How to Make a Vintage Fir Cross Beam Table

Lay out six 1-by-6-by-48 inch fir boards to be the tabletop. Set their most attractive sides down and place the boards with their long, thin sides together. Evenly space a 1/2-by-4-by-32 inch fir board on the top of the tabletop boards, perpendicular to them and in the center. Drill two holes through the smaller board and into each larger board. Attach the boards with 1-inch wood screws to finish the tabletop.

Place four 1-by-4-by-36-inch fir boards on the ground with their long, thin sides touching. Separate the boards in the middle, splitting them into two sets of two boards.

Slide two 1-by-4-by-16 inch fir boards between the other boards, parallel with them, leaving a four-inch space between these two smaller boards. Slide all of the boards back together so they form a 20-by-36 inch panel with a 4-by-4 inch hole in the center.

Lay two 1/2-by-2-by-18 inch fir boards evenly across this panel so they do not cover the central hole. Drill two holes through each of the smaller boards and into each of the larger ones. Attach the boards together with 1-inch wood screws. Repeat to create a second, identical panel.

Stand the two panels upright with the help of an assistant, keeping them about 3 feet apart with their cross boards facing inward. Slide a 42-inch 4-by-4 fir beam through the holes in each of the panels. Set a 1/2-by-4-by-32-inch board evenly on top of each of the panels. Drill through this board and into the end of each panel, spacing the holes every six inches. Attach the boards together with 3-inch wood screws and consider them the top boards.

Set the tabletop on top of the top boards evenly. Drill two holes up through each top board and into each of the tabletop boards. Attach the boards with 1-inch wood screws to complete the table.