How to Build a Farmhouse Table
A Rustic Addition to Your Kitchen

April 25, 2017

Today’s farmhouse style is often called rustic chic because it conveys a comfortable, traditional feeling, yet with a refined nature.

Building a farmhouse table is your first step towards achieving this style. The table is easy to build, requires no special woodworking tools, and best of all, is relatively inexpensive to make.

Similarly designed farmhouse tables cost hundreds of dollars from discount online retailers. Brick and mortar furniture stores often charge as much as $3,000 for the same item. Your farmhouse table will cost between $100 and $200.

What You Are Building

Seating six people, this farmhouse table measures 72” long, 37” wide, and 30” high.

The secret of the table is the truss that runs at foot level along its length. Not only does this infuse the table with a rustic look, it acts as a strengthening device.

Another element you will be adding that provides the table with its unique look: two tabletop end pieces that run perpendicular to the lengthwise pieces that form the majority of the top. These end pieces are a stylistic flourish that distinguish this table from other tables, and adding them requires very little extra work.

Tools and Materials

Tools

Sanding block
Wood glue
Pencil
Variety of drill bits
Cordless drill
Hammer
Hearing protection
Safety glasses
An electric compound saw (also known as a miter saw) is highly preferable because it will produce cleaner cuts in less time than if you did it manually. However, you can use a hand-held electric circular saw or even a manual saw. But be prepared for added time for cutting and the possibility of less-than-straight cuts.

Lumber

Quantity	Lumber (Nominal Size*)	Length (Ft.)
1	4x4	10
3	1x4	10
2	1x10	8
1	1x10	10
2	2x3	8

Nominal size means the dimension of the lumber “in name only.” In other words, the lumber is called a certain size, even though its true size is smaller. For example, a piece of lumber is called a 4x4 at the store, even though it is only 3 ½” x 3 ½” if you were to measure it with a ruler.http://www.familyhandyman.com/carpentry/making-sense-of-lumber-dimensions/view-all

Fasteners

2” finishing nails (box)
2” wood screws (20 total screws)
5” wood screws (8 total screws)

Building the Table

Work in a dry, warm space with a flat floor, such as a garage.

Devote two separate work sessions to the table-building process: first, cutting the lumber and constructing the table; second, finishing the table.

1. Mark and Cut the Lumber

Cut all of the lumber in one session before you begin to build. Your cut list:

Using This Lumber	Cut This Many Pieces	Each Piece This Long
4x4	4	29 ¼”
1x4	2	70”
1x4	5	33 ½”
1x10	4	53 ½”
1x10	2	37”
2x3	2	33 ½”
2x3	2	26 ½”
2x3	1	63 ½”

2. Lay Out the Underlying Frame

Some farmhouse table plans employ a device called a Kreg jig that uses special (and expensive) screws to hold the tabletop together.

Instead, this method is far easier as you first make an underlying frame that strengthens the tabletop – eliminating the need for complicated jigging, as well as the need to purchase tools that you will use only once.

Begin with your seven pieces of 1x4 lumber.

Arrange them on the floor so that the two 70” pieces are about three feet away from each other.

Arrange the remaining five 33 ½” pieces between the two longer pieces and running perpendicular to them.

This rough layout gives you a sense of what the underlying frame will look like after it is nailed together.

Building The Table - How to Build a Farmhouse Table

3. Construct Perimeter of the Underlying Frame

Following that rough layout, nail together the outer (or perimeter) part of the frame, using your two 70” pieces and two of the 33 ½” pieces.

Before nailing, run a thin bead of wood glue on the end of each piece.

Nail each joint using two finishing nails. While this may initially seem inadequate, you will be adding other fasteners later that will make the table more structurally sound.

4. Add Inner Braces for the Underlying Frame

You now have three remaining pieces of 33 ½”-long 1x4 lumber.

Run a bead of glue and then nail one of those pieces dead-center onto the perimeter frame.

Nail two more pieces on either side of that center piece, each about 12” away from the center.

5. Add Support for Your Tabletop Ends

As noted earlier, two perpendicular pieces of wood will cap the tabletop and give it a more finished look. These pieces need support below them.

Take out your two pieces of 2x3 lumber that run 33 ½”.

Insert them into the frame, each 6” from the end of the frame.

