Aug 8, 20198 min read

DIY Picnic Table (6' or 8')

While we are waiting to break ground on our land, we've spent a lot of time walking around the property. I keep finding different spots on the property and saying, "A picnic table would be nice here." Remember me saying this on Instagram?

One day I came home and Mr. Farmhouse In The Field built us our own! And then, to top it off, he wrote this blog post so you could build it, too. Follow along if you are interested in building your very own picnic table.

Please read entire plan before starting project, especially the notes at the bottom!

Overview

Total cost: about $120 for all pressure treated (PT) lumber, glue, and hardware. It’d be about $35 less for non-PT lumber. Plus tools and safety gear, if needed.
Time: Approximately six hours, plus shopping time
Difficulty: Moderately easy

Tools required

Miter saw preferred but if you’re careful you can get away with a circular saw.
Powered hand drill
Random orbital or sheet/finish sander preferred but hand sanding will work if you’re patient (wear a dust musk or respirator while sanding, especially pressure treated wood!).
Speed square preferred (especially if you’re using a circular saw). Straight edge will suffice with miter saw.
6 and/or 12 inch clamps are helpful but not required.
Safety glasses, ear protection, dust mask

Shopping list

*See note below about how to buy lumber and how to handling pressure treated (PT) wood if you haven’t done so before.

1. Wood – all PT

Six-foot table only: Five 2x6x12s
Eight-foot table only: Ten 2x6x8s
Three 2x8x8s
Two 2x4x8

2. Hardware/Materials

Eight 3/8 inch by 3½ inch galvanized carriage bolts
Eight galvanized washers and nuts
One 1-lb box of 2½ inch deck or general purpose exterior screws (don’t buy drywall screws!!)
Exterior-grade construction adhesive (I used one tube of Loctite Power Grab Express Heavy Duty and one tube of Loctite Premium Construction Adhesive. Both seemed okay – time will tell. About $5 each)

3. Safety gear (if needed)

Cut List

* “about” implies minor variation okay, in most cases not to exceed a half inch.

1. Cut table top and bench

Quantity: 10 (Six for table top, two for each bench)
Material: 2x6
Length: about 72” (about 96” for eight-foot table)

Take your shortest 2x6x12 and cut it in half. Trim both ends of each piece with the saw so you have a nice clean cut. Then take the shortest half of the 2x6x12 you just cut and cut all other 2x6x12s to the same length. These will be your top and benches; you’ll want them all the same size.

For the 8 foot table: It’s basically the same thing here. Take your shortest board and trim both ends for smoothness. Trim one board end on the other boards for smoothness then cut to length on the opposite side.

2. Cut A-frame horizontal support braces

Quantity: 2
Material: 2x8
Length: 60”

Mitered: Trim corners as shown in photo to the right. I cut at 45 degrees 3½ inches from the board’s end and it looked just right.

3. Cut Legs

Quantity: 4
Material: 2x8
Length: 30¼” (This will give a table top height of about 30 inches.)

Mitered: 22½ degrees on top and bottom. Miter cut going the same direction on top and bottom! You’ll have enough wood for one extra leg if you mess up or if you need a small piece for another project.

4. Cut table top support

Description: This is the bracket that goes underneath the table top to attach the boards all together.

Quantity: 3
Material: 2x4
Length: about 30½ “ , measured from the board’s long side

Mitered: 30-45 degrees (30 if you want more wood for screws, 45 if you want more knee clearance. I did 30 degrees.)

5. Cut seat bench support

Description: This support brace will go in the middle of each seat bench tying the two boards together for extra strength.

Quantity: 2

(8 foot table only: I would do three for each bench – one in the middle and one that butts against the inside of the leg assembly on each side).

Material: 2x4
Length: about 11”, measured from the board’s long side (This will give a table top height of about 30 inches.)

Mitered: 45 degrees (Mitered at opposite angles.)

Diagonal brace (This will be cut later once a majority of the table has been assembled. Save 2x4 stock for this – you’ll need two pieces about 30” each for this.)

Assembly:

*Generously apply exterior construction adhesive to any joint where you use screws.

1. Assemble the A-frame end’s first

Use two boards from your tabletop or bench to align your frame square.
Adjust the boards as necessary so you have the correct overhang on each side and the support is the same height from the ground.

The top of the 60” side support should measure 16½ inches (see photo#5) from the floor (or the 2x6 frame) and overhang on each side by 10 inches.

Once all your measurements are verified and your legs are lined up squarely, attach the two boards with 2-3 screws, leaving room for the carriage bolts to be added later.
Be gentle with the frame once assembled! It’s only held together by two screws and can easily be over-torqued to rip those screws out.

