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This is a compact outdoor end table — the kind you set beside a patio chair for a drink and a book. It's a 2x2 leg-and-apron base with a 1x3 slatted top capped by breadboard ends, and it's genuinely cheap and fast: a beginner build you can knock out in an afternoon.
The plan gives two clean paths depending on your tools. With a Kreg jig, everything is pocket screws and you hide the holes underneath. Without one, you use countersunk 2-1/2" screws and glue for the base, and attach the breadboard ends and top with 2" fasteners (or screw up from underneath to hide the holes). Either way the result is the same solid little table.
The breadboard ends are the one detail that lifts it above a plain slat top: the 1x3 top boards run between two perpendicular end pieces, which cap the end grain and stiffen the top. Attach them flush to the inside of the apron. Because it lives outside, keep any pocket holes facing down so water can't pool in them, use exterior screws, and finish with an outdoor paint or sealer — the classic look here is a crisp white, but raw cedar left to silver works too. The source listed no shopping list, so materials are inferred from the cut list.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2, 8 ftLegs, supports, aprons. Cedar or treated for outdoors. | 2 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftTabletop boards and breadboard ends. | 2 each |
| Exterior screws, 2-1/2 inOr 2-1/2" pocket screws. | 1 box |
| Exterior screws, 2 in | 1 box |
| Waterproof wood glue | 1 bottle |
| Exterior paint or sealer | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Legs2x2 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 17 1/4" |
| Supports and aprons2x2 | 6 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 14" |
| Breadboard ends1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 19" |
| Tabletop boards1x3 | 7 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 14" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
2 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 two leg assemblies. Use the Kreg jig set for 1-1/2" stock with 2-1/2" pocket screws, or simply countersink 2-1/2" screws with wood glue. Keep pocket holes facing down for the outdoor life of the table.
Build the tabletop frame the same way — pocket holes or countersunk 2-1/2" screws and glue. This frame carries the top boards and ties the legs together.
Attach the legs to the tabletop frame, hiding pocket holes to the inside if you used them. Check the table stands level with no wobble.
Non-Kreg path: attach the breadboard ends flush to the inside of the apron, nailing or screwing with glue and 2" fasteners (or screw from underneath to hide the holes). Kreg-jig users skip this and do it in the next step instead.
Kreg-jig path: set your jig for 3/4" stock and attach the tabletop boards to the breadboard ends with 1-1/4" pocket screws and glue. This builds the slatted top with capped end grain.
Attach the base to the tabletop with 2" screws, concealing pocket holes on the underside. Sand smooth and finish with an exterior paint (crisp white is the classic look) or sealer so the table survives outdoors.
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