How To Build A 10 Foot Outdoor Table For Less Than $120
Build this super easy outdoor table for less than $120 using just a few tools & wood glue
This post is sponsored by Titebond® Wood Glue but all opinions are absolutely my own!
Y’all it is finally getting to be a bearable temperature outside here in the south & you know what that means…
Outdoor eating, entertaining, & gathering!
Outside is my favorite place once we reach non melting weather & I knew this would be especially true at our new farmhouse. So once I felt even an ounce of a breeze I ran to Lowes & got supplies for the easiest table build on the planet!
Some affiliate links are provided for your convenience, see our policies here
Supplies:
- Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue
- (5) 2 x 4 x 10
- (6) 2 x 6 x 10
- 2 ¾” Exterior Wood Screws
- Stain
Tools:
- Miter Saw/ Circular Saw
- Clamps
- Drill
Cut List: (10’ Table)
- (8) 2 x 4 x 28 ½” (Table Legs)
- (1) 2 x 4 x 25 ½” (Middle Support)
- (2) 2 x 4 x 103 ½” (Side Aprons)
- (1) 2 x 4 x 108” (Bottom Stretcher)
- (6) 2 x 6 x 10 (Table Top Uncut)
Procedure:
- The first thing I do for wood projects if possible is to cut spacers. I like to do this when I am building multiples of one thing or if the project has two sides that need to mirror each other. (A good example of this is my DIY walk-in closet shelving renovation)
For this project I used a scrap piece of ¾” thick MDF, (2) 3 ½” spacers, & (2) 12 ½” spacers
- Next we made all of our cuts from the cutlist above using a miter saw, but a circular will work fine too!
Assembling The Legs
- Start with the 24 ½” leg pieces. Each leg will use four pieces.
- Start by assembling the first leg using the ¾ mdf underneath the top piece to indent it a bit.
- Once you have the layout apply Titebond Wood Glue to the top pieces ends.
Titebond III is the wood glue I used specifically for this build because it’s waterproof & can be used for exterior projects!
- After the glue is applied use a square (essential unless you want a wobbly table) & clamps to connect the top piece to both side pieces.
- Attach these pieces from the outside using 2 ¾” exterior wood screws
- Next, attach the bottom piece to the legs using the 3 ½” spacers to place the bottom board in the right location. Glue, square, & screw this piece in the same way.
This is how one side piece will look once it’s all attached! Build another leg just like this one for the other side.
Assembling The Side Aprons
NOTE: During this portion of assembly the table will be upside down
- The side aprons are the (2) pieces long cut down to 103 ½ “ each. Attach the long pieces to the inside of each leg using the wood glue.
- Use screws to attach the long apron sides after you glue & square them the same way you did the legs. Screw from the inside of the apron pieces to hide the heads.
Installing Bottom Stretcher/Middle Support
- Now it’s time to install the bottom stretcher board. This is the piece cut at 108” & you should have about a ¾” overhand at each end.
Notice this is where we used out 12 ½” spacers to make sure we placed the bottom stretcher in exactly the middle of the table
- Use the wood glue to attach the bottom stretcher to each leg.
- Even though the glue joint is actually stronger than the wood, I am going to use screws to keep the board in place until the glue dries.
- After the bottom stretcher is installed, attach the 23 ½” support piece to the center top of the table. This piece will add extra support for the 2×6 tabletop pieces.
- The first thing we did was lay out all our 2×6 boards on top of the table to make sure they were all the same length & would fit nicely with even overhangs on the sides & tops.
- Once you have all the spacing set, one board at a time apply glue along the base of the table where the board will lay.
Titebond Wood Glue is rated for indirect food contact so I am not worried about using it for the tabletop boards!
- Our boards were not perfectly straight so we did use a large clamp to close the gap between the boards as we installed them.
- Titebond Wood Glue is strong enough to stand on its own, but I don’t have clamps that will work with the overhang of the boards so I am adding wood screws to each board while it dries.
Finishing The Table
Y’all isn’t she beautiful & large! One of those things Adam isn’t allowed to compliment me with but it’s perfectly acceptable when talking about this table!
- Now it’s time to finish the table. Start by filling in the screw holes with sandable wood filler
- Once the filler is dry, sand the entire table down with 220 grit sandpaper.
- Stain or paint the table with your desired color choice! I love the Minwax color Special Walnut
- After you achieve the look you are going for, apply an exterior polyurethane to seal the wood.
- You might be wondering why I didn’t use treated wood… I don’t personally like to use treated lumber for anything we will be eating off of & also it doesn’t finish as nicely. I would rather apply a couple coats of poly to untreated wood then deal with all of that.
This table is a thing of dreams & we literally assembled it in 2 hours!
Hands down this is the easiest furniture build we have ever done, no tricky cuts, pocket holes, or fancy joining. Just a big sturdy table that will be well used & see lots of dinner parties, card games, & star gazing!
Can you keep a secret… We are also building 9 more to use at our wedding in October!
This table cost less than $120 & it was $150 to rent a 6’ one so this just made a lot more sense!
Find plans for our other outdoor table & bench build here!
Comments
Join the conversation
-
Amazing and beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing and showing all the steps! You rock! Congratulations on your nuptials (:
-
Thanks so much Beatrice!
-
-
Hi! I will be making the table today. I see in the comments that the bench design was going to be published last October. Have those been published yet?
Thanks and looking forward to using the beautiful table!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I might’ve missed it, but, is the bench attached to the table or is it a separate piece? And I LOVE this idea. Thanks!!
Do you have plans for the bench as well? I'd love to have them.
This is a lovely table! I can only imagine how beautiful 9 of them look, all decorated. What did (will) you do with all of those tables, after the wedding?