How to Build an Old Fashioned Eating Table

A rustic and interesting dining room or kitchen table is an excellent accent for a farmhouse or modern home. Thick, sturdily constructed old-fashioned dining tables are able to endure many years of abuse from a growing family, can easily be resurfaced if desired, and can quickly be disassembled for convenient transportation. A rustic styled, old-fashioned eating table will only improve in appearance as it ages, becoming more distressed and authentically weathered with time. Great for both parties and day-to-day use, a well-built table is sure to be treasured as it passes on from generation to generation. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Lay the six foot boards parallel to each other and press them together so that they form a surface 4 feet by 6 feet. Space the eight support boards perpendicularly to the tabletop, flat and evenly spaced, with the end boards 6 inches from the ends of the table.

2

Predrill two evenly spaced holes down through each support board and each tabletop board, so that there are eight evenly spaced holes in each support board and 16 in each tabletop board. Bind the boards together using 1 1/2-inch wood screws, keeping the tabletop boards pressed firmly together.

3

Place the 5-feet boards parallel to the tabletop boards and on top of them, so that the 1-inch surface touches the 6-feet boards and the 4-inch surface on each board is flush against the opposite end of the supports. Predrill a hole through the 5-feet board into each end of the supports and secure with 1 1/2-inch wood screws.

4

Set the 37-inch boards perpendicular to the 5-feet boards, with the 1/2-inch surface flush to the 6-feet boards of the tabletop, and one of the 4-inch surfaces on each board up against the side of the end support boards, so that the boards of Steps 2 and 3 create a smaller rectangle inside the larger rectangle of the tabletop.

5

Predrill, evenly, four holes through the bottom of the 37-inch board and into the support board behind. Attach together in the predrilled holes using 1 1/2-inch wood screws.

6

Position one of the 2-by-4-inch leg boards in the inside corner of the tabletop, with the end of the leg flush with the tabletop, the 2-inch end facing the long side of the table, and the 4-inch end facing the short side of the table. Push the 2-inch side and the 4-inch side of the board flush with the sides of the tabletop.

7

Predrill four evenly spaced holes through the short side of the tabletop and into the leg in a square pattern, then secure with 1 1/2-inch wood screws. Repeat for all four legs.