Introduction: Making a Simple Table

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This is my first time making a table and I tried doing it by myself. My teacher did help with some techniques, but for the most part I was figuring out as I went. For the most part it came out good, and I'm proud of it because it is the first thing I've constructed. I made it in my class and had to work with what I was provided, so some of the materials are not as good as they can be. I defiantly hope to grow from this and improve and who knows, maybe I'll make a better table in the future learning from the experience I had making this one.

Step 1: Getting the Materials

what you need to get:

  • 4x4 sheet of plywood (It would be better to be thicker but this was the only wood around so it's 1/2. It's completely doable but not necessary. Regardless, there are some steps that I had to include to accommodate for the thinness)
  • jig saw
  • string
  • pencil
  • ruler/ tape measure/ any type of measuring tool
  • tape
  • gloves
  • glasses
  • 8 ____ wood planks (you can choose the length depending on how tall you want the table to be)
  • bar of soap
  • 4.5 inch decking screws
  • 1.5 inch decking screws
  • drill (preferable 2)
  • drill bit (smaller than the size of the screw)
  • L brackets

NOTE: all of the wood dimensions used are the ones that I used making the table. They can be modified to fit whatever size/height table you want to make.

Step 2: Making the Top

need:

  • 4x4 sheet of plywood (It would be better to be thicker but this was the only wood around so it's 1/2. It's completely doable but not necessary. Regardless, there are some steps that I had to include to accommodate for the thinness)
  • jig saw
  • string
  • pencil
  • ruler/ tape measure/ any type of measuring tool
  • tape
  • gloves
  • glasses

steps:

  1. find the middle of the slab of wood and mark it
  2. tie the sting to the pencil and make the pencil length 1 foot.
  3. tape the end of the string not attached to the pencil to the center
  4. trace a giant circle
  5. plug in the jigsaw
  6. put on your safety ware before starting to cut
  7. cut carefully around the line you traced

Congrats! Now you have the top of your table! Set that aside for now as we move on to the legs.

Step 3: Making the Legs

need:

  • 8 4x3.5 wood planks (you can choose the length depending on how tall you want the table to be)
  • tape measure/ruler
  • pencil
  • jigsaw
  • goggles
  • gloves
  • bar of soap
  • 4 1/2 inch decking screw
  • drill (preferable 2)
  • drill bit (smaller than the size of the screw)

steps:

  1. measure out the total length of the plank and mark the center on two of them
  2. pug in the jigsaw
  3. put on safety ware
  4. cut the wooden planks in half (these will be the feet)
  5. take two other planks and cut into fourths (this step is only needed if you have a thin wood as the table top)
  6. take a normal length wood plank and set it upright, then take the foot you cut and place it where you would like to have it (see picture above to see how i positioned the foot)
  7. use one of the drills for drilling holes and the other for screwing in nails (it makes it simpler)
  8. drill two pilot holes into the foot and leg, once you have them in a place you like
  9. HINT: before putting the nail in, wet the soap and put soap on the nail. It lubricates it going in and will make it less likely to split the wood
  10. put on safety ware
  11. screw the screwing into the pilot holes (make sure to countersink so that the nails don't scrape against the floor. Countersinking is just drilling until the screw is slightly below the surface of the wood. If it gets stuck before then, just reverse a bit, and try again)
  12. repeat steps 6-10 for the remained of the wood planks

Sweet! Now you have made the legs of your table. All you got left is putting it all together :)

Step 4: Putting It All Together

need:

  • drills (2)
  • drill bit
  • L brackets (8)
  • 1.5 inch decking screws
  • soap
  • gloves
  • goggles
  • wood glue (optional)
  • ruler/ tape measure
  • pencil
  • table top
  • leg

steps:

  1. flip table top upside down
  2. position the legs where you want to put them and make sure they are all equal length away from each other, and the center (I made mine 10 in from the edge)
  3. mark where each leg will go
  4. OPTIONAL: use wood glue to add extra stability and place leg where it is marked to go (it is helpful to have something that it can lean against)
  5. NOTE: the following 4 steps are if you have a thin tabletop. If not, then there is no need to add the extra block because it is thick enough to where the screw won't go through the other side)
  6. place 2 of the .25 length blocks on either side of the leg
  7. make either 2 or 4 pilot holes in each of the blocks in the corners (4 will add more stability)
  8. soap the screws
  9. wear safety ware
  10. screw the screws into the pilot hole (no need to countersink)
  11. once both blocks are secure around the leg, take 2 L brackets and put on each side of the leg
  12. make pilot holes and soap the screws before screwing
  13. secure the L brackets on either side
  14. drill two diagonal pilot holes into the thin side of the leg and screw in 2 screw to add extra stability
  15. repeat steps 6-14 for the remained other the legs. Remember: you can visualize how the legs will look once screwed and if you have to make slight modifications to your markings so that it will look better, do it! The markings are a suggestion, not a requirement

The table is officially constructed! Reminder that this is a beginners table and I'm sure things could be done differently or improved upon to make it better, but this is a great learning experience.

Step 5: Finishing Up

This is the section where you can decide how you want it to look. Add stain! Add paint! Have fun! What I wanted to do was stain it, but add a little bit of design. Stain is really tricky because it seeps so you can't just paint a straight line and expect it to stay that way. So what I did was take a meter stick and trace it in an x shape. Then I took an exact-o knife to carve a line where I traced. This allowed for when I put stain down, it wouldn't be able to get bast the cut. I then used two different shade stains, one for the table and one for the x. After that, use a varnish of your choice to finish the table. It can be spray or rub in. Design it how you want and be proud of yourself because you made a table!