How to Build a Backyard Wooden Bar Table

Use a measuring tape to measure the space you intend to fill with your wooden bar table. Measure the height of your existing bar so you can build your bar table to match. Determine the length and width dimensions of the table, and record them on a sheet of paper.

Cut the tabletop from a sheet of 1-inch hardwood with a table saw. Refer to the measurements you took earlier, and cut the tabletop with the length and width measurements for your table.

Use the table saw to cut four pieces of two-by-four hardwood to construct the support frame for the table legs. Cut two pieces of hardwood to the length of the tabletop, minus 2 inches. Cut the remaining two pieces of hardwood to the width of the bar table, minus 6 inches.

Lay the tabletop flat on the ground, and arrange the four pieces of hardwood you just cut in a rectangular shape on top of it. Position all the boards so they are approximately 1 inch from the sides of the tabletop. The shorter boards should be sandwiched between the ends of the longer boards, and all the edges should be aligned.

Secure the two-by-four hardwood frame by driving 3-inch wood screws through the longer boards into the shorter boards. Attach the frame to the tabletop by driving 2-inch wood screws at a downward angle through the boards into the underside of the tabletop.

Cut four equal-length 4- by 4-inch hardwood posts for the table legs. To decide what length to cut these boards, refer to the height measurement you determined earlier. Subtract 1 inch from this measurement to account for the thickness of the tabletop.

Place the four table legs you just cut upright in the corners of the hardwood frame you just attached to the tabletop. The outside edges of each table leg should be flush with the adjacent sides of the hardwood frame. The top of each table leg should lie flat against the underside of the tabletop.

Drive 3-inch wood screws through the hardwood frame into the sides of the table legs, to secure them in place. For extra stability, drive 2-inch wood screws at a downward angle through the inside edges of the table legs into the underside of the tabletop.

Paint or stain your wooden bar table to match your backyard bar. Once the paint or stain has dried, apply two or three coats of clear varnish or polyurethane to protect the bar table from water damage.