At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Top
- 72 × 28-1/2 in, 30 in high
- Seats
- Two a side, 11-1/4 in deep, 17-1/2 in high
- Overall width
- 53-1/2 in across the seat supports
- Legs
- 24-1/2° from vertical; feet centred 19 in either side of the middle
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2×6 lumber (1-1/2 × 5-1/2 in), 6 ft | 13 | Resistant heartwood or preservative-treated |
| 2×4 lumber (1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in), 8 ft | 2 | Cleats and braces |
| Carriage bolts 3/8 × 4 in, with washers and nuts | 16 | Rated for the wood used |
| Exterior screws, 2-1/2 in | About 60 | Rated for the wood used |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top board | 5 | 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 × 72 in | 2×6 |
| Seat board | 4 | 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 × 72 in | 2×6 |
| Leg | 4 | 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 × 33-13/16 in long point to long point, ends parallel at 24-1/2° off square | 2×6 |
| Seat support | 2 | 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 × 53-1/2 in | 2×6 |
| Top cleat | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 28-1/2 in | 2×4 |
| Centre cleat | 1 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × 24 in | 2×4 |
| Brace | 2 | 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 × about 30 in, trimmed in place | 2×4 |
Tools
- Circular saw or mitre saw
- Drill with a 3/8 in bit
- Drill/driver
- Square, tape and chalk line
- Clamps
- Wrench
The design
Each end frame is four parts: a 2×4 top cleat 28-1/2 in long on edge under the top, a 2×6 seat support 53-1/2 in long with its top 16 in above the ground, and two 2×6 legs that run from the cleat to the ground, crossing the seat support. The legs splay at 24-1/2° from vertical: their centrelines are 6 in either side of the middle at the underside of the top and 19 in either side at the ground. The cleat and seat support lie on the inside of the legs, and each crossing is held by two 3/8 in carriage bolts. The two frames stand with their legs' outer faces 10-1/2 in in from the ends of the top; a centre cleat under the middle of the top and two braces down to the seat supports stop the table racking along its length.
The seats start 1-1/4 in outside the edge of the top, leaving 12-1/2 in from seat to tabletop. Their outer edges reach about 4-3/4 in beyond the outside of the feet, as on many tables of this type; that is a design fact, not a tested stability figure.
Laying out the frames
Draw one frame full size on a flat floor or sheet and build both on it, so the angles come from the layout rather than from a protractor. Snap a baseline for the ground and a centreline square to it. Mark a line 28-1/2 in up for the underside of the top and a line 16 in up for the top of the seat support. On the top line mark points 6 in either side of the centreline, on the baseline points 19 in either side, and join each pair: these are the legs' centrelines. Each leg is 33-13/16 in from long point to long point, with both ends cut parallel to the baseline, 24-1/2° off square.
Wood and fasteners
- Choose the wood for its exposure. The Wood Handbook says resistant heartwood generally serves above ground, while less resistant species usually need preservative treatment where decay can occur; the legs stand on the ground on their end grain, the most exposed place on the table.
- If you use treated lumber, follow the consumer information that comes with it, treat cut ends and bolt holes as the Handbook advises, and never burn the offcuts, which the EPA says should not be burned at home. CCA-treated wood was withdrawn from most residential uses at the end of 2003.
- Match the fasteners. Waterborne preservatives can promote fastener corrosion; the Handbook reports 300-series stainless steel performing well in wood treated with copper azole and alkaline copper quaternary. Use bolts and screws their maker rates for the wood you use, all of the same metal.
- Keep the feet dry. Set the table on level paving or pads rather than wet ground, and seal the legs' end grain.
- Finish choices are in exterior wood finish and exterior wood stain.
Building it
Frames, top, seats and braces
Cut the parts
Cut the parts in the cut list. Mark one leg from the layout, cut it, and use it as the pattern for the other three. Cut the braces a little long; they are trimmed in place.
Assemble the frames
On the layout, lay the top cleat and the seat support in position and the two legs over them on their centrelines. Clamp, check against the lines, and drill each crossing for two bolts. Fit the carriage bolts from the leg side with washers and nuts. Build the second frame on the same layout.
Fit the top
Stand the frames upside down or prop them upright, legs' outer faces 10-1/2 in from each end of the top boards. Screw the two outer top boards flush with the ends of the cleats, then the other three with 1/4 in gaps, two screws per board into each cleat.
Fit the seats
Screw two seat boards to each end of the seat supports, the outer board flush with the support's end and 1/4 in between them, two screws per board per support.
Add the centre cleat
Screw the centre cleat on edge across the underside of the top at its midpoint, through the top boards.
Fit the braces
Hold each brace against the inside face of a seat support at its middle and against the centre cleat, mark both ends where they meet the faces — about 32° off square, about 25-5/8 in apart on the brace's centreline — cut and screw them in place.
Check and tighten
Set the table on level ground, check it sits without rocking, and tighten every nut.
Safety— Sit, do not stand
No load, weight or tipping rating is claimed. Sit on the seats; do not stand or climb on the table or seats, keep it on level ground, and check the bolts each season. Cutting long 2× stock needs it supported on both sides; see woodworking safety rules and each saw's manual.
Before the table is used
- Both frames built on the same full-size layout
- Sixteen bolts fitted and tightened
- Top and seat boards gapped 1/4 in and screwed at every support
- Braces fixed at both ends
- Fasteners rated for the wood, all one metal
- Leg end grain sealed; table level on paving or pads
What lasts outside, and why, is in outdoor woodworking projects; a seat to go with the table is the Adirondack chair. Board feet come from the board foot calculator.
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Sources
A BenchRoot design. The frame geometry and every length were computed and drawn to scale, but the table was not built, loaded or tested for tipping for this page, and no load, weight or stability rating is claimed. It is not designed for children's use. BenchRoot makes no claim about treated wood or any finish in contact with food.
- 1.
Chapter 14: Biodeterioration of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Resistant heartwood generally satisfactory above ground and very resistant heartwood in ground contact, the other groups usually needing preservative treatment where decay can occur; sapwood low in resistance in essentially all species.
- 2.
Chapter 15: Wood Preservatives. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Consumer Information Sheets with some treated-wood products; cut ends and drill holes in treated wood needing supplemental on-site treatment; waterborne preservatives able to promote fastener corrosion.
- 3.
Chapter 8: Fastenings. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: 300-series stainless steel performing well in wood treated with copper azole and alkaline copper quaternary; connector and fastener of the same metal; extractives staining steel.
- 4.
Christopher G. Hunt. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (FPL-GTR-282), Chapter 16: Finishing Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2021.
Used for: End grain taking up water fastest and at high risk where it meets a horizontal surface; leaving space below boards so they do not stay wet.
- 5.
Chromated Arsenicals (CCA). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2025.
Used for: CCA-treated wood discontinued for most residential uses at the end of 2003, and treated wood not to be burned in a residential setting.
- 6.
NIST Handbook 130 (2026), IV.B Uniform Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2026.
Used for: Softwood lumber sold by nominal size and dressed smaller: a nominal 2 × 6 to 1-1/2 × 5-1/2 in and a 2 × 4 to 1-1/2 × 3-1/2 in.
About this project
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