This DIY outdoor dining table can be made using just three power tools. A circular saw, cordless drill and orbital sander were the only power tools I needed to make this table out of tigerwood. I bought these 1” x 5-½” Tigerwood deck boards from advantage lumber. This wood is very dense and naturally resists the elements. 8-foot-long boards cost me about $23.50 each, which made this table relatively inexpensive for a table made out of solid hardwood.
CUT THE WOOD: I used a circular saw to cut the pieces to length (see drawings for reference). I used a speed square to help keep my cuts straight. I then draw an angled line down the boards and cut the leg pieces. I cut brackets to support the legs in a similar manner. I held the leg piece up to the bracket and then used the bracket as a guide to mark a line that I would then cut along.
SET THE BLADE AT AN ANGLE: I used the leg pieces to set my blade to a matching angle and then ripped one of the deck boards in two. I used waterproof wood glue to glue these angled pieces together to make a beam that will go between the legs.
CUT MORE SUPPORTS: I set the blade back to 90 degrees and then ripped some more boards in two.
SAND THE PIECES: We used a random orbit sander to round over the edges of the pieces we cut to match the factory edges. We also sanded down the surfaces to 220 grit.
GLUE THE LEGS TO THE BRACKETS: We used waterproof glue to glue the leg pieces together.
ASSEMBLE SUPPORT BEAM: We glued and screwed the support beam pieces together. We used duct tape to hold them in the right position while we screwed them.
ASSEMBLE THE BASES: I used some steel angle brackets to reinforce the connection between the support beam and the legs. We predrilled all of our holes since this tigerwood is so dense and hard. We did a test fit with screws before adding glue and securing it all with screws. We used a flex head attachment to reach some of the hard to reach screws.
ASSEMBLE THE TABLETOP: I cut the heads off of stainless steel bolts and screwed 2 nuts into the middle of the bolt. This will act as a rustproof spacer that will also help keep our warped boards straight. I made a jig out of scrap plywood so that I could consistently drill holes in the center of the boards' edges. We inserted 3 rows of these bolts and used clamps and scrap 2x4s to help force the boards in place. Once the boards where together and flat we screwed some mending plates to the underside of the table top to hold them firmly in place. These plates will be hidden by the table bases.
SCREW ON THE LEGS: We kept the tabletop upside down and then screwed through the support beams and into the table top. We also added additional support beams between the legs using some really nice star head stainless steel screws that we countersunk flush to the wood.
TRIM THE LEGS: I used a 30” long plywood board to mark a straight line across the legs and then trimmed them with my circular saw.
SAND: We sanded the entire table with 220-grit pads
FINISH: We wiped away the dust and cleaned the wood with acetone before applying a coat of teak oil.
TEST: It's super strong yay!
This DIY outdoor dining table can be made using just three power tools. A circular saw, cordless drill and orbital sander were the only power tools I needed to make this table out of tigerwood. I bought these 1” x 5-½” Tigerwood deck boards from advantage lumber. This wood is very dense and naturally resists the elements. 8-foot-long boards cost me about $23.50 each, which made this table relatively inexpensive for a table made out of solid hardwood.
CUT THE WOOD: I used a circular saw to cut the pieces to length (see drawings for reference). I used a speed square to help keep my cuts straight. I then draw an angled line down the boards and cut the leg pieces. I cut brackets to support the legs in a similar manner. I held the leg piece up to the bracket and then used the bracket as a guide to mark a line that I would then cut along.
SET THE BLADE AT AN ANGLE: I used the leg pieces to set my blade to a matching angle and then ripped one of the deck boards in two. I used waterproof wood glue to glue these angled pieces together to make a beam that will go between the legs.
CUT MORE SUPPORTS: I set the blade back to 90 degrees and then ripped some more boards in two.
SAND THE PIECES: We used a random orbit sander to round over the edges of the pieces we cut to match the factory edges. We also sanded down the surfaces to 220 grit.
GLUE THE LEGS TO THE BRACKETS: We used waterproof glue to glue the leg pieces together.
ASSEMBLE SUPPORT BEAM: We glued and screwed the support beam pieces together. We used duct tape to hold them in the right position while we screwed them.
ASSEMBLE THE BASES: I used some steel angle brackets to reinforce the connection between the support beam and the legs. We predrilled all of our holes since this tigerwood is so dense and hard. We did a test fit with screws before adding glue and securing it all with screws. We used a flex head attachment to reach some of the hard to reach screws.
ASSEMBLE THE TABLETOP: I cut the heads off of stainless steel bolts and screwed 2 nuts into the middle of the bolt. This will act as a rustproof spacer that will also help keep our warped boards straight. I made a jig out of scrap plywood so that I could consistently drill holes in the center of the boards' edges. We inserted 3 rows of these bolts and used clamps and scrap 2x4s to help force the boards in place. Once the boards where together and flat we screwed some mending plates to the underside of the table top to hold them firmly in place. These plates will be hidden by the table bases.
SCREW ON THE LEGS: We kept the tabletop upside down and then screwed through the support beams and into the table top. We also added additional support beams between the legs using some really nice star head stainless steel screws that we countersunk flush to the wood.
TRIM THE LEGS: I used a 30” long plywood board to mark a straight line across the legs and then trimmed them with my circular saw.
SAND: We sanded the entire table with 220-grit pads
FINISH: We wiped away the dust and cleaned the wood with acetone before applying a coat of teak oil.
TEST: It's super strong yay!
