How to Build a Classic Picnic Table | This Old House

Use cedar boards to make a table and benches fit to host family and friends for years to come. (See below for a shopping list, tools, cut list, and steps.) SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse Few things embody casual summer entertaining like the picnic table. And in our opinion, the table should be as fuss-free as the food. Thus the classic Americana design, with its X-shaped legs and its separate benches, roomy enough for six adults. We built our edition from rough-sawn cedar, which is a bit thicker and more rustic than less-expensive pressure-treated pine. This DIY picnic table will last for years, long after it weathers to a silvery gray; the crossed legs are notched with half-lap joints for strength and braced diagonally to prevent the table from racking. As for the various angle cuts, they only look complicated—we used a jig to find them. Follow along as This Old House senior technical editor Mark Powers walks you through the steps for building this backyard beauty. Shopping list for How to Build a Classic Picnic Table: - 2_8 cedar Get five 8-footers. - 2_6 cedar Get six 8-footers. - 2_4 cedar Get six 8-footers. - 16d nails for spacers - 1 1/4-inch deck screws - 2 1/2-inch deck screws - 4-inch deck screws - polyurethane construction adhesive Tools for How to Build a Classic Picnic Table: - measuring tape - miter saw - pencil - caulk gun - drill/driver or - impact driver - bar clamps - circular saw - hammer - chisel - rafter square Cut list: 2x8 tabletop boards: five @ 72 inches 2x6 bench-seat boards: four @ 72 inches 2x6 table legs: Mark the angles and cut four to fit using the jig. 2x4 table cleats: three @ 31⅞ inches, with ends beveled at 45-degrees 2x4 bench cleats: six @ 11½ inches, with ends beveled at 30-degrees 2x4 table braces: Mark the angles and cut to fit two of them. 2x4 bench braces: Mark the angles and cut to fit four of them. 2x4 bench legs: Mark the angles and cut eight to fit using the jig. Steps for How to Build a Classic Picnic Table: 1. Attach the cleats for the top. 2. Use the Tabletop as a jig.[ 3. Cut the angled feet to lay out the table legs. 4. Mark the half-lap joint. 5. Build the legs. 6. Clean out the cut. 7. Attach the legs. 8. Find the angle to brace the legs. 9. Mark the brace. 10. Attach the brace. 11. Make the seats and legs for the benches. 12. Add the leg braces. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House INSIDER to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pages/streaming-app Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseWebsite How to Build a Classic Picnic Table | This Old House https://www.youtube.com/user/thisoldhouse/