# DIY Rustic Farm Tables
Rustic farm tables are sturdy -- almost indestructible to the rigors of family life -- while still adding beautiful accents to most modern kitchens.The rough finish invites you to work away, making bread, chopping vegetables or simply having a cup of coffee. Create a table to reflect your personality and to provide a center for eating, homework, socializing and projects within your home.
Things You'll Need
- Saw
- Framing lumber: 2 sections 48 inches long; 4 sections 30 inches long
- Measuring tape
- Wood glue
- Electric drill
- 3-inch wood screws
- 5-foot planks
- 2 connection planks 34 inches long, 1/2-inch thick, 6 inches wide
- 1-inch wood screws
- 4 table legs
- 1-inch L-brackets
- Tung oil
- Rag
Instructions
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1
Format the base by cutting two long boards and two short boards. Cut the long boards into 48-inch sections and the shorter one into 30-inch sections.
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2
Form a rectangle with the boards on their sides on the floor, keeping the longer boards on the outside and the shorter ones on the inside of each joint. Glue every joint. Screw the ends together with 3-inch wood screws, pre-drilling pilot holes to keep from cracking the wood. Place two screws on the outer edges, spaced evenly apart, one-half inch in toward the center. The finished rectangle should be 48 inches long by just under 34 inches wide.
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3
Strengthen the base by adding two 30-inch cross joints of the same lumber as the sides of the base across the width of the table. Measure from corner to corner to make sure the base is square, and screw the cross sections in place with two 3-inch wood screws straight through the sides of the base, pre-drilling pilot holes.
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4
Stand a table leg or a piece of hardwood at least 2 by 2 inches thick in each corner, squaring up the sides. Glue each intersection. Attach the legs by pre-drilling pilot holes and inserting a drip of wood glue before inserting the 3-inch wood screws.
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5
Screw into both side of the legs through the base, two screws on each side about one inch apart. Alternate the height of the screws to keep them from crossing. Turn the base upright.
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6
Lay enough 5-foot planks on the floor, side by side, to create a 5-by-3-foot tabletop. Position two 6-by-1/2-inch boards, 34 inches long, across the planks, lining up the edges on the ends. Push the planks together tightly.
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7
Drill two pilot holes through the cross sections into each plank two inches and four inches in from the edge. Add wood glue to the holes and secure the planks to the cross sections with 1-inch wood screws.
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8
Set the tabletop onto the base, positioning it between the cross sections. Attach the top to the base with 1-inch L-brackets positioned every 12 inches on the inside of the base. Secure it with screws.
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9
Seal the table by rubbing tung oil into the surface, working in circles with a soft, clean rag until water beads instead of absorbing into the wood.
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