This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to build a simple DIY dining table. It’s a great beginner woodworking project!

We are back with another episode of our most recent #shantyhousecrash! Our baby sister just upgraded to a new house and we couldn’t help but drive down to Houston to help her make it a home! No Shanty House Crash is complete without a DIY Dining Table, right?! I love this wood dining table so much. I love the price, the color, the angles, the size…I could go on! The best part about this table is that it was built with only 21 2×6 boards, making the total cost in lumber $129! Grab a cup of coffee and come build this dining table with us. Just click the box below to watch the how-to video!

How fun was that!? Now, let’s get to the step-by-step instructions!

Click here to jump to the free dining table plan!

How to build a DIY Dining Room Table

Supply List

Tools

Step 1: Building the Tabletop for the DIY Dining Table

First, cut the planks to size and drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes, with a Kreg Jig, on one edge of 7 of the boards and both ends of all of the boards. Attach the planks together with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.

Next, measure and cut the breadboards to size. Attach them to the ends of the planked top with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Step 2: Building the Dining Table Legs

Once the table top is build, cut the leg pieces to size and attach them together with wood glue. Build 4 leg assemblies.

Now, cut the top base piece to size and attach the legs to the top base with 3″ wood screws from the top of the base and into each leg. Use wood glue. Build 2 bases.

Flip the base over and cut the first bottom base piece to size and attach it to the legs the same way.

After you add the first bottom piece, cut the second bottom base piece to size and attach it to the first bottom base piece with 2 1/2″ wood screws and wood glue.

Then, cut the foot pad pieces to size and attach them to the bottom of the base with 1 1/4″ brad nails and wood glue.

Now for the decorative pieces. Measure and cut the middle cross pieces to size, drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes, according to the cut list, and attach them with 2 1/2″ finish nails as shown below. Note the location of the pocket holes. Build 2 of each. Note: it is best to make the pieces a little long when you attach the two boards together. Then hold it up to the base and mark for the cut.

Attach the shorter cross pieces to the long cross piece with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Slide the crossing between the 2 legs. Attach each corner to the legs with 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ wood screws and wood glue.

Cut the top corner pieces to size and attach them together with 2 1/2″ finish nails and wood glue. Build 4 corner assemblies.

Attach the corner pieces to the top corners of the bases with 2 1/2″ wood screws and wood glue into the legs and top of the base.

Step 3: Assembling the Dining Table

Cut the runners to size and drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes at both ends. Attach the runners to the ends of the top of the bases with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Cut the bottom stretcher to size and drill 1 1/2″ pocket holes at both ends. Attach the runners to the ends of the top of the bases with 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Put the table base on top of the table top and attach the base to the top with 2 1/2″ wood screws from the bottom of the runners and top base pieces and into the planks.

Step 4: Finish the Dining Table

That’s it! Now, just fill all of the screw and nail holes, sand it down with an 80-grit sand paper followed by a 120-grit and 180-grit. Finally, give it a finish. We chose to stain the entire table. Don’t forget the brush on thepolyurethane too!

We are so thrilled with how our baby sisters DIY Farmhouse Table turned out. It’s the perfect color for her dining room, we love the angle design and she has room to fit her entire family around the table with room to spare! That’s a lot of bang for your buck!

Make sure to share your builds with us on social media and use #shanty2chic so we can share them too!

Happy Building!

Check Out Our Other Free Dining Table Plans

3.30 from 10 votes

DIY Angle Base Dining Table

Learn how to build this DIY Angle Base Dining Table with free plans by Shanty2Chic! You can download the complete set of printable plans, including a full supply list and cut list HERE!

Supply List

  • 21 2x6x8 Framing Lumber
  • 2 1/2" Pocket Hole Screws
  • 1 1/4" brad nails
  • 2 1/2" Finish Nails
  • 2 1/2" Wood Screws
  • 3" Wood Screws
  • 3 1/2" Wood Screws
  • Wood Glue

Instructions

Cut List

  • Cut List 1
  • Cut List2
  • Cut List 3

Part 1: Building the Top

  • Cut the planks to size and drill 1 1/2" pocket holes on one edge of 7 of the boards and both ends of all of the boards. Attach the planks together with 2 1/2" pocket hole screws.
  • Measure and cut the breadboards to size. Attach thm to the ends of the planks with 2 1/2" pocket hole screws and wood glue.

