How to Build a Heavy-Duty Picnic Table

Set the 26-inch-long pieces of 2-by-6-inch lumber on their narrow sides. Mark each board 11 1/2 and 14 1/2 inches from one end. Secure the 37-inch-long 2-by-6-inch lumber between the lines, using the 3-inch deck screws.

Place the eight 48-inch-long pieces of 2-by-4-inch lumber on top of this assembly to form the tabletop. Position the boards so the long sides hang over the assembly by 1 inch, while the ends hang over 3 1/2 inches. Secure them to the assembly with the 3-inch deck screws.

Draw a 60-degree angle on one end of a 40-inch-long piece of 2-by-6-inch lumber, using a protractor. Cut this angle on the board with a circular saw. Measure from the long point of the angle and make a mark at 33 1/2 inches. Draw a 60-degree angle parallel with the first. Cut the angle along the line. Repeat this with the remaining pieces of 2-by-6-inch lumber. These are the table legs.

Turn the tabletop over. Measure from the long side of the top. Make a mark at 3 1/2 inches on the bottom side of the top, just inside the crosspieces.

Stand a leg on the bottom side of the top so the outside of the leg is on the mark you made in Step 4. Clamp the leg to the crosspiece with a C-clamp. Drill two holes 1-inch deep with the 3/4-inch paddle bit. Drill a 3/8-inch hole through the leg and the crosspiece. Secure the leg to the crosspiece with a carriage bolt, washer and nut. Repeat this process with the remaining legs.

Measure from the bottom of the legs. Make marks at 12 and 19 1/2 inches. Clamp the 60-inch-long pieces of 2-by-8-inch lumber to the legs, parallel with the top of the picnic table and between these marks. The ends of the boards will hang 10 inches past the legs. Drill holes as you did with the legs and secure these boards in the same manner. These are the stretchers for the picnic table's seats.

Cut a 19-degree angle on one end of each 48-inch-long piece of 2-by-4-inch lumber. Measure from the long point of the angle and make a mark at 39 inches. Draw a 19-degree angle parallel with the first angle. Cut the angle along the line. These are diagonal braces. Secure them to the stretchers and the 2-by-6-inch support boards on the bottom side of the table. Turn the table upright.

Mark the narrow side of the stretcher, facing up, at 3 and 4 1/2 inches from the end. Hold the 34-inch-long piece of 2-by-4-inch lumber between the marks so the narrow side is flush with the stretcher. Secure it to the stretchers with 3-inch deck screws.

Lay the 48-inch-long pieces of 2-by-8-inch lumber on the two-by-fours and the stretchers as the seats of the picnic table. Secure the seats to the stretchers and the two-by-fours with 3-inch deck screws.