Each needs to be flush with the top side of the frame.

6. Add the First of Two Tabletop End Pieces

Lay the frame down flat on the ground.

Take out your two 37” pieces of 1x10 board. Lay one of them on the end of the frame, providing for a 1” overhang. Keep the second 1x10 off to the side; it will be used in a later step.

With your pencil, draw a line down the length of the board on the underlying 2x3. Remove the 1x10.

Set the 1x10 board back down, using the pencil mark as a reference guide. Nail down the board using finishing nails.

7. Add the Four Lengthwise Tabletop Boards

Butt the four pieces of 53 ½” board lengthwise against the end piece that you just nailed into place to make a rough check for sizing and placement.

Remove the boards. Run a long bead of wood glue on top of the frame.

Place the four lengthwise boards down again and nail into place with the finishing nails.

8. Add the Second Tabletop End Piece

Take your remaining piece of 37” 1x10 board. Run glue on the frame. Lay the board on top of the frame, butting it against the lengthwise boards.

Now, take a break and let the wood glue dry for about 2 hours.

9. Add the Legs

Flip the table over.

Take one of your 4x4 pieces and fit it tightly into a corner of the frame. Screw into place, using four of the 2” screws. It is recommended that you drill pilot holes with a drill bit to avoid splitting the wood.

Repeat for the other three legs.

10. Create the Truss Assembly

Flip the table over again, with a helper, so that it is now standing upright.

Take your two 26 ½” 2x3’s and your one 63 ½” 2x3.

Build them into an “I” shape, with the long piece running down the middle.

Squirt with glue and screw together with the 2” screws. Drill pilot holes if necessary.

11. Secure Truss Assembly to Table Legs

Place the truss between the table legs, using scrap lumber to prop it up.

Height placement is your choice, but keep in mind that the lower the truss is, the stronger it is. However, the truss does need to be at least 2” to 3” off the ground to give the table its proper appearance.

Drill pilot holes, then screw into place with the 5” screws. Use two screws per table leg.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdnJgb_k2gg

Finishing the Table

Your built farmhouse table is a blank canvas for any type of creative finishing process.

One great thing about this table is that you can dial its refinement up or down, according to how rustic or finished you want it to look.

Wood Table Finishes - How to Build a Farmhouse Table

How to Distress Wood

With any style that you choose, you have the option of distressing the wood before staining and sealing.

Distressing means, essentially, to turn new wood into old-looking wood by lightly battering it.

You can use several tools that you may already have on hand. In each case, go light on the pressure at first. You can always distress it more later on. But it is difficult to smooth out wood that has been overly distressed.

Ideas for distressing wood:

Gently sand down the edges of the wood to round it off.
Place screws in a cloth bag and strike the wood with the bag.
Lightly rap the wood with the side of a hammer’s face.
Tap shallow holes into the wood with a nail.
Place a screw against the wood and lightly tap it with a hammer to create an impression.http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/04/how-to-distress-wood/

1. The Reclaimed Wood Look

This Is: Weathered appearance of reclaimed wood created with vinegar and steel wool.
Use: White vinegar poured into a glass jar with steel wool that you have pulled apart and loosened. After fifteen minutes, brush onto the wood. After the surface is dry, you can leave it as-is or clear coat it with a product like Minwax One Coat Polyurethane. Distress prior to finishing, if so desired.http://www.wikihow.com/Age-Wood-With-Vinegar-and-Steel-Wool

2. The Antique Walnut Look

This Is: A dark Old World appearance.
Use: With water-based wood stain, cleanup is easy and you will not have to contend with noxious odors. Minwax Water Based Wood Stain, American Walnut or Dark Mahogany, deepens the color of the wood and gives it the look of a century-old table. It is essential to begin with a wood pre-conditioner, as this helps the stain absorb more evenly, avoiding a blotchy look.

3. The Clear-Coat Pine Look

This Is: Fresh and clean-looking, this treatment evokes the bright look of Scandinavian furniture.
Use: If you used a soft wood like pine for the table, two coats of clear sealant like Minwax One Coat Polyurethane applied with a brush will preserve that natural wood look.

Building a farmhouse table is a relatively easy project that will take about one weekend and cost less than $200.

Embed the article on your site

How to Build a Farmhouse Table A Rustic Addition to Your Kitchen