Flagman Table

Step 2 Box the Perimeter

Use some strips of wood to box the perimeter. It helps to work in standard dimensions of material, so most of the wood in the this table was two-by-fours cut into pieces 1-1/2" square, on a table saw. You can get a lot more wood out of your scrap pile if you trim stuff down this way. That also allows an opportunity to cut away warped, rotted, or otherwise damaged bits.

Attach the wood by screwing into it from the top through the table. I just used a screw gun and drywall screws. The black screws match the graphic. No pilot holes required, aluminum is pretty soft.

Then connect the midpoints of the sides with some more strips of two-by-four. I made some little triangular gussets to attach the diagonals to the side pieces. These can be made out of any scrap masonite, plywood, or thin sheet metal cut into a 45-45-90 triangle.