Building your own picnic table will save you money.
Building picnic tables can be an arduous task for the amateur carpenter. Most experienced wood workers can complete the project with ease, but the inexperienced will likely need clear instructions to reference as they proceed to build. The materials required for a strong and durable picnic table are not expensive, and they do not require much hardware. Construction lumber is an adequate choice of wood because when it is sealed with a wood sealant, it holds up to the elements. Building your own picnic table can be a fun weekend project for any homeowner. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Lay a 32-inch board flat, and use the protractor and pencil to mark a 22-degree angle at the ends of the board. Cut the ends of the board at this angle so that the boards original length is not affected, and so that it looks like a parallelogram. Repeat this process with the other three 32-inch boards. These are the legs to the picnic table. The angles are cut so all the legs can lean toward each other and support the benches, and table top.
2. Lay two of the table legs flat on your work space so the ends are horizontal, and so they are leaning at a 22-degree angle toward each other. The top ends, or the ends leaning toward each other, should be 22 inches apart. Lay a 33-inch board flat and horizontally across the top ends of the legs so it is flush with horizontal ends of the legs. Bolt the 33-inch board to the two legs by drilling two 3/8-inch holes through both ends of the 33-inch board and through the legs. Be sure there is a washer on both sides of the wood.
3. Bolt a 52-inch board to the legs in the same manner so it is parallel with the 33-inch board, but 16 inches below it. This board will hold the bench boards to the picnic table. There should be 12 inches of clearance from the ends of this board to the table legs. The four boards that are bolted together is one of the ends to your table. Repeat these steps to build the opposite end of the table. The bench boards, and the table top boards will be perpendicular to these ends.
4. Position the table ends so the 33-inch boards are on top, parallel and 57 inches apart. Screw through the 26-inch centers of the 52-inch boards and into the 57-inch board. The 57-inch board must be perpendicular to the 52-inch board, and the 6-inch-by-57-inch sides of the board should be vertical. This board will provide support to the picnic table.
5. Screw the 1-inch-by-6-inch boards perpendicularly to the 33-inch boards. There should be a 6-inch over hang with both ends of these boards from the 33-inch boards, and the two outside boards should be flush with the ends of the 33-inch boards. This will be your table top.
6. Screw two 2-inch-by-6-inch-by-72-inch boards to each side of the picnic table so that they are parallel with the table top boards, and so that there is the same 6-inch overhang at both ends of the table. Apply your wood sealant and let dry.
7. Apply the wood sealant and allow it to dry.
Tags: picnic table, 33-inch board, 33-inch boards, both ends, each other, ends 33-inch, toward each