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This is the farmhouse table stripped to its essentials: four store-bought turned legs, a simple 1x4/1x2 apron, and a top glued and screwed up from six 1x6 boards. Buying the turned legs is what makes it look 'old English' without a lathe — Osborne and similar suppliers sell them in a range of profiles, and the whole character of the table rides on which one you pick.
The apron is joined to the legs with pocket screws set 1/4" in from the outside face, so the leg reveals a clean shoulder rather than sitting flush. Cross-bracing cut to fit in the corners stiffens the base and gives the tabletop screws something to bite into. The 1x2 lower trim wraps the apron and reads as a second, thinner rail — it's cosmetic, but it's what separates this from a plain four-legs-and-a-box table.
At 55" the top is on the small side, which is the point: it fits a breakfast nook or a small dining room and can be cut in half across the boards for transport if you build it somewhere other than where it lives. Sand the top thoroughly and finish for the wear a dining surface takes.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Turned legs, 3 in x 3 inStore-bought (e.g. Osborne Wood). The leg profile sets the whole look. | 4 each |
| 1x6, 10 ftTabletop boards — can be cut in half for transport. | 3 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftAprons and corner braces. | 2 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftLower trim. | 3 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4 in | 1 box |
| Wood glue | 1 bottle |
| Finish (stain and topcoat)A durable topcoat — this is an eating surface. | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| End aprons1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 26" |
| Side aprons1x4 | 2 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 55" |
| End lower trim1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 26" |
| Side lower trim1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 55" |
| Tabletop boards1x6 | 6 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 59 1/2" |
| Corner cross braces1x2Cut to fit the corners — 33" is approximate. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 33" |
Buy 11 boards at 8 ft.
6 boards
2 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 →
Drill 3/4" pocket holes along all four edges of each end apron. The top and bottom edges are for attaching the tabletop and the lower trim; the ends are for joining to the legs.
Attach the end aprons to the legs with 1-1/4" pocket-hole screws and glue, inset 1/4" from the outside face of the leg. That 1/4" reveal is deliberate — it gives a clean shoulder instead of a flush, furniture-of-mystery joint.
Repeat the pocket-hole layout on the side aprons and join them to the leg assemblies, again inset 1/4" and with glue.
Cut cross braces from 1x4 material to fit diagonally across each corner and screw them in. They stiffen the base against racking and give you solid wood to drive the tabletop screws into later.
Drill 3/4" pocket holes in the ends of the 1x2 lower trim pieces. Attach them to the legs with 1-1/4" pocket screws, then fasten them up into the bottom edge of the aprons through the pocket holes you drilled earlier. This gives the base its two-rail farmhouse look and hides the apron's lower pocket holes.
Glue and clamp up the six 1x6 boards into a top, keeping the joints tight and the surface flat. If you're joining with pocket screws, drive them from underneath so nothing shows on top.
Once the top is dry and sanded, center it on the base and screw up through the apron pocket holes into the underside with 1-1/4" pocket screws and glue. Sand through the grits and finish with a durable topcoat.
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