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Fancy X Farmhouse Table

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Submitted by Ana White on Thu, 05/23/2019 - 11:19
Difficulty
Intermediate
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Build the Fancy X Farmhouse Table from 2x4s and lumber for $65.  A reader favorite, this table has been built thousands of times.  

We also have plans for a matching bench and lots more farmhouse furniture plans.

dark wood stained farmhouse table with X legs and cross bracing
side view of farmhouse table with cross bracing

 

 

Whitney from Shanty2Chic and I teamed up to help you get that designer look without the price tag! 

 

 

Whitney has a family of seven, and wanted to build a sturdy and strong farmhouse table with a little bit of fancy to it to dine on outdoors this summer.

This is my very favorite build yet! I have been in serious need for an outdoor table to seat my family of 7. When we stumbled upon a beautiful, long farmhouse table from Anthropologie, I knew it was love at first sight. Everything was perfect about it... Except that $2,000 price tag... Ouch. That hurts to even write. But... I knew who to call to help me make my own at a very small fraction of that cost! This baby only cost me $65!

Head over to visit Whitney at Shanty2Chic to get all the details, lots more photos, and a peek at her construction process!

 

Thanks Whitney!!!

 

Dimensions
dimensions diagram of farmhouse table with X bracing
Dimensions are shown above.

Preparation

Shopping List

4 – 2x10 @ 8 feet long

7 – 2x4 @ 8 feet long

1 – 1x4 @ 12 feet long

3” self tapping wood screws 

2 ½” pocket hole screws

2” finish nails

Cut List

ENDS

  • 8 – 2x4 @ 11 3/8” (ends cut at 45 degrees off square, longest point measurement, NOT parallel)
  • 4 – 2x4 @ 20”
  • 4 – 1x4 @ 28 3/8” **
  • 8 – 2x4 @ 32 5/8” CUT TO FIT **
  • 4 – 1x4 @ 3 ½”

 

MAIN TABLE

2 – 2x4 @ 65”

2 – 2x4 @ 30 3/8” (both ends cut parallel at 45 degrees off square)

4 – 2x10 @ 96”

 

** For 45 degree cut tops and bottoms (easier) on the legs top and bottom (see steps 3-5 and step 10), replace these cuts with:

4 - 2x4 @ 31" (both ends cut at 45 degrees off square NOT parallel long point measurement)

4 - 2x4 @ 34" (both ends cut at 45 degrees off square NOT parallel long point measurement)

General Instructions

Please read through the entire plan and all comments before beginning this project. It is also advisable to review the Getting Started Section. Take all necessary precautions to build safely and smartly. Work on a clean level surface, free of imperfections or debris. Always use straight boards. Check for square after each step. Always predrill holes before attaching with screws. Use glue with finish nails for a stronger hold. Wipe excess glue off bare wood for stained projects, as dried glue will not take stain. Be safe, have fun, and ask for help if you need it. Good luck!

Instructions

Step 1

Build four of these. I’d simply countersink screws from the backs into the ends of the cross braces using 2-1/2" self tapping wood screws

Step 2

Then just attach two of the leg pieces together with glue and 2” finish nails from each side

Step 3

And add the top/bottom. You can use 2” screws or nails here and glue.

Step 4

And then add the curved pieces. The ends may be a challenge – what I do is first cut a 2x4 32 5/8” long with both ends cut at 30 degrees off square, ends not parallel. Then make a second cut at 45 (or more if your saw cuts higher degree bevels) degrees off square and cut that same board 28 3/8”  short point to short point. 

Step 5

Repeat for the next layer of 2xs to build up your leg ends

Step 6

Followed by the little feet ...

Step 7

I'd recommend 1 1/2" PHs and 2 1/2" PH screws here ... hide on top and bottom edges

Step 8

The easiest way to attach cross braces is with pocket holes.  But you will have to fill later with wood filler.

An alternative is to glue and screw through the cross brace into the top and bottom 2x4s with longer screws.

Step 9

And finally the top! I recommend building the tabletop first with pocket holes and then attaching.

If you are using the table outdoors, leave a little space between the boards for water drainage.

Step 10

And for the alternate ends like Whitney did - just use 45 degrees off square cuts.

Step 11

For more photos and construction details, please stop over and visit Whitney at Shanty2Chic!

Finishing Instructions
Preparation Instructions
Fill all holes with wood filler and let dry. Apply additional coats of wood filler as needed. When wood filler is completely dry, sand the project in the direction of the wood grain with 120 grit sandpaper. Vacuum sanded project to remove sanding residue. Remove all sanding residue on work surfaces as well. Wipe project clean with damp cloth.

It is always recommended to apply a test coat on a hidden area or scrap piece to ensure color evenness and adhesion. Use primer or wood conditioner as needed.
Help Improve This Plan

We apologize if there was an error in this plan. Please help us out and report any errors here.

