Outdoor Bar-Height Truss Beam Table — board plan

What to buy, and which parts come off which board.

Buy 12 boards at 8 ft.

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 4x4

2 boards · 13.5 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 73% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 25 3/4" left over
34 1/2"34 1/2"
1. Legs — 34 1/2"
2. Legs — 34 1/2"
Board 2 · 25 3/4" left over
34 1/2"34 1/2"
1. Legs — 34 1/2"
2. Legs — 34 1/2"

1 1/2" × 5 1/2" — 2x6

5 boards · 23.7 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 76% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top planks — 72"
Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top planks — 72"
Board 3 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top planks — 72"
Board 4 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top planks — 72"
Board 5 · 22 7/8" left over
72"
1. Top planks — 72"

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4

5 boards · 16.6 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 84% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 1 3/8" left over
63"30 3/8"
1. Side aprons — 63"
2. Truss braces — 30 3/8"
Board 2 · 1 3/8" left over
63"30 3/8"
1. Side aprons — 63"
2. Truss braces — 30 3/8"
Board 3 · 11 1/4" left over
63"20 1/2"
1. Bottom stretcher — 63"
2. End aprons — 20 1/2"
Board 4 · 11 1/4" left over
63"

Cuts are listed longest-first, which is how they should be made: the awkward pieces get placed while there is still board to place them on. The layout assumes one end of each board is squared off (1") and that every cut costs 1/8" of kerf — the reason six 16″ parts do not fit on a 96″ board.

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 4x4

Board 1 · 25 3/4" left over

Board 2 · 25 3/4" left over

1 1/2" × 5 1/2" — 2x6

Board 1 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 2 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 3 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 4 · 22 7/8" left over

Board 5 · 22 7/8" left over

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4

Board 1 · 1 3/8" left over

Board 2 · 1 3/8" left over

Board 3 · 11 1/4" left over

Board 4 · 11 1/4" left over

Board 5 · 53 3/4" left over