely love it and am so grateful that a site like this exists! Thank you!!
Sat, 04/02/2016 - 16:02
You did an amazing job! It looks beautiful! Also love the dog wall!!! :))) Can you email me the instructions on how to make the hardware at [email protected] or post them?
Mon, 04/04/2016 - 07:12
Thank you! I followed the instructions found here:
http://thatsmyletter.blogspot.com/2014/10/s-is-for-sliding-door-console.html
I used a sawzall with a blade for metal to cut those pieces. I also found pulleys that had a removable pin that released the wheel, so I didn't have to cut those apart. Overall, the process was not terribly painful :)
This was our first project like this .. was last minute cost about $64 with lumber and screws , we already had the stain and paint .. only took 2 days ! I’m so happy !!! The only thing different I would do is put pocket holes in which we might add . Perfect project for a beginner !
Our favorite throne in town.
My daughter and I built the outhouse in the snow a few years ago. Once the TwoGa was named after the Stuga, the outhouse quickly became “The PooGa” (aka “The Ash-Hole “🤣). We use ash in the winter and sawdust in the summer, to keep away the stink, which works like a charm.
This is an adaptation to an Ana White outhouse design.
Fri, 08/04/2023 - 11:06
Love what you did here, the natural light and bright cheery interior, well done!
I had some scraps lying around, and it was just the right amount to do this soda crate caddy. The only change was using scrap 1x12 on the bottom instead of two 1x6's. I finished the whole thing in under 2 hours, including stain and the chalkboard front. I gave it to a friend as a thank you present for baby sitting my baby girl.
We built this master closet using the simple closet plan. It looks wonderful and wasn't too difficult to do once we determined the measurements we needed to use to fit our closet. My husband does not have much building experience at all, but he was able to do this with Ana's fabulous plans. Thank you so much for saving us hundreds of dollars! We have real wood in our closet and we love it!
We used plywood and painted all surfaces with indoor latex trim paint.
Sun, 01/12/2014 - 19:02
It looks very nice. May I ask what dimension of the plywood you used?
They look more than 3/4'' thick to me, right? My husband and I are planning our very first project!! Any info /advice would be highly appreciated.
I altered the design slightly by using pocket holes on the top and the bottom slats. I didn't want any of the screws to show since i was painting the base white. I used all purpose bondo to smooth the seams for a more finished look. This has been my favorite build so far and I can't wait for the matching end table to be released.
Sun, 12/08/2019 - 21:24
Awesome!
Ill get the side table plans posted in the next couple of days
Fri, 12/27/2019 - 11:13
That looks so good! ....and is exactly how I want to paint mine (stained wood top, white painted bottom). I have two questions-
1. Did you paint the base white after assembling it together (minus the table top piece) or did you paint it before assembly?
2. Did you bondo every gap, or were you referring to just the table top?
Again, it looks so great and now I really want to get going on making my own.
We have a lot of birthdays (5-6 year old range) this week so we decided to try some of these plans out. So much fun and they get easier each time :)
Comments
amandakerr86
Thu, 04/18/2013 - 04:25
Your table looks great! Love
Your table looks great! Love the color (University of Kentucky Wildcats fan here!) Just wondering about how much it costed to build? Would love to make one!