How to Build a Dinner Table

Do you enjoy having dinner with family and friends and want to build your own dinner table for your home? Building a simple wooden dinner table that's 6 feet long and 3 feet wide requires just a few carpentry tools, plywood, wood stain or paint, and hardware.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 2 6-foot-long pieces of 4-by-4 lumber
• 4 6-foot-long pieces of 2-by-4 lumber
• 3/4-inch high-quality smooth-finish plywood, 8 feet long by 4 feet wide
• Measuring tape
• Circular saw
• Sander
• Wood stain or paint
• 2 1/2-inch wood screws
• 1 1/2-inch wood screws
• Screwdriver

Cutting the Pieces for Your Table

1. Cut the two 6-foot-long 4-by-4s in half with the circular saw so you have four 3-foot-long pieces for the legs of your table.

2. Leave two 2-by-4s at 6 feet and cut one into two 2-foot-9-inch-long sections.

3. Cut the remaining 2-by-4 down to 5 feet 9 inches long.

4. Cut a 6-foot-long by 3-foot-wide piece from the plywood for the top of your table.

5. Sand all rough edges off the cut pieces. Apply your choice of wood stain or paint to them and allow to dry.

Assembling Your Dinner Table

1. Gather the five 2-by-4s for the frame of the table. Place the 6-foot sections on their edges on the floor parallel to each other 3 feet apart. Put both of the 2-foot-9-inch sections on their edges in between them to form a rectangle. Screw the frame together by driving two 2 1/2-inch screws through both ends of the longer sections into the shorter ones.

2. Lay the 5-foot-9-inch 2-by-4 on its edge inside the frame parallel to the 6-foot sides. Position it so that it is running through the center of the frame, serving as the support beam. Attach this piece to the rest of the frame by driving two 2 1/2-inch screws through both short ends of the frame into it.

3. Place the 6-foot by 3-foot piece of plywood over the frame and line it up. Drive 1 1/2-inch screws down through it every 6 inches all the way around the edges into the frame, including the center support beam.

4. Flip the completed portion of the table on its top. The four 3-foot pieces of 4-by-4 will be the table's leg. Sit one 4-by-4 on end against each inside corner of the rectangle and drive 2 1/2-inch screws through the frame into them. Use two screws on both sides of the frame that each leg touches.

5. Turn the table over on the legs. For extra stability, drive a 1 1/2-inch screw down through the top in all four corners into the end of each leg. Your table is now complete.