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The 'Fancy X' is the farmhouse table where the legs are the furniture: each end is a layered X of 2x4s, sandwiched and glued so the crossing reads as solid joinery, under an eight-foot top of 2x10 planks. It's dramatic, it's the most-requested table shape of the farmhouse era, and it's honest about where the difficulty lives.
That difficulty is the X tips, where the legs meet the top and bottom plates at a compound-looking angle. The plan gives two outs. The main method is sequential cuts: cut the board at 30° off square (ends not parallel) to length, then re-cut at 45° to the short-point dimension — two simple miters that land the shape a compound cut would. The escape hatch is the alternate cut list: straight 45° ends everywhere, slightly different look, dramatically easier day. Decide which you're building BEFORE buying, since the cut lists differ.
Two more construction notes carry the build: the X layers are glued and finish-nailed face-to-face (the lamination is the strength; the nails are clamps), and the top wants to be built as a pocket-holed panel first, then attached. Using it outdoors? Gap the top boards for drainage — a tight-seamed top outside is a water trap.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x10, 8 ftThe top. Pick flat boards with matching grain — this is the whole show surface. | 4 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftThe X ends and stretcher. | 7 each |
| 1x4, 12 ftEnd caps and feet pads. | 1 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, #10 x 3", star drive | 30 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 2-1/2" | 40 each |
| Finish nails, 2" | 60 each |
| Wood glueThe X laminations live on glue. | 16 oz |
| Stain and topcoat | 1 quart |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| End cross bracesEnds cut 45° off square, longest point, NOT parallel. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 11 3/8" |
| End plates | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20" |
| End caps1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 28 3/8" |
| X legsCUT TO FIT, via the two-cut method (30° then 45°) — or use the alternate straight-45° cut list: 4 @ 31" and 4 @ 34", both ends 45° NOT parallel, long point. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 32 5/8" |
| Feet pads1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" |
| Aprons | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 65" |
| Cross braces (stretcher)Both ends cut parallel at 45° off square. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 30 3/8" |
| Tabletop planks2x10 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 9 1/4" × 96" |
Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.
0 boards
8 boards
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Assemble four of the small cross-brace units, countersinking 2-1/2" self-tapping screws from the backs into the ends of the braces. These are the hubs the X ends organize around.
Glue and 2"-finish-nail leg pieces together face to face, nailing from both sides. The nails are just clamps that never need removing; the glue line is the joint. Wipe squeeze-out on what will be very visible legs.
Attach the 20" top and bottom plates to the leg assemblies with 2" screws or nails and glue. The X now has its horizontal datum lines.
For each angled leg that meets a plate: first cut the 2x4 at 30° off square (ends NOT parallel) at 32-5/8" — then re-cut one end at 45° (or your saw's max bevel) so the piece finishes 28-3/8" short point to short point. Two ordinary miters produce the tricky tip.
Cut one, test it against its opening, and use it as the template. This step is the whole reason the table is called 'fancy' — take the afternoon it wants.
Repeat the tip-cut pieces for the second layer of each X, glued and nailed over the first — the stagger of the layers is what makes the crossing look joined rather than stacked.
Glue and nail the little 1x4 feet pads under the bottom plates. They lift the end grain off the floor — cheap insurance against wicking on a kitchen mop day.
Attach the 1x4 end caps over the X assemblies — 1-1/2" pocket holes and 2-1/2" pocket screws, hidden on the top and bottom edges where nobody kneels.
Join the two X ends with the aprons and 45°-cut cross braces. Pocket holes are easiest (fill them after); the alternative is gluing and driving longer screws through the braces into the plates. Either way, this is what makes two sculptures into one table.
Pocket-hole the four 2x10s into one panel (1-1/2" holes, 2-1/2" screws), then attach it to the base. Outdoor table? Skip the panel joinery and screw the planks down individually with drainage gaps instead — water needs somewhere to go.
Sand from 80 grit up until the top feels like furniture, stain, and topcoat hard: this is the surface holiday dinners happen on.
The alternate cut list swaps every fussy X-tip for plain 45° cuts (4 legs @ 31", 4 @ 34", both ends 45° NOT parallel, long point). Slightly simpler look, much simpler saw day — the way the plan's most famous builds actually did it. Choose this path from the start; the two cut lists don't mix.
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