Part 2: Building the Legs

  • Cut the leg pieces to size and attach them together with 2 1/2" finish nails and wood glue. Build 4 leg assemblies.
  • Cut the top piece to size and attach the legs to the top base with 3" wood screws from the top of the top base and into each leg. Use wood glue. Build 2 bases.
  • Flip the base over and cut the first bottom base piece to size and attach it to the legs the same way.
  • Cut the second bottom base piece to size and attach it to the first bottom base piece with 2 1/2" wood screws and wood glue.
  • Cut the foot pad pieces to size and attach them to the bottom of the base with 1 1/4" brad nails and wood glue.
  • Cut the middle cross pieces to size, drill 1 1/2" pocket holes according to the cut list and attach them with 2 1/2" finish nails as shown below. Note the location of the pocket holes. Build 2 of each.
  • Attach the 2 shorter cross pieces to the long cross piece with 2 1/2" pocket hole screws and wood glue. Build 2 of these.
  • Slide the cross in between the 2 legs. Attach each corner to the legs with 2 1/2" and 3 1/2" wood screws and wood glue.
  • Cut the top corner pieces to size and attach them together with 2 1/2" finish nails and wood glue. Build 4 corner assemblies.
  • Attach the corner pieces to the top corners of the bases with 2 1/2" wood screws and wood glue into the legs and top of the base.

Part 3: Assembling the Table

  • Cut the runners to size and drill 1 1/2" pocket holes at both ends. Attach the runners to the ends of the top of the bases with 2 1/2" pocket hole screws and wood glue.
  • Cut the bottom runner to size and drill 1 1/2" pocket holes at both ends. Attach the runners to the ends of the top of the bases with 2 1/2" pocket hole screws and wood glue.
  • Put the table base on top of the table top and attach the base to the top with 2 1/2" wood screws from the bottom of the runners and top base pieces and into the planks.
  • That's it! Fill any exposed nail and screw holes, sand it down and add a finish! Make sure to share your builds with us on social media and use #shanty2chic so we can share them too!
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Recipe Rating




39 Comments

  1. just checking to see if the plans have been updated. i don’t see ya’ll replying to any of the comments regarding this….

    1. I would message them on FB or Instagram they are actually really good at replying there. I think comments on the blog they maybe don’t after a few months.

    2. They have not and since this table build is getting older I doubt they do. Several commenters have said how they amended the project.

      1. However, the angles are off when you use the ones they put in the cut list. Look through the comments and follow other comments to adjust. That is what I did and I am just about finished.

  2. 3 stars
    Love the look of the table once I finished it. I’ll also tell you to totally throw out the plans as far as angles are concerned. My very first angles did not match up and I wasted a few boards learning that. I figured out that I had better success by cutting an angle that runs to the sides and not the corners of the bases. That meant cutting one angle as opposed to trying to learn how to cut the entire corner. Since this was not my first table or miter angle project, I was able to adapt and bring the look home. I would say that most people should not do this as their first woodworking project/dining table build.

    1. Agreed, this project is not for someone starting their first build, but it does look great when you figure it out!

  3. Have the plans been updated to the correct cuts, miter cuts and rips yet? I’ve been waiting a bit now. I’ve cut most of the lengths and just haven’t touched the miter cuts yet. Girlfriend is waiting on me to finish it. Also on the cut list can you please provide the width of the boards. There are no widths just lengths. Thanks.

    1. Hey Sethdillard7…did you get updated plans to this project I have starting cutting and decided to read the reviews lastly and I’m stuck!!…

  4. 2 stars
    Currently in the middle of making this table and the plans are WAY OFF. So frustrating, my husband and I followed everything according to the plan but a lot of the miter cuts are wrong and doesn’t fit together once cut. When we finally fix the mistakes this really will be a beautiful table, just so many mistakes along the way!

    1. Hey ladies, I’m getting ready to build this table and was wondering if you updated the plans after all the bad comments. I will take your plans as a rough guide if you haven’t. Btw I love the look of this table. ?

    2. I had major issues too. The video is different from the plans. How tall is your table? Mine is 32 inches tall not 30 3/4 as shown.

  5. 2 stars
    The plans are cool but the cut list is WAY off. Not all the angles are there, you have to watch the video and take notes to get some of the cuts. The miter cuts are completely wrong. And if you follow the plans step-by-step, you WILL mess this up. My advice: look at the picture and figure out the cuts yourself bc these plans are garbage.

    1. I posted this down below, but I will reply to my own comment to make it a little simpler to follow:

      For the long piece of the “X, the bottom cuts are 50* on the miter saw for the piece touching the base and a 35* miter cut on my table saw. The other end is a 25* cut for both pieces.

