Looking for a new dining table that won’t break the bank and is fun to build? This DIY dining table may be the answer to your wishes! You can build it for just $75 of pine (obviously pricing may vary based on where you live and what year it is, but that’s true for Raleigh, NC in 2023).
We built our table to be an outdoor dining table, but you could definitely use this design for an indoor table as well.
We ended up choosing cedar for our project because our local Lowe’s had the prettiest rough sawn cedar. I couldn’t get over the texture–it looked like a truly aged piece of wood! For that our price (in 2023) was $325. Still quite a great price for a quality dining table!
Alright, let’s dive in and build this DIY table!
How to Build a DIY Dining Table
Recommended Tools:
- Miter Saw (we use this blade with ours)
- Kreg Jig (we used the XL, but a normal Kreg Jig will work on this project as well)
- Drill
- Circular Saw (we highly recommend a Kreg Accu-Cut too)
- Measuring Tape (new to DIY? Be sure to check out this post with measuring tips)
- Speed Square
- Safety Equipment
New to DIY? Check out our post on beginner woodworking tools to determine which tools to get!
Shopping List:
- (4) 2x8x8 boards (we used rough sawn cedar from Lowe’s for this entire project)
- (2) 2x4x8 boards
- (3) 4x4x8 boards
- Wood glue (this is our favorite type)
- Sandpaper
- 2.5” wood screws
- 4″ softwood Kreg screws (if using the normal Kreg Jig, you’ll use 2.5” Kreg screws instead)
Dimensions
The final dimensions of this table are 72” long, 32.5” wide, and 30” tall, making it a very standard sized dining table. It very comfortably seats 6 and can seat up to 8 people.
STEP 1: MAKE YOUR CUTS
Make your cuts according to the cut list in the printable plans. We recommend cutting the pieces for your table top to be 3-5” longer than the final desired length of your table top to make assembly easier.
STEP 2: DRILL POCKET HOLES
For this project, we used our Kreg XL which is designed to make pocket holes in 4x4s. If you don’t have a Kreg XL and don’t intend to be doing a lot of projects with 4x4s, you can just use a regular Kreg 310 or 320 for this project.
By using the Kreg XL, we’re creating extremely strong joints between the 4x4s. I can walk and jump on these leg pieces and the center beam without any issues. If using the normal Kreg Jig, your joints won’t be quite as strong.
Your table will be sturdy, but I would not recommend testing the joints by putting a ton of weight on your 4×4 pieces. That shouldn’t be an issue with this particular plan because the things we are using pocket holes on shouldn’t have a ton of weight put on them once assembled. If anything, the 4×4 pieces will likely just be used as a footrest.
If using the Kreg XL, you will drill all of your pocket holes using the 3.5” settings. If using the normal Kreg model, you’ll drill your pocket holes using the 1.5” settings.
Drill (2) pocket holes into both ends of the bottom beam and both of the bottom leg stretchers.
STEP 3: ASSEMBLE LEG BASE
In this step we’ll create two leg bases that are identical. Grab two legs and a bottom leg stretcher. Lay out the legs and the stretcher to ensure your legs are angled correctly before installing the stretcher.
Mark 3” from the bottom of the legs. This is where the bottom of the stretcher will go. We used our multi-mark tool for this.
Install the stretcher to the legs using glue and 4” Kreg XL pocket hole screws. If you used a normal Kreg Jig with the 1.5” settings, you’ll use 2.5” Kreg screws instead.
Repeat with the second set of legs.
STEP 4: ATTACH LEGS
Install the bottom beam between these marks using glue and 4″ Kreg screws. The beam should be flush with the top and bottom of the leg stretchers.
If you used the 1.5″ Kreg settings, you’ll use 2.5″ Kreg screws instead.
STEP 5: ATTACH TOP STRETCHERS
Center the top stretchers on the top of the legs. Use and glue and 2.5” wood screws to secure the top stretchers into the legs.
STEP 6: ASSEMBLE TABLE TOP
This step will differ slightly depending on where you plan to use your table. If you’re planning to use this table indoors, you’ll want to assemble the top similarly to how to instruct in this DIY dining table plan. We also include more details on how to assemble the top for indoor use in the printable plans.
If you are planning to use this table outdoors, you can follow the instructions in this post. We created this as an outdoor table, so here’s what we did.
Place the boards on top of scrap 2x4s to hold them up off the table. This will allow you to feel underneath them to determine if the top is flush.
Our boards were all slightly different thicknesses, so we prioritized the table top being flush on the top rather than on the bottom. Once we were happy with the placement of all of the boards, we clamped them tightly together.
We cut some scrap wood to create small shims to place between some of the boards that were thinner and the bottom supports. The will help prevent the screw from pulling the board out of alignment for the top of the table.
We secured the middle support with glue and (2) 2.5” screws into each slat.
STEP 7: ATTACH LEGS TO TOP
We flipped the leg base onto the top and centered it up. We secured each leg with glue and (2) 2.5” screws into each of the slats.
STEP 8: CUT DRAINAGE GROOVES
Since we designed this table to be outdoors, it’s best practice to have gaps in the table top to allow for better drainage of water. Rather than trying to use spacers and try to force the semi-warped boards into the right place, we decided to cut the grooves after the fact.
We lined up our Kreg Accu-Cut with the seams between each of the boards and cut along that line. For the areas that already had a slight gap between them, we lined it up so that our saw blade would go through the gap rather than making it larger.
STEP 9: TRIM ENDS
The final step is to trim off the edges of the table so that the slats are perfectly flush on either end. We used our Kreg Accu-Cut again to make this cut.
We finished our table with one coat of Cabot Semi-Transparent Stain and Sealer in Bark. Check out this post for more outdoor finishing options.
STEP 10: GET READY TO HOST
Obviously this step is optional, adding decor and cute chairs and getting things set up around the table really took it to the next level. Everything from the posts for the string lights to the cups and plates and the beautiful bistro chairs are listed in our Amazon Storefront.
There you have it! Now you know how to build a beautiful, chunky outdoor dining table! This table is lovely and can be used indoors as well. Our PDF printable plans include all the key dimensions, the full cut list, and instructions on how to modify the plans to use the table indoors instead. Be sure to grab them here.
