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Bar height changes what an outdoor table is for: at 40-ish inches, people stand around it with drinks instead of sitting down to be served. This one earns the height with visual mass — four 4x4 legs, 2x4 aprons, a 2x6 plank top, and the namesake detail: two 45° truss braces angling from the stretcher up to the tabletop's center support, borrowing the look (and the actual triangulated stiffness) of a timber-frame truss.
A construction detail that gives the build its shadow lines: the 2x4 aprons are pocket-holed to the 4x4s CENTERED on the posts — about an inch of 4x4 reveals on each side of every apron. That inset is what makes the base read as post-and-beam rather than box-with-legs, and it happens automatically if you center carefully on the first joint and match it everywhere else.
Two of the cut-list lines say 'cut to fit,' and they mean it. The bottom stretcher and center support get measured off your assembled base (4x4 dimensions wander; so do pocket-hole assemblies), and the truss braces are cut 45°-45° short-point-to-short-point, then offered up, marked against reality, and trimmed — the source literally says to mark the overhang and cut it off. Fitting trusses to the table you built, not the table in the drawing, is the difference between tight timber-frame triangles and gappy diagonal sticks.
Tall tables rack harder than short ones (more lever arm), which is exactly what the truss is for — but glue every pocket-hole joint anyway. And check your patio spot with a level before final placement: bar height amplifies a sloped slab into a visibly leaning table.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 4x4, 6 ftThe legs. Untreated appearance-grade if covered patio; treated if it lives in the rain. | 2 each |
| 2x6, 6 ftThe plank top. Straightest five in the pile. | 5 each |
| 2x4, 8 ftAprons, stretcher, center support, and truss braces. | 4 each |
| Pocket hole screws, 2-1/2", exterior | 50 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 8 oz |
| Penetrating exterior stain | 1 qt |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Legs4x4 | 4 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 34 1/2" |
| End aprons2x4Two up top, two low as end stretchers — centered on the posts, ~1" reveal each side. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 20 1/2" |
| Side aprons2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 63" |
| Bottom stretcher2x4CUT TO FIT your assembled base — listed length is nominal. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 63" |
| Top center support2x4Cut to fit, same reason. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 63" |
| Truss braces2x4Both ends 45°, short point to short point, ends NOT parallel. Offer up, mark, trim to your table. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 30 3/8" |
| Top planks2x6 | 5 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 72" |
Buy 12 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
5 boards
5 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 →
Drill two 1-1/2" pocket holes in each end of the end aprons and join each pair of 4x4 legs — one apron at the top, one low — with 2-1/2" exterior pocket screws and glue. Center each 2x4 on the post faces: roughly 1" of 4x4 showing each side.
That centering is the post-and-beam look. Set it carefully once, then match every other joint to the first.
Join the two end frames with the long side aprons, same pocket-hole treatment, same centered reveal. Square the base by diagonals across the top — everything that follows is fitted to this rectangle.
Measure the actual spans on YOUR base and cut the bottom stretcher and top center support to those numbers — pocket holes or 3" deck screws, either holds. The stretcher runs low between the end frames; the center support runs down the middle of the top opening, where the trusses will land.
Cut the two braces at 45° both ends (short point to short point, ends not parallel) and stand them from the stretcher up to the center support. Where a brace overhangs its landing, mark it against the table and trim — the source's own method, and the honest one; trusses are fitted to built reality, not to drawings.
Pocket-hole them home. Push on a corner of the base before and after: that new stiffness is the truss doing its actual job, not just its visual one.
Lay the five 2x6 planks with even gaps and even overhangs, and fasten from below through the aprons and center support — no fasteners visible on a top this proud of its lumber.
Sand hard, break the edges (elbows live on a bar table), and finish with penetrating exterior stain. Then stand around it holding a drink, which is what it's for.
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