      For the short part of the “X, the bottom cuts are the same 50* and 35* cuts from above, just in the opposite direction (obviously). The interior cut for the pieces touching the long cross piece is a 10* cut.

      The outside pieces touching the top are 50* and the cut touching the inside is 25*.

      All of these are according to MY build but they should get your really close. You’re still going to want to cut pieces a little long so you can get your angles perfect. A trick I used was to take the long skinny pieces of wood I got from ripping all my boards down and used those as a prototype. Get those right so you don’t waste your wide pieces on these terrible plans.

  6. 2 stars
    Directions are definitely off. Variations between what’s in the video and what’s in the directions as well. Use it as a guide, don’t follow it specifically and you will be fine. I’ve built a few of their other projects and this is the only one that has been off this bad. I feel as if it was rushed. Still love the table though! Just led to a lot of frustration while making it.

  7. DON’T USE THESE DIRECTIONS. The angles are incorrect and they didn’t use 2x6x8″ for the legs; they used 2x4x8″ ripped down to 3″. Also, they don’t provide all of the cuts in the directions. I’m midway through this build and having to redo the legs since their directions are incorrect.

  8. 5 stars
    Hello, how long did it take to do this from start to finish? I plan to make a gift for my friends for a housewarming party, I wonder how quickly you did it. The table looks good, I like that your layout is in different colors and this makes it more understandable. I hope to have time to finish by the holiday, I will try, have a nice day!

  9. About to start building this but have a question. The base of the legs seems to be wider than the legs. Can you describe how the base boards were ripped? Thanks.

  10. Love this table. When I click the stain color I see golden oak as the stain color is that correct? If so how far down did you sand the table 220? Love the color and looking to attempt to match the color.

  11. Nice table however the worse plans I’ve every seen.
    a) no correlation of parts ie cut list with each part marked.
    b) no color correlation.
    What is the size and length and angle of the table legs
    You should go to other sites and see how they arrange there cut list.
    rough lumber sizes first finished cuts with angles second etc.
    Or the alternative seeing it was designed in Sketchup which I have, give the link to your sketchup plan.
    idea 5 stars plan 2 stars

    1. They have only been doing this very successfully for a matter of years but I’m sure you have a DIY blog with just as many plans and viewers? Care to share a link? Thanks for mansplaining Dave.

      1. I’m currently in the process of building this for my sister-in-law and I can confirm that the angles and plans are a soup sandwich. If you dont watch the youtube video then its not obvious what their reasoning behind some of their rips and cuts are for. It’s also very clear very quickly when doing the legs that their angles are off. Side note, this is a very poor quality table due to the mere fact that everything is screwed/glued together which doesnt allow for proper seasonal wood movement; but its a cheap table and thats just the nature of the beast.

      2. Running a successful blog doesn’t mean they perfect people and don’t make mistakes. Just so happens these “plans” are a perfect example of that. These were haphazardly put together and anyone blindly following these directions will find the missing steps and incorrect angles provided.

        Otherwise a beautiful table, I’m currently trying to put it together but having to get more lumber since the plans are so far off.

        1. Hi! Did you figure out what the cut list should be? Specifically for the angles? I would love to give this table a try but it sounds like the directions are a bit off. Would you mind sharing what you came up with? Thanks so much!

          1. For the long piece of the “X, the bottom cuts are 50* on the miter saw for the piece touching the base and a 35* miter cut on my table saw. The other end is a 25* cut for both pieces.

            For the short part of the “X, the bottom cuts are the same 50* and 35* cuts from above, just in the opposite direction (obviously). The interior cut for the pieces touching the long cross piece is a 10* cut.

            The outside pieces touching the top are 50* and the cut touching the inside is 25*.

            All of these are according to MY build but they should get your really close. You’re still going to want to cut pieces a little long so you can get your angles perfect. A trick I used was to take the long skinny pieces of wood I got from ripping all my boards down and used those as a prototype. Get those right so you don’t waste your wide pieces on these terrible plans.

  12. What program do you use to create your plans?? I love how all the pieces are different colors- very helpful!

  13. 5 stars
    This is an awesome Table!!
    I do have a question for you two.
    Have you ever considered making a pool table? This would be a good base for one.

  14. 5 stars
    I really like the way this table turned out. I have been wanting to make another table but you have so many plans to choose from and by far this is the one that I like most. I like using dark walnut stain but i like the color you did this one too. I gotta get my sawdust on! 🙂