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This is a genuinely large dining table — an 8-foot planked top — built around a detail that matters a lot for anyone who's ever tried to move full-size furniture through a doorway: the 4x4 legs attach to the apron with screws only, no glue, specifically so they can be removed later. Skip the glue on that one joint deliberately, even though every other joint in this build gets glued.
The under-tabletop supports are spaced a fixed 10" apart, and getting the top square starts there — find and mark the centers of both the supports and the end aprons, then line up the center tabletop boards with those marks before fastening, working outward from the middle rather than end to end. That center-out sequence is what keeps gaps between boards minimizing evenly across an 8-foot span instead of compounding toward one end.
Check the whole table for square before screwing the tabletop boards to the end aprons — this is called out as a specific, separate check from squaring the supports, because a top that's screwed down before it's confirmed square stays whatever shape it was in when the screws went in. The mitered 2x2 cross supports underneath add real bracing to a span this long, and should go in after the main structure is confirmed square and solid.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2, 8 ftUnder-tabletop supports and cross braces. | 4 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftAprons. | 3 each |
| 1x10, 8 ftTabletop. | 4 each |
| 4x4, 10 ft | 1 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2", star bit | 60 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 1-1/4", star bit | 30 each |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 3", star bit, for legs | 16 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Wood filler | 1 each |
| Sandpaper | 6 each |
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 aprons1x4, 8 ft | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 90 1/2" |
| End aprons1x4, 8 ft | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 36" |
| Under-tabletop supports2x2, 8 ftSpaced 10" apart. | 8 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 34 1/2" |
| Tabletop boards1x10, 8 ft | 4 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 96" |
| Legs4x4, 10 ft | 4 | 3 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 29 1/4" |
| Cross supports2x2, 8 ftEnds mitered at 45°. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 12" |
Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.
2 boards
4 boards
0 boards
3 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 supports and aprons, spacing the supports 10" apart. Use 2" screws and glue, countersinking the screws.
Square up the assembled base. Find and mark the centers of the tabletop supports and the end aprons. Line up the center tabletop boards with these marks and fasten through the bottom with 2" screws and glue, minimizing gaps as you go.
Mark out the screw hole pattern on the top of the table. Confirm the table is square, then predrill and screw the remaining tabletop boards to the end aprons with 2" screws and glue.
Fasten the 4x4 legs to the aprons from the outside with the longer 3" screws. Do not use glue on this joint if you want the legs to remain removable.
Add the mitered 2x2 cross supports underneath once the main structure is confirmed square and solid. Fill any exposed holes, sand, and finish.
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