Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The top passes the sag check.
- The footrest passes the sag check.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
- Racking: the legs are braced by the aprons and the footrest stretchers, 22 5/8″ apart. Glue every joint; a 42″ table loosens fast if one joint works free.
- A sideways push of about 14 lb at the top edge tips it (it weighs about 60 lb). Make the top bigger so the legs spread wider, and anchor it to the wall.
- A 42″ table suits bar stools with 30″–32″ seats: 10–12″ of space between the seat and the table top.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2×6 lumber, 12′ (board) | $10.80 |
| 2 | 4×4 post, 8′ (board) | $22.40 |
| 1 | 2×4 stud, 10′ (board) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Tabletop fasteners (figure-8) (pack of 10) | $7.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 2 | Wood glue (bottle) | $10.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 32 | 2″ L-bracket with screws (each) | $64.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
About $140 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Top board Rip to 4 13/16″ wide, taking the round edge off both sides. Cut 1″ long; trim after glue-up. | 5 | 25″ | 4 13/16″ | 2×6 lumber |
| B | Leg | 4 | 40 5/8″ | 3 1/2″ | 4×4 post |
| C | Long apron | 2 | 13″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| D | Short apron | 2 | 13″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| E | Long footrest stretcher | 2 | 13″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| F | Short footrest stretcher | 2 | 13″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
Cut list
2×6 lumber, 144″ → A 25″ · A 25″ · A 25″ · A 25″ · A 25″
2 × 4×4 post, 96″ → B 40 5/8″ · B 40 5/8″ each
2×4 stud, 120″ → C 13″ · C 13″ · D 13″ · D 13″ · E 13″ · E 13″ · F 13″ · F 13″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw or miter saw
- Miter saw, or circular saw in two passes, for 4×4 posts
- Stud finder
- Level
- Table saw or track saw for ripping
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Glue up the top
Rip each top board (A) to 4 13/16″ wide, taking the round edge off both sides.
Lay them out with the end-grain rings alternating up and down. Glue the edges and clamp every 12″, clamps above and below.
- Tip Dry-fit first, with clamps but no glue, so you know the clamps reach and the joints close before the glue starts to set.
- Tip Scrape off glue squeeze-out after about 30 minutes, when it is rubbery. Wiping wet glue smears it into the grain, and stain will not take there.
✓ Every joint closes tight along its whole length.
4Flatten the top
After a day, scrape off the glue. Plane or belt-sand both faces flat, to about 1 3/8″ thick.
Trim both ends square to 24″ long.
- Tip Pencil a loose zig-zag over the whole surface before sanding. When the pencil is gone everywhere, the surface is flat.
✓ A straightedge laid across the top shows no gap over 1/32″.
5Build the two side frames
Lay two legs (B) flat, 13″ apart. Glue a long apron (C) between them, flush with the leg tops and 1/2″ in from the outside face. Screw 2 L-brackets inside each corner, one high and one low.
Repeat for the second frame.
- Tip Sight down each apron before you cut it. Put any curve (the crown) up, so the weight of the top straightens it.
- Tip Work on a flat floor and clamp each joint before you drive screws, so the parts cannot creep out of line.
- Tip Measure both diagonals of each frame corner to corner. When they match, the frame is square.
✓ Diagonals of each frame match within 1/16″.
6Join the frames
Stand the frames up. Join a short apron (D) between them at each end the same way, flush with the leg tops, 1/2″ in from the outside face.
- Tip Stand the base on the flattest part of the floor. If one leg lifts, loosen the last joint, press the base flat, and tighten it again.
- Tip Wipe glue squeeze-out with a damp rag now, before it dries. Dried glue blocks stain.
✓ The base stands flat with no rocking.
7Add the footrest stretchers
Mark the stretcher heights on the inside faces of the legs: the long stretchers (E) 9″ up from the floor to their bottom edge, the short ones (F) 11″ up.
Fit the long stretchers between the legs on the front and back, on edge, 1/2″ in from the outside face, with 2 L-brackets at each joint, on the underside and the inside face.
Fit the short stretchers between the legs at each end the same way, 2″ higher. The two heights keep the screws from running into each other inside the leg, and give a second foot position.
- Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of a board end. Without it the board splits.
- Tip Cut a spacer block the height of the stretcher bottom and stand it on the floor against each leg. Every stretcher then sits at exactly the same height.
✓ Push the top sideways, then front to back: the table should not sway. Stand on the long stretcher with one foot, holding the top: it does not creak.
STOP. Glue every stretcher joint. Brackets or screws alone let a 42″ table work loose and sway.8Attach the top
Lay the top (A) face down on a blanket. Set the base on it upside down, 2″ in from each end and 2″ from each side.
Chisel a shallow recess in the apron top edge for each figure-8 fastener, about every 12″ (8 total). Screw each fastener to the apron, then up into the top.
Use 5/8″ screws only. Longer ones come through the top.
- Tip Tabletop fasteners let the top grow and shrink with the seasons. Never glue a top to its base.
- Tip Drill each fastener recess with a Forstner bit the size of the fastener, about 1/8″ deep, so the fastener sits flush with the apron top.
✓ Knee clearance under the aprons is 37 1/8″.
9Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.10Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.