Do it Yourself: Picnic Table Plans

Picnic tables are a necessary addition to families with large homes. They provide an area for outdoor potlucks and other family events. Picnic tables need to be built strong enough to withstand many people sitting on them over the years. That is why the hardware and wood material chosen is so important. Treated pine construction lumber works good for picnic tables, especially when it is combined with bolts and 3-inch screws to hold it together. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Use your protractor and pencil to mark a 23-degree line at the end of each 34-inch board. Cut the boards with your circular saw at these angles without affecting the original length and so each board has a parallelogram shape. This are the legs to the picnic table. The angles that are cut will be parallel with the ground, and the boards will be angled toward each other at a 23-degree angle.

2

Lay two 34-inch boards on your work area so they are leaning toward each other at a 23-degree angle from what would be vertical. The top ends of the boards should be 28 inches apart, and the angled ends should all be horizontal. Lay a 36-inch board horizontally across the top ends of the board. Bolt the boards together by drilling two 3/8-inch holes at both ends of the 36-inch board and through the legs. Be sure there is a washer on both sides of the wood. Bolt a 60-inch board to the legs in the same manner so it is parallel with the 36-inch board, 16-inches below it, and so the board's center lines up with the center of the 36-inch board. This is one of the ends to your picnic table. Repeat this process to complete the opposite end.

3

Position the ends of your table so the 60-inch boards are parallel, on the outside of the legs, and 53 inches apart. Screw through the 30-inch center of both boards and into the 53-inch board. The 53-inch board should be perpendicular to the 60-inch boards and holding them together.

4

Lay two 84-inch boards perpendicularly across the 60-inch boards on each side of the table. There should be a 12-inch overhang at both ends of the 84-inch boards from the 60-inch boards. Screw the last 84-inch boards to the top of the table, allowing a 12-inch overhang at both ends of the table.