Project Type
Table Plans
Dining Table Plans
Room
dining room
Style
Farmhouse Furniture

Comments

mommywoodgo

Wed, 07/30/2014 - 06:50

ok...Im not sure why an administrator has NOT addressed this issue (i mean its kinda an important step:)
so what i did was add (2) 2x4 flat between the 2 legs flush with the top of the legs (i placed them towards the outer edge of the legs)..... i attached the 2x4's with 2 pocket screws at either end....Place your top upside down on the floor and set your "base" where you want it, then screw thru the added 2x4 into the top (counter sink your screws)......hope this helps all of you who DONT want to see the tops of screws as you're eating dinner on your beautiful new table :)

ps. you can modify this by adding just 1 2x4 in between the two legs (centered)

Drebin

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 14:12

I'm in the Pacific Northwest and most lumber around here is Hemlock or Douglas Fir.  I think they just mix it and call it Hem Fir at Home Depot. 

Drebin

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 14:10

 
 
 
 

Hi.  I have a question regarding attaching the 65" cross beams between the two legs.  Above, it said: 

Step 7 Instructions: 

I'd recommend 1 1/2" PHs and 2 1/2" PH screws here ... hide on top and bottom edges

 

Does this mean you stacked the pocket holes, one atop the other, on the 2" (1.5) side of the 2x4 so the holes would be hidden by the table top?  If that's the case, I had no idea I could do that with the Kreg.  

Or did you mean to put a 1 1/2" pocket hole on the bottom edge and a 2 1/2" pocket hole on the top edge, or vice versa?  If that's the case, why the difference in the two hole depths?

Thanks,

Drebin

Dan in RI

Tue, 11/04/2014 - 10:49

Drebin

A 1 1/2" pocket hole depth would be the appropriate depth for a 2 1/2" PH screw, in general. That way it's penetrating 1" into the other piece of wood...I considered your idea (that is, 1 hole up top and one on the bottom) but instead used wood pocket hole plugs, glue and filler to hide the holes and they are virtually invisible. Good luck.

Keden

Tue, 01/20/2015 - 13:44

Having trouble finding the dimensions for the wood. I can find them in Douglas Fir but don't want to use Fir. From AZ does anyone know of a good lumber store besides lowes and Home Depot?

monalogy

Tue, 01/20/2015 - 16:46

Hi there,

I'm hoping to make a table that can accomodate 10 (4 on each side and 1 on each end). When researching dimensions for comfortable seating, 9-10ft seems like the magic range.. I was wondering if anyone had plans for a larger table or can i just adjust the table top length and keep everything the same? would this create a balance or make it wobble?

thanks so much!

brandihessenius

Wed, 02/04/2015 - 10:30

These plans were so easy! I made the table 7' and changed up some other things because they worked best for me. I'm in a "build to learn" phase (not sure that will ever end.) I'm a beginner. My favorite part about this project is the confidence I gained upon completion. I questioned every thing I did during this project - and it's my fifth Ana White build, but in the end it was all small stuff I was sweating and it turned out incredible! If I can give ONE piece of advice about this build, it would be this, have faith that you can do this. If you can't see on the plan where they screw 'this' or how 'that' is attached, or whatever, trust that you can probably figure it out on your own. You're playing with power tools! You can figure out how to attach a table top. If you're thinking to yourself "geez, I could probably do it this way too" You're right, you probably can.

But since I can give more than one piece of advice, here are some things I learned along the way.

A. The Table Top. This is the one thing I that was questioned the most in the comments. And in the end I decided I'd figure it out on my own. Since this was a gift, one that I was traveling four hours to give to my best friend, I waited to stain and attach the top until I got to their house. It would not have fit in my truck bed assembled. I presented my recipients with three options for attaching the top. 1. Whitney over on Shanty2Chic responded to a comment and said she just screwed through the top and filled the holes with wood filler. I had a taken stainable wood filler but I was concerned if they ever needed to remove the top for transport. It was 7' long by the way. 2. We could go purchase some more decorative screws and screw through the top with the intention of the screw heads showing. 3. We could use L brackets from the bottom of the table. I saw another blogger do this. We decided on the L brackets. We had to spray paint them black because silver looked to industrial and black went with the feel of the table.

B. I shortened the table to 7' because of the space in their home. I was worried about the cross braces not looking right but as you can see, it turned out great.

C. I plan on making this again for my back patio - just as Whitney did at Shanty2Chic - and I think I'll replace the 2 upright 2x4's with one 4x4's for the X bases and just screw the 2x4's in from the front. Also, I'll probably replace the angled pieces with one 2 x 4 as opposed to lining up 2 - 2 x 4 angles.

D. This is a no brainer for me because I want to know other peoples experiences, I ALWAYS read the comments. I like to read the issues other people may have encountered as well as read other bloggers' posts on the projects. It takes a lot of the edge off when I head into a project and I know where I can find an answer. She says to do this in every plan and I think it's worth taking the time to do so!

Thanks!!!

www.houseofhessenius.com