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DIY Six Seat Dining Room Table

ABM + Habitat for Humanity, Budget: $$, D.I.Y. Project, Dining Room, Home Decor, Weekend Project, Wood working
By Josh Rhodes

DIY dining room tableDIY dining room table The HFHS house needed a dining room table, so I made one! With the style we wanted, it was like putting together an open-ended puzzle. I had a bunch of scrap wood from other projects that worked out great for the tabletop (I hate throwing out wood, so I have piles of scrap wood). This table cost about $125 to make (not including tools). 

Supplies:
-1.5″ x 1.5″ x 36″ poplar boards (9 at around $6 ≈$55)
-4×8 3/4″ plywood (≈$40)
-.75″ x 3.5″ x 8′ poplar boards (2 at around $14 ≈ $28)
-assorted 3/4″ thick plywoods, scrap wood
-1 1/4 nails
-stain (optional)
-wood seal

Tools:
-table saw
-miter saw
-drill
-Kreg jig/1 1/4″ Kreg screws
-nail gun (optional)
-sander
-measuring tape
-pencil

HoveytableStep one: The first thing I put together was the base (in yellow), which is made out of the 1.5″ pieces. Here’s the cut list:

-three 36″ (no cuts needed!)
-four 28.5″ (legs)
-four 18″ (just cut two boards in half)

Refer to diagram to see how I connected legs to base, then the cross support to legs. I put together section A first using pocket holes. Then I put together section B, and then attached it to the legs (all with pocket holes). Then I flipped it over and attached C (plywood). I screwed the plywood to the base, then nailed on section D (which is the 3.5″ ply boards ripped down to 1.5″ wide pieces). I knew I was going to use 3/4″ scraps on the top, so I wanted it just wide enough to trim out the plywood and patchwork pieces.

Diy dining room table for sixAt this point it was time to start piecing in the scrappy scraps. I used a bit of walnut ply, poplar, birch, whatever I had lying around. I tried to make sure the pieces were 3/4″ thick so the surface was as flat as possible. I also tried to keep the color range pretty even, no stand out pieces! At this point, the placement and fitting is up to you!

Make a dining room table that seats sixI had some fun with it and threw in some 45˚ angles here and there. I was originally thinking I was going to stain some pieces, but the natural wood tones worked out great. After I had all the pieces cut and fitting nice and snug, I nailed everything down. Then I filled the holes in with a neutral colored wood filler and sanded everything nice and smooth.

DIY dining room table The surface ended up pretty even, some pieces were a bit thicker here and there, but that’s the nature of the biz. Three coats of poly was applied to finish up the project. 

DIY dining room table I hope whoever ends up in the house enjoys the table for years to come! -Josh

Credits // Author: Josh Rhodes. Photography: Janae Hardy and Josh Rhodes. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

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