Richard Felt: Build a Farmhouse Dining Table

Who doesn’t love a rustic farmhouse dining table?

When I spotted this beautiful table made of reclaimed wood from old bridges in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine, it was love at first sight!

I couldn’t wait to fly over here from A Piece of Rainbow to share with you how easy it is to build this lovely dining table ourselves!

Measuring at 78” long by 38” wide, this table can comfortably seat 6 people. If you have a bigger party, it can seat 8 people as well! Shall we start?

How to Build a Farmhouse Dining Table

Tools:

measuring tape , square, pencil, and safety glasses!!!

Kreg Jig, pocket hole screws, and drill

Miter Saw

Random Orbital Sander

Finishing stains and sealers of your choice

Cut List:

table legs :

4 – 4×4 @ 28 1/2” (both ends cut at 5 degrees off square, ends are parallel)
aprons and braces :

2 – 2×4 @ 25″ (both ends cut at 5 degrees off square, long point to long point, ends are NOT parallel)
2 – 2×4 @ 29″ (both ends cut at 5 degrees off square, long point to long point, ends are NOT parallel)
3 – 2×4 @ 64”

tabletop boards:
7 – 2×6 @ 67″ (tabletop boards)
2 – 2×6 @ approx 38.5″ (measure and check to fit)

tabletop braces:

3 – 2×4 @ 27 1/2″

2 – 2×4 @ 24 1/2″

Please follow good practices to build safely and smartly. Work on a clean level surface, free of clutter or debris. Always use straight boards. And remember to check for square after each step!

Step 1:

Build two of the leg sets out of the 4x4s. The drawings below are showing the front and back side(with pocket holes) of each set of legs.

After cutting the 4x4s at 5 degree on the ends, join 2 of the legs together with 2×4 aprons at the top, and braces at the bottom. Use 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

The bottom brace is 3” above the floor level.

Once you get one built, use it as a measure to build the other so they match perfectly.

Step 2:

Attach the two sets of legs together with the longer aprons and center brace with 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Because our table legs are tapered in one direction only ( makes it so much easier!) these pieces all have square ends. So all three 2x4s measure the same length.

Step 3:

Build the tabletop with 2×4 braces screwed from the underside, and 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to attach the outer 4 pieces (colored orange here) .