Create a Stylish Wood Table on a Budget (With 4x4s!)

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Hardwood dining tables are beautiful, but they don’t come cheap! So what to do if you dying to have one in your dining room or backyard but aren’t able to spend thousands? Build one yourself, of course. Wait, stick with us! The truth is you can do it. In this easy-to-follow DIY project, the lumber yard’s Cinderella – the 4x4 – gets its royal moment at the ball as the main material for this sleek wood table-and-bench combo. A few simple steps and the lowly (and inexpensive!) 4x4 reaches new heights as chic, stylish decor. Now you can look forward to basking in the glow of telling dinner guests, “I made this!”

Materials:

Table:

  • 8 Pieces 4x4 lumber, cut @ 7’6” long (table top)

  • 16 Pieces 4x4 lumber, cut @ 31” long (legs)

  • 32 3/8” Diameter lag bolts 8” long with 32 3/8” washers

  • 32 ¼” Diameter lag bolts 5” long

Two benches:

  • 6 Pieces 4x4 lumber, cut @ 7’6” long (table top)

  • 12 Pieces 4x4 lumber, cut @ 19” long (legs)

  • 24 3/8” Diameter lag bolts 8” long with 32 3/8” washers

  • 24  ¼” Diameter lag bolts 5” long

Tools:

  • Power drill

  • Impact screwdriver

  • 3/8” Drill bit

  • 1” Paddle back drill bit

*Always wear gloves and safety goggles.

Instructions:

For the table:

  1. Lay one tabletop-length 4x4 on the ground.

  2. On each end, place a table leg length 4x4, perpendicular to it.

  3. On the floor this will look like a wide “U”.

    Carpenter assembling handmade table
    Carpenter assembling handmade table



  4. Drill two, 3/8” holes through the leg into the table top, where they connect.

  5. Put washers on two 8” lag bolts.

  6. With your impact screwdriver, insert them through the holes and tighten as much as you can.

  7. Repeat at the other end.

    Table leg
    Table leg



  8. Lay another “U” on top of the first “U.”

    Putting table together
    Putting table together



  9. With your 1” paddle back drill bit, drill a ½” deep hole, around 6” in from each end, on the bottom on the leg and the ends of the table.

  10. Insert 5” lag bolts into these holes. This will be your connection between the “U’s.”

    Wood table corner with screws and washers
    Wood table corner with screws and washers



  11. Do this eight times, stacking as you go and varying slightly where you place the 5” bolts so they don’t touch each other.

    Beautiful handcrafted wood dining table
    Beautiful handcrafted wood dining table

For the bench:

  1. Repeat above, using three 4x4s and your bench-length 4x4s for the legs.

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Hints:

The table is very heavy, so build this onsite.

For safety, you should make sure there are four people to flip it over.