Rustic Dining Table
How to Build a Rustic Dining Table
I built this rustic dining table from several cedar fence boards that I salvaged while I replaced my 20-year-old privacy fence. When you use recycled building materials for your woodworking projects, you significantly lower the cost of the project. I was able to build this table, plus a rustic wooden bench, for less than $5 worth of nails and screws.
Note: The fence boards used in these plans were almost exactly 4 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick. The material list and table dimensions take this into account. Verify your own material sizes and make any necessary adjustments to the plan, before you start cutting the pieces.
Rustic Dining Table (Materials List)
| Description | Size | Quantity |
| Frame (front and back) | 1x4x33 | 4 |
| Frame (sides and center) | 1x4x31.5 | 6 |
| Frame blocking | 1x4x8 | 8 |
| Two-Piece Legs | 1x4x29 | 8 |
| Table Top | 1x4x36 | 9 |
* To provide about 1 1/2" of overhang on the table top, I made the finished dimensions of the frame 33" x 33", so that once attached to the frame, the nine 4-inch wide table-top boards (measuring a total of 36 inches) would produce the planned 1 1/2" overhang on all four sides.
Note: I used 16-gauge 2-inch galvanized Porter Cable finish nails to attach all of the pieces of this rustic dining table. Once the table was completely assembled, I reinforced the two-piece table legs with 2" wood screws as indicated in the drawings. It is perfectly acceptable to use other fasteners to build this bench, as you might wish to do.
Building the Rustic Dining Table
Assemble the two 33" square box sections of the frame as indicated in the diagram below. Place one section on top of the other and secure them together using the eight 8-inch frame blocking pieces placed on the inside corners of the two sections.
To build the four legs, cut eight 1x4s 29" long. Using a table saw, cut a 45° bevel on one edge of each board. Taper the bottoms of each leg assembly (optional). Attach each of the two pieces together to create the four legs.
Attach the assembled legs to the table frame with a combination of finish nails and 2-inch wood screws as indicated in the drawing below.
Square the frame using a framing square. Cut the nine 36-inch 1x4s and lay them on top of the finished frame. Align them from side to side and from front to back so that the overhang is even on all sides. Fasten them to the frame using the recommended finish nails, or similar.
Rustic Dining Table - Elevations
The diagram below shows the finished dimensions of the 36" x 36" dining table. Once you see how the pieces go together, you might decide to make your table larger or smaller, depending on your needs and the available sizes of your recycled building materials.
Finally, attach the two 6-inch rear armrest supports to the face of the backrest boards. Next, attach the two armrest boards as shown in the diagrams.
The Texas Flag
The Texas flag is probably one of the easiest U.S. flags to draw. Basically, all of the rectangles that make up the flag are proportionally the same size. They are each twice as long as they are wide. The diameter of the 5-point star is 3/4 of the width of the blue section, and centered from top to bottom. The white section is above the red section.
What next?
Leave rustic wooden bench and visit our home page.
