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This is a bar-height table — the kind you pair with stools for a kitchen counter or a small dining spot — built simply and cleanly. A pre-made edge-glued pine project panel (or plywood/MDF if you're painting) gives you a flat, ready top with no glue-up, and the base is a plain apron-and-leg frame that goes together fast.
The legs are the one detail that lifts it above a basic table: each is built up from two 2x2s, giving a chunkier, more modern square-section leg than a single 2x2 would, with a bottom 2x2 support tying the base together for rigidity at bar height (tall tables rack more easily than dining tables, so that lower stretcher matters). Build the legs, check them for square, then flip the top and aprons over and drop the leg assemblies into the corners.
Assembly order keeps it painless: attach the end aprons to the top first, keeping the top flush, then the side aprons to both the top and the end aprons, so the apron frame is fully tied together before the legs go on. Use 2" and 2-1/2" screws, or pocket screws throughout. It's a beginner-friendly build whose only real requirement is keeping the tall legs square so the finished table doesn't wobble.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Edge-glued pine panel or plywood/MDF, 24 in x 48 inTop — panel for stain, MDF for paint. | 1 each |
| 2x2, 8 ftLegs and bottom support. | 4 each |
| 1x4, 10 ftAprons. | 1 each |
| Wood screws, 2 in and 2-1/2 inOr 1-1/4" and 2" pocket screws. | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 1 bottle |
| Finish or 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tabletop panelpine panel | 1 | 3/4" × 24" × 48" |
| End aprons1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 24" |
| Side aprons1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 49 1/2" |
| Leg ends2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 22 1/2" |
| Leg sides2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 42" |
| Bottom support2x2 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 49 1/2" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
4 boards
1 board
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 →
Attach the end aprons to the underside of the tabletop, keeping the top edge flush with the top surface. Working from the top down means the apron frame references the finished surface, so the table ends up flat.
Attach the side aprons to both the tabletop and the end aprons, closing the apron frame. Tying the side aprons into the end aprons is what makes the frame rigid before any legs go on.
Build each leg by joining two 2x2s into a built-up square-section leg, using 2-1/2" screws and glue or 2" pocket screws. Add the bottom 2x2 support across the base. Adjust each leg for square — at bar height even a small error becomes a noticeable wobble.
Flip the top-and-apron assembly upside down and attach the legs into the corners of the apron frame. Stand it up, check it sits level with no wobble, and adjust before the last screws go tight. Sand and finish or paint.
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