This Young House: How to Build a Farm Table

When husband and I moved into our home, one of the first projects we wanted to tackle was our dining room table. We had a hand-me-down that had been painted a few times and was really quite small, so an upgrade was in order. Since we weren't prepared to spent a couple thousand dollars for a farm table and chairs, we decided to make one ourselves.The styles we liked were relatively simple in design, so we headed out to our local ACE Hardware and picked out some lovely cedar with only a vague plan in mind.

What we used:

4 - 12x2x66 cedar planks {table top}

4 - 4x4x36 cedar posts {legs}

4 - 1x2x36 cedar boards {reinforcements}

8 - L brackets
1&1/2 inch wood screws
wood glue {optional}

After we cut the boards to the appropriate lengths, we sanded them and placed clear coat on each piece to protect and set the wood. The next day we got to the building! 

Step 1: Place top boards upside down on a tarp and use tie-down straps to hold the them tightly together.
{You could also use some wood glue here to help keep the boards together. We chose not to because we actually like the aesthetic of the boards being just slightly apart.}

Step 2: Connect the legs to the braces.
{This allows you to not place visible screws into the table top.}

Step 3: Attach the legs/braces to the table top and reinforce with L-brackets.
{We also placed L-brackets against the legs and brace wood for added support.}

Repeat steps 2&3 at the other end on the table.
Step 4: Place two more brace pieces evenly underneath the table and secure with screws.
Step 5: Flip the table over, move it inside & make a centerpiece!

Our next step is finding eight chairs that we love... within our price range.

Happy carpenter-ing.
xoxo

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