Modern Kid's Picnic Table and Benches

Review the leg layout before cutting, then cut the leg boards with 45° miters so the short-point to long-point measures 20-1/2". Mark all four legs as shown, and fasten the leg boards together with glue and 1-1/4" screws into mitered box legs. Drive the screws from the insides of the legs so the holes don't show on the finished faces.

Measure and cut the remaining leg fill pieces to complete the box-leg sections, and fasten with glue and 1-1/4" screws, again hiding the screw holes on the inside. A fully closed box leg is stiffer and reads as solid.

Fasten the 2x2 ends to the tabletop boards with glue and 2-1/2" screws, leaving a 1/2" gap between the boards — that gap is what drains water and keeps the top from rotting. Then attach the ends to the legs with 2-1/2" screws. The design leaves no flat pockets for water to sit, so keep those gaps.

Build the two sets of bench legs exactly as you built the table legs in step 1, mitered and boxed, using glue and 1-1/4" screws with the holes hidden inside.

Build the two bench seats the same way as the tabletop — 2x2 ends fastened to the 2x4 seat boards with 1/2" drainage gaps — then attach the legs. Fill screw holes, sand every edge and corner smooth for little hands and legs, and apply an exterior finish. Loose benches let small kids climb in and out and let you pull everything apart to clean.