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This table's identity is the X cross brace between the legs — one long diagonal mitered at 45° on both ends, meeting two shorter diagonal pieces mitered on one end each. Get the long brace's angles right and the two short pieces just need to meet it cleanly; dry-fit all three before committing to final fasteners.
The plan deliberately leaves glue out of the cross-brace joint as an option: skip it there and the table can be knocked back down for storage or moving, while every other joint stays permanently fastened with screws and glue as usual. That's a genuinely useful trick worth remembering for any table you might need to break down seasonally.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x4 board, 10 ftTabletop boards. | 3 each |
| 1x3 board, 8 ft | 2 each |
| 1x4 board, 8 ftLegs and cross braces. | 3 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2" | 40 each |
| Wood glue | 3 oz |
| Wood filler or paintable silicone | 1 each |
| Exterior paint | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Side aprons1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 32" |
| End aprons and supports1x3 | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 30 1/2" |
| Tabletop boards1x4 | 9 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 33 1/2" |
| Legs1x4 | 4 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 41 1/4" |
| Long cross support1x4Both ends cut at 45°, parallel to each other. | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 46" |
| Short cross supports1x4One end cut at 45°. | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 22 3/4" |
Buy 9 boards at 8 ft.
7 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 →
Build the tabletop frame from the side and end aprons using 2" screws and glue. Check for square before moving on.
Screw the tabletop boards down across the frame, spaced evenly. A pocket-hole jig lets you drive screws from the frame up into the underside of the tabletop boards so no screw heads show on top.
Attach the four legs to the underside of the tabletop frame at the corners.
Dry-fit the long and two short cross-support pieces between the legs to confirm the mitered ends meet cleanly, then fasten. Skip glue on this joint if you'd like the option to knock the table down for storage later — every other joint in the table should still get glue as usual.
If prefinishing, fill any holes with wood filler or paintable silicone, sand as needed, and apply a finish coat of exterior paint.
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