2. Assemble the table top next

Once you’ve chosen the layout for your table top, you will have to make a couple more cuts. Choose the outside two boards and miter the corners at 45 degrees as pictured. I measured 1½ inches in from the board’s end for my cuts on the table top and bench seat.
Look the boards over and decide a lay out for your seat bench and table top. Hide the worst blemished underneath.
Vary the board spacing in your table top slightly for the desired look and size; I used nails pressed between each board for equal spacing and a tight look. Use the same spacing for your seat bench.
The center support should be in the middle of the table top; the outside supports should measure 13½ inches from the table top’s edge. (This is important because you want to make sure you have enough room on the seat bench and for it to look proportional.)
Take your table top support boards and attach them underneath. Stagger the screws so you don’t split the wood. Consider pre-drilling (with a small bit) because you’ll have so many screws through the same board. Be certain you do not poke the screws or the drill bit through the table top!! If you have 2½ inch screws, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t sink the heads in too far. The drill bit is more of a concern; make sure no more than 2½ inches is exposed from the chuck.
Leave the table top face down on the floor for next step.

3. Attach the table top to the leg assemblies

It’s helpful to have an extra hand here but you can manage alone if you have something heavy to prop up the legs for you.
Place the leg assembly on the table top, against the outside of outer table top support. (The 60” support piece should be on the outside, closest to the table’s edge, for both sides.)
Have someone hold them in place or prop up with something heavy (I used a few full gallons of deck stain).
Screw into table top support with three screws.
Be very careful at this point. It would be easy to damage the leg assembly as it is only held on by three screws and you can generate a lot of torque on that joint.

4. Cut diagonal supports

This piece will attach your 60” side support piece to the middle table top support.
Measure as shown in Photo12.
This is the easiest way to measure but I may leave your piece just a little long. If so, just cut an additional blade’s width (1/8 inch) at a time until it fits.

5. Attach diagonal supports

Getting the screws to go at an angle can be difficult. Consider starting them at 90” for a very small amount so you have a little hole then turn them the direction you want them to go.
Make sure you don’t poke screws through your table top.
All joints should have construction adhesive but especially make sure you add it to this joint as there are only a few screws holding it together.

6. Wood burn underneath if desired

7. Flip picnic table right side up

8. Attach seat bench

Take remaining four 2x6 boards for your seat bench. Arrange as desire for aesthetics; cut the corners at 45 degrees if not done yet. 1½ inch cuts from board end work well for this too so it matches the top.
If you have some longer screws around, I would consider using 3”-4” for this. If not 2 ½” would be fine. I wouldn’t personally buy a separate box just for this. Exterior grade only.
Sink the screws in from the top into the 60” support piece below. Two screws per board will work. If the screws aren’t self-tapping (most deck screws are, exterior usually aren’t), I would probably pre-drill here too.
Don’t put the screw into the very end of the support piece or it’ll split. Give yourself about an inch from the board’s end.

9. Secure leg assembly with carriage bolts

Drill through will 3/8 inch drill bit then hammer bolts into place. Attach with washer and nuts.
Be careful when hammering the carriage bolts into place. The galvanized finish will come off which will result in rust. Consider using a wood block between the carriage bolts and hammer.
You may need to clamp the A-frame tight or you won’t have enough bite of the bolt on the other side to screw on the nut.

Notes:

Choosing lumber:

If the long boards won’t fit into your vehicle, you can have home depot cut some for you (usually for free or 25-50¢/cut).
A lot goes into choosing lumber but here is a quick summary to keep it [fairly] simple.
Avoids knots in boards as best as you can (though unavoidable entirely)
Avoid cracks in the boards (usually on the ends of a board)
Verify the board is flat and straight on all four sides. I use the concrete floor at Home Depot for this (see photos). Check the boards for cupping too.
Weight doesn’t matter for the pressure treated boards; some will be heavier than others, and all of it will be much heavier than traditional framing lumber. This is just the moisture remaining from the pressure treating process.

Pressure Treated Wood

I build with all pressure treated wood; you may see some recommendations to build all but the top out of PT lumber. The chemicals used in the pressure treating process are really toxic so some people will build the top using regular, non-pressure treated framing lumber. Just know the boards will possibly need more staining and are more susceptible to wood rot. If you choose the PT boards, you have to be very careful no food touches the boards, especially for the first few months until the rains have washed away some of the chemicals and you can get some stain on the boards. At a minimum, you need to use pressure treated boards for the legs because these will be in contact with the ground and will rot much quicker than the rest of the wood (unless your picnic table will be indoors, on a deck, or under a covered porch). If you insist on using all non-PT wood for an outdoor application, put some gravel or pavers underneath your legs, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Pros of PT wood: lasts longer, less maintenance
Pros of non-pressure treated wood: cheaper, less concern of food contamination, more environmentally friendly
Do not stain pressure treated wood right after you build the picnic table. Recommendations vary, however you need to let the wood sit for at least a month or two so it can dry out prior to staining. I would not wait any more than six months. You will have a feel by how the wood looks and feels after a couple months. The horizontal surfaces (table top and bench) will dry out faster than the vertical surfaces.
I’ll say it again in case you missed it: wear a dust musk while sanding, especially pressure treated wood!

Safety notes: Wash your hands after handling pressure treated lumber and don’t store it inside (garage is okay). And I’ll say it again in case you missed it: wear a dust musk while sanding, especially pressure treated wood! It would be a good idea to have one on while cutting too, especially if you’re building in an enclosed space.

Helpful links:

If this doesn’t provide enough information, here are some of the websites I used to help guide me through my first build: