How to Build a Benchless Picnic Table

The design of many picnic tables can prevent people who use mobility devices from using them with any degree of comfort. A no-bench picnic table is ideal for large groups and ensures that anyone can sit at the table regardless of mobility status. The table is ideal for buffet-style meals. The trade-off is the need to supply chairs for everyone if you want a sit-down meal.

2 tomato stakes, 48-inch long
Twine
15-feet long, 4- by 6-inch post
Table saw
Power auger
Flat-sided gravel
Concrete mix
Spirit level and plumb bob
5 pieces 2- by 12-inch by 12-feet stock lumber
3 pieces 2- by 2-inch by 4-feet stock lumber
Work bench or 2 sawhorses
Power drill, 1/2-inch bit
4.5-inch long, 1/2-inch diameter bolts
1/2-inch diameter hole fender washers
1/2-inch diameter acorn nuts
3 lag bolts, 6-inch long by 1/2-inch diameter
Ratchet wrench

Instructions

- 1
  Drive 2 tomato stakes 48-inches long at least 12 inches into the ground, 12 feet apart. Stretch twine between them to mark a straight line. Cut the 4- by 6-inch post into three equal 5-feet sections.
- 2
  
  Power augers dig consistent-size and depth holes.
  
  Use a power auger to dig three holes 2-feet deep with a 15-inch diameter, in a straight line from the center point of each post hole to the center point of the next one, 5.5 feet apart from center point to center point.
- 3
  Place one post in each hole and backfill it with flat, sharp-sided gravel. Mix concrete according to package directions and fill the hole, mounding the concrete slightly to encourage water runoff. Make sure the posts are vertical and the tops of each post are level with one another by hanging a plumb bob from a spirit level. Adjust the post positions until they are both vertical and level.
- 4
  
  Sawhorses raise everything to a comfortable height.
  
  Lay 5 lengths of 2- by 12-inch by 12-feet stock lumber beside each other on a work bench or across a pair of sawhorses, with their 2-inch sides touching. Lay 2- by 2-inch by 4-feet pieces of stock lumber across all four boards, 6 inches from each end. Lay a third piece of 2- by 2-inch lumber across the center point between the ones on each end.
- 5
  Clamp each end of each 2- by 2-inch board to the larger boards. Drill 1/2-inch diameter holes along the 2-inch boards, centered on each of the larger boards.
- 6
  Place 1/2-inch diameter hole fender washers on each bolt. Push 1/2-inch diameter bolts through from what will be the table top, through the larger boards and the smaller boards. Add a second fender washer and an acorn nut. Hand tighten all nuts. This is your picnic table top.
- 7
  Place the picnic table top over the three posts so that the center board runs across the tops of each post and so that each cross brace rests on top of a post. Drill 1/2-inch diameter holes through the table top into the center point of each post and insert 1/2-inch diameter, 6-inch long lag bolts into each hole. Lag bolts look like oversized screws and are tightened with a wide, flat-head screwdriver. Tighten all the bolts and nuts along each cross brace one additional twist with a ratchet wrench.

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