I wanted a table for my patio, but I didn't want to spend a lot. And I had some recycled deck boards I could use for the top. So let's build a simple, inexpensive table!

Supplies

I used 4 8' long treated 2x4s to make the base, and 6 treated 1x6 boards for the top. A box of deck screws, a hand saw, my cordless drill, a pencil, measuring tape, and a speed square. Oh, and my cordless circular saw when I trimmed the 1x6s.

Step 1: Cut the Legs

I selected 30" for the legs based on the height of my dining room table. From the first 2x4, I cut 3 30" legs using my hand saw.

Step 2: Cut the Frame Pieces

Cutting the frame pieces is very similar to cutting the legs. I decided to make the table 30" wide, and cut two pieces 30". (That means that from the first 2 2x4s, I've cut a total of 6 30" pieces) I had laid the top boards out in my driveway and decided to cut my side rails 63" long, so from the remaining 2 2x4s I cut 2 63" long pieces. That left me with a couple of "scrap" pieces long enough to make some extra support pieces for the frame.

Step 3: Attach the Legs

I laid out my frame pieces on a small deck I have, as it is a relatively flat surface. The idea with this table is that it doesn't have to be absolutely perfect - just sturdy and useful. It's going to sit on a fairly uneven patio. So I pretty much just eyeballed the corners instead of using a square. I used 4 deck screws to attach each leg - two per face. And I found it easiest to attach the legs upside down, then flip the whole thing over.

Step 4: Add Extra Bracing

Remember the pieces of scrap left after I cut the long sides of the frame? I used those and 4 deck screws to add two braces. Those are just to help keep the deck boards I used for the top from sagging.

Step 5: Attach the Top

I cut my 6 recycled deck boards to length (they have 1.5" overhang on the ends, and about the same on the sides) and laid them on the treated 2x4 frame, then used deck screws to attach. It's a good idea to lay them all out and get them psitioned first, before screwing any of them down.

The cost for the project was about $20 for the 2x4s, and I used about half a box of deck screws, so about $5 for those. The top boards I got free, but if you had to buy 6 treated 1x6 that would add another $30 or so. I've got a sturdy wooden table that I can eat an outside dinner on, or I can bang together a birdhouse on. It cost me a lot less that even the plastic patio tables I've seen, which wouldn't be quite as sturdy, and a lot less than a fancier glass top table which wouldn't be great to double as a workbench when I build birdhouses. It's simple, quick, and easy; and you can easily adjust the measurements to make the size a bit different. In the end, this was all that I had left from my 4 2x4s --