Instructions for Building Picnic Tables

Woods

• Woods such as cedar, white oak, cypress and redwood are popular choices for picnic tables, in large part because they are rot-resistant. Other woods, such as pine, are often used but do not last as long. While you will find plans that use 2 x 4s (usually for economy), it is better to use at least 2 x 6 lumber if you want your table to last a long time. Because there is no real standard for picnic tables, you will have to determine many of your table’s measurements as you build it. But this is also one of the great things about a picnic table; you can make one any size you need.

Fasteners

• Just as different builders choose different woods, you will find some plans that use nails, some that use bolts, and some that use screws when assembling tables. Use galvanized fasteners to make the table last.

  You can also buy pre-made metal frames that only require you to add wood for a top and benches.

Legs

• Legs are the key to a strong table, and in this aspect most picnic tables are the same. Most builders use an A-shaped frame, with the eating surface sitting on top of the “A” and the benches built onto the crossbar. This triangular structure makes the table extremely strong; and if you use wide lumber (2 x 6s or larger), you will have plenty of surface area to which you can anchor the bench and top supports.

  If there is a tricky part to building a picnic table, it involves bracing the legs so they do not wobble from side-to-side. Angled braces, running from the center beneath the top to the crossbars of the “A’s” that make up the legs, generally do the job. However, with all the variances in how tall and how long the tables are, it is almost impossible to know beforehand what kind of angles must be cut on the ends of the braces. This task is trial-and-error, but it is a fairly simple job that does not require great skill to get a good result.

Tops and Benches

• Making the top and benches of a picnic table is the easy part. Benches are usually no more than a single wide board, attached to the crossbar of the legs with screws or nails. Some builders like to add an extra piece of material on either side of the crossbar right under the seat, just to provide a wider mounting area.

  The top is made from several boards laid side-by-side; a couple of shorter boards are laid across the bottom of these boards, and is nailed into each one to make a solid top. This is then fastened to the top of the legs, using extra supports just like the benches.