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DIY Farmhouse Tables and Benches

We just finished a big project and today I’m sharing all about how we built two, 16ft rustic, farmhouse tables, and 8 benches for our backyard pavilion!

*This post is sponsored by Kreg Tool 

Before we even built our DIY pavilion, I had a vision in my head of beautiful, rustic, solid wood, 16-foot farmhouse tables with benches on each side! I knew there was no way I would ever find exactly what I wanted for this space, and even if I did, they would have cost a few thousand dollars each…and I needed two tables and eight benches!

TIME FOR A DIY PROJECT!

You know where this is headed right? We knew we wanted to “DIY” both farmhouse tables and eight benches to go with them!

We took some measurements of the height of our dining table and chairs, sketched up a design, and ordered the lumber!  We wanted the tables to be 16ft long and able to accommodate two, 7ft benches on each side as well as a chair at the head and foot of each table.

I LOVE using SketchUp for this kind of project because I’m able to visualize what I’m building and make sure it’s just right!

Here’s what we came up with for our DIY Farmhouse Tables and Benches

Now that I had a visual, I knew they’d work perfectly for what we needed! The exact dimensions of the tables are 16′ 4″ long, 33″ wide and 31.5″  high. Each bench is 6′ 11″ long, 18″wide and 18″ high. I find that benches are a little more comfortable and less likely to be tipped over by a young child when they are a little wider. Our dining chairs are 18″ wide and they are really comfortable so we went with that!

 

 

 

For This Project We Used:

 

When I build something DIY, I want it to look amazing and be as well built as possible! Even though I don’t have a real workshop or any fancy tools, there are two things I do to help make inexpensive lumber projects become gorgeous pieces of furniture!

 Tip #1.

The edges on 2x4s, 2x6s, (or whatever) are always a little rounded and we don’t have a planer to run them through. So instead we run all the boards (except the 4×4’s) through our table saw on each side, taking just enough off to get a square edge. Having a flat edge will allow you to get a really tight seal when you assemble the planks. This makes for a much more smooth tabletop! This step took quite a while but was well worth the extra effort in the end.

 

Tip #2

Someone really doesn’t have to have a woodworking shop or all kinds of tools to build beautiful furniture! I found that out the first time I used a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig! With the Kreg Jig, every single screw is hidden and my furniture is extremely sturdy! This little tool is a game-changer!  They are so easy to use, under $40 and they make all the difference in the outcome of your furniture!

 

 

Time for a little rundown on my “MUST HAVE” tool and what’s included with

The Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 320 

  • A Case and an Instruction Manual
  • A Jig that has two Drill Guides, a Spacer, and Thickness Stops
  • A Drill Bit and Stop Collar
  • A Material Thickness Gauge that’s also a Hex Wrench
  • A Driver Bit that’s 6 inches long
  • An Adjustable Clamp Pad
  • Sample Screws

 

 

The first step is to determine the thickness of your lumber by using the Thickness Gauge. The Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 320 has the depths of  ½”, ¾”,1½”. After you know your thickness, slide the stop collar onto the drill bit and set it to match the thickness on the gauge (tighten it using the hex wrench that comes in the kit).

 

 

Now, set the gray thickness stops on the back of the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig to match the thickness of your lumber. You may want to place a clamp pad on the top center of the jig and use a clamp while drilling. I skipped this step because I was working with 16 ft. boards and don’t have a workbench.

 You really don’t need a ton of tools to build beautiful and functional furniture!

 

Instead of clamping it, I just held it in place with my left hand and made sure to keep it firmly in place while I drilled the pocket holes. However, if I were doing a smaller project and my lumber was a lot shorter, I would have clamped it for sure.

 

One really cool thing about the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig 320 is that the Drill Guides has a twist-apart design allowing you to take the center spacer out. That is really useful if you want to pocket screw 2 screws into a smaller piece of material such as a 1×2. You can also remove the thickness stop if you need to use the jig in really tight spaces making it the perfect tool to fix things like a chair or table with a loose leg. Pretty cool!

 

After I had all the pocket-holes drilled, we glued and screwed all the 2x6s together to make the tabletop. Then we used the Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig again to add the 2×2 strip on the end, to attach the supports underneath as well as the 4×4 legs in each corner.

 

Once the table was complete it was time to sand it. I used 80 grit to get off any dried-on glue and then went over the whole table with 120 grit to get it really smooth. Below you can see one table all sanded and stained and the other one isn’t finished.

 

I am THRILLED with the way these DIY Farmhouse Tables and Benches turned out! They are just what I had envisioned when we first started planning our DIY pavilion!

 

Thanks for being here and be sure to stay tuned because we have all kinds of exciting projects in the works here at Fletcher Creek Cottage that we can’t wait to share!

 

  1. Cheryl says:

    Dena,
    The tables turned out great! It will be so nice when you have extended family over.
    Love the Kreg Jig. I got my hubby one years ago. It’s coming in handy with our pantry makeover we are doing.

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