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 lower shelf passes the sag check.
- Playing surface inside the lip: 48″ × 36″. A 1000-piece puzzle (about 27″ × 20″) fits with 21″ and 16″ to spare for sorting.
- The lip stands 13/16″ above the top.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4×4 post, 10′ (board) | $14.00 |
| 2 | 2×4 stud, 8′ (board) | $9.60 |
| 2 | 1×2 pine board, 8′ (board) | $11.20 |
| 1 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $68.00 |
| 24 | 2″ L-bracket with screws (each) | $48.00 |
| 1 | Tabletop fasteners (figure-8) (pack of 10) | $7.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 2 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $18.00 |
About $192 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Top | 1 | 48″ | 36″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Leg | 4 | 29 5/16″ | 3 1/2″ | 4×4 post |
| C | Long apron | 2 | 35″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| D | Short apron | 2 | 23″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| E | Shelf rail | 2 | 35″ | 3 1/2″ | 2×4 stud |
| F | Shelf | 1 | 35″ | 29″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| G | Long lip | 2 | 49 1/2″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
| H | Short lip | 2 | 36″ | 1 1/2″ | 1×2 pine board |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 1
4×4 post, 120″ → B 29 5/16″ · B 29 5/16″ · B 29 5/16″ · B 29 5/16″
2×4 stud, 96″ → C 35″ · C 35″ · D 23″
2×4 stud, 96″ → E 35″ · E 35″ · D 23″
2 × 1×2 pine board, 96″ → G 49 1/2″ · H 36″ each
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 36″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Miter saw, or circular saw in two passes, for 4×4 posts
- 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. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
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.3Build the two side frames
Lay two legs (B) flat, 35″ 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.
Fit a shelf rail (E) the same way, its bottom 6″ up from the leg ends.
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″.
4Join 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.
5Add the shelf
Set the shelf (F) on the rails between the legs. Predrill and screw down into the rails every 8″, 1 5/8″ screws.
- Tip Cut a scrap block exactly as wide as the gap and use it as a spacer between slats. Every gap comes out the same.
✓ Nothing rocks when you press on the shelf.
6Attach the top
Lay the top (A) face down on a blanket. Set the base on it upside down, 3″ in from each end and 3″ from each side.
Chisel a shallow recess in the apron top edge for each figure-8 fastener, about every 12″ (10 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 25 13/16″.
7Fit the lip
With the table upright, hold a short lip (H) against one end of the top, its bottom edge flush with the underside of the plywood, so it stands 13/16″ above the top surface.
Drill pilot holes through the lip into the plywood edge every 8″, centred on the plywood thickness: draw a line on the lip as a guide. Glue the plywood edge and drive 1 5/8″ screws.
Fit the second short lip at the other end. Then fit the long lips (G) along the sides the same way: they are 49 1/2″ long and cover the ends of the short lips, and also screw into them at each corner.
- Tip Drill a pilot hole for every screw within 2″ of a board end. Without it the board splits.
- Tip Countersink the screw heads just below the surface and fill them with wood filler, or counterbore and plug them for a cleaner look.
- Tip Sand the top inside edge of the lip round with 120 grit so it is comfortable to lean on.
✓ Run your hand around the inside of the lip: no step at the corners, and the lip is the same height above the top all the way round.
STOP. Centre every pilot hole on the plywood edge. A screw that wanders out of the edge splits the face of the top, and that cannot be hidden.8Finish
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.