- You will need some pine or treated cedar boards to make your picnic table. Purchase 10 6-foot 2-by-4 studs and four 6-foot 1-by-8-inch boards. While you're at the hardware store, get two pounds of 2 1/2-inch deck screws and some carpenter's wood glue. Also make sure you have a table or hand saw, some large C-clamps, a drill with a screwdriver and wood-boring bit and a protractor or a mitre box.
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Wooden picnic table plansClick on the picnic table plans and assembly diagram included with this article. Print them out, then keep them nearby. Cut down the 2-by-4 studs as indicated in the plans. Place all of the parts on a clean, hard work surface. -
Picnic table assembly diagramArrange the A-frame pieces as shown in the assembly diagram. Drill two pilot holes for each joint using a drill with a wood-boring bit. Apply carpenter's glue where the studs join. Screw the deck screws through the pilot holes.
Drill two evenly spaced pilot holes through the center of each of the the four tabletop boards. Lay the tabletop boards alongside one another on top of the center tabletop brace. The center tabletop brace should be perpendicular to the tabletop boards, directly underneath the pilot holes. Support the ends of the tabletop boards with scrap studs. Attach the tabletop boards to the center tabletop brace with deck screws.
Place two of the bench seat studs 2 inches apart. Place a bench brace at the center of and perpendicular to the bench seat studs. Drill two pilot holes through the bench brace and apply carpenter's glue at the joint, then attach it to the seat studs with two deck screws.
Place the table top upside-down. Clamp the A-frames to the table top with C-clamps 8 inches in from the end. Turn this assembly right-side up. Drill two evenly-spaced pilot holes through each of the tabletop boards and attach them with the deck screws. Turn the assembly upside-down and attach the center angle braces. Place the center angle braces diagonally and attach them with glue and deck screws to the A-frame brace and the center table brace. Drill pilot holes through the ends of the center angle braces and attach them to the adjoining braces with deck screws. Turn the table upright and attach the bench seat assembly to the A-frame brace with glue. Drill pilot holes through the seat studs and attach them to the A-frame braces with the deck screws.
