I made this as a wedding gift for my sister. She was looking for a table that didn't consume a lot of space in her backyard. When the table is not used it can be folded and used as a bench which doesn't need a lot of space. I found some examples with a similar design and adapted those to my needs.

This is my first project and I worked on it for about 2 weeks.

I didn't properly document mys steps but I will later add more information.

Step 1: Material

the tools that I used for the construction were pretty basic. I only required a table saw, a router a jig saw and a sander.

For this design I bought boards 30X180 -3500 mm. Two board I cut in half through the width and two in 3 equal parts.

The thinnest boards were used in the the legs and the middle part of the table top.

The half width is used in for the seats and the side of the table top.

For the hinges I used bolts with a washer between the wood.

I'll add cut list later.

Step 2: The Design

Most of the designs I found were with tabletops made of boards placed next to each other which I didn't like. Those designs all had a table top of 50-60 cm wide. This is not a comfortable width to eat on so I definitely wanted a broader tabletop .

I used solid works to design and I designed it for 3 people. This gives it a length of around 1.50 m.

I changed the width of the tabletop to 70 cm which is still smaller then a normal table but has is a decent dimension and it wasn't possible to make the top wider.

You can find the dimensions in the PDF files.

Step 3: The Table Top

I made the tabletop by making grooves at the end of the boards and for the end boards a groove in the side. During the gluing spacers were put in between the boards.

After the top was made i used a rope and pencil to draw the ends and a jig saw to cut it round.

the edges are rounded by using a router.

Step 4: The Bench

The bench exists of 3 parts. A part with fixed seats, a part with the table top and a part with movable seats.

I wanted flat pieces so I used a router to make slots. These slots were half the thickness of the pieces and connect in each other.

I first mounted the fixed seat and measured the length for the movable seat.

The table top was mounted on the part by using plugs.

Arm rests are added later below the table top to keep it level when the table is folded out.

Step 5: Finish

To finish the it and give it a nice shine I used 3 coats of boat varnish.

Because it was my first build I didn't document every step as well as I wanted.

Second Prize in the
Wood Contest 2016

Participated in the
Backyard Contest 2016

5 People Made This Project!

ZăkîS15 made it!
Bassie15234 made it!
jveazey made it!
jose.f.branco made it!
See 1 More

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Make It Bridge
For the Home Contest
Game Design: Student Design Challenge

69 Comments

Daniel 290869

7 months ago on Step 5

Super nice design, wow 👍👍👍 I'll try this,too. Thanks a lot for this Tips

thanhluanckm

2 years ago

Thank for share

zeroaxe

6 years ago

Jordi D,

i would really appreciate it if you can make some plans available. My girlfriend just about freaked out when she saw it. She loves it!!!

Macnrayna

5 years ago

Hi,
I am in the process of building two of these. Thus far I have cut all of the wood to length, but I am having a bit of difficulty determining the angles for the legs, etc. Is there a way to contact you with a few questions please?

Michael, Canada

jveazey

2 years ago

https://diy-woodworking-plans.com/free/outdoor/download.php?download_file=FoldingBenchPicnicTable957.pdf

davestudt234

Question 2 years ago on Introduction

what modifications are needed to make seat 3 boards wide please

rtvrtv

Question 3 years ago

Hi folks,

Can anyone please clarify if the long leg is supposed to be 75 or 60 degree? Also, from the cut list I'm struggling to find which pieces to use for the support of the bench on the same side (long legs)

Amelia0803

4 years ago on Introduction

Good design, I am looking for a table like that...

1from956

4 years ago

Awesome design. Look forward to trying it myself.

buck2217

6 years ago

I can email the scan if you want a clearer copy, just need your email address

Introduction: Convertible Bench/table

Step 1: Material

Step 2: The Design

Attachments

Step 3: The Table Top

Step 4: The Bench

Step 5: Finish

5 People Made This Project!

Recommendations

Make It Bridge

For the Home Contest

Game Design: Student Design Challenge

69 Comments