Sand and Water Play Table

Assemble the 1x6 top frame — sides, ends, and the center divider that creates the two tub bays. Exterior glue at every joint and the 2" screws, pilot-drilled.

Before driving a single screw, set your actual tubs in the dry-fit frame: rims should catch on the frame all around, bodies should hang free. Move the divider until both tubs fit. The tubs are the spec; the cut list is the suggestion.

Build the 1x3 shelf frame to the same outer footprint as the top frame — same construction, lighter stock. This one carries buckets and shovels, not sand and water; it doesn't need the 1x6 beef.

Flip the TOP frame face-down on a flat surface and screw a leg into each corner with the 1-1/4" screws and glue. Then slide the shelf frame down over the legs to its height and screw it to all four.

Do this on a genuinely flat surface — a table this small shows every millimeter of leg mismatch as a wobble, and toddlers lean on everything.

Screw the twelve shelf slats across the shelf frame with the 1-1/4" screws, even gaps — the gaps drain rain and shed sand instead of collecting both.

Sand everything and round over every edge and corner a kid can find (they will find all of them). Drop in the tubs: sand one side, water the other, chaos both. The tubs lift out for dumping — which is the entire maintenance plan.