DIY Trestle Dining Table

This post is super late, but better late than never right? I built this table last year for Thanksgiving. Our previous table only sat 4 people and we needed more than that since we were hosting Thankgiving dinner and because, well, we needed more elbow room for everyday dinners too.

I got the inspiration for this table from Shanty2chic. They’d recently posted a picture of a round trestle table they’d just built for one of their kitchen nook’s and I FELL IN LOVE with the legs!! See!

All the heart eye emojis, right?!!! I knew I wanted those legs incorporated into my dining table! The only problem, this table seats 4. I needed a table that seats at least 6. So, I came up with a modified design to fit my needs.

I pretty much followed their plans (here) for the legs, but with a few modifications. I’ll explain them below. Three of the biggest modifications were 1.) I made 2 bases, which meant I had to double the material needed for the base, 2.) I only included 3 sides on each base (not four like their plans have) 3.) My table top is rectangular in shape, not round. Continue reading below as I take you on the modification journey and point out the things I did differently.

I built the base and the feet just as their plans stated. But, instead of 8 feet and 1 base, to a hold my table, I had to build 12 feet and 2 bases. Below is me using a 45 degree bevel on one of the feet.

Even though the feet are attached to the base with kreg screws and glue (per the plans), I wanted to be sure they would be super stable since my table would be a bit bigger. To reinforce the feet, I used my Ryobi driver to screw 3 inch wood screws at angle through the feet into the base of the leg. I did this for the feet at the top and bottom of each base.

Below is the start of one of the corbels. In Shanty2chic’s plans, they suggested using a gallon paint can to rough sketch a half circle. Well, that didn’t work for me lol. So, I used my jigsaw to free hand one of the corbels, and used that corbel as a model to sketch the shape of the next 11. To cut, I clamped it to my workbench and cut the shape using my jigsaw.

After all of the cutting and putting together, this is what my two bases look like…

Instead of the 2x6s they used for their round table top, my table top is made out of 1×6 common board, with a 1×3 common board border. And it’s rectangular.

Now to build the table top. I don’t have many progress pics for this part because at this point I was eager to finish (sorry). But, I’ll give measurements and explain a few things.

The table top is pretty simple. I used 8 1×6 common boards, each at 74 inches long. (Quick tip: I cut each board a little longer than 76 inches, putthe table top planks together (in the next steps), then used my circular saw and Kreg rip cut guide to cut all of the planks 74 inches at the same time to be sure they were all the same length). I put 3/4 inch pocket holes in the bottom, attached them together using 1 1/4 kreg pocket hole screws and wood glue. Make sure you put pocket holes on the ends of each board as well to attach the 1×3 boarders. I attached the 1×3 common board around the perimeter to give the table top a little dimension. The 1x3s were cut to fit.

Now, for the anchor to attach the bases to the table top. Underneath the table top, I used two 1x6s, cut to fit the width of the table top’s underside. I cut mine so that the ends of the 1x6s touches the 1×3 border on each side.

Center those on top of the bases. And this is how they will look when your finished. You can attached them to the bases now using 3 inch wood screws. These will also be used to attach the table top to the bases later. But, now to the finish…sand away!

I painted my bases using Valspar’s coconut milk (one of my favorite paint colors). You can see in this picture my 4×4 brace that was supposed to go between the bases. But I chose not to use it because the table looked better without.

I stained the table top using a combination of Miniwax’s special walnut, weathered oak and ebony. I used the ebony very sparingly and not over the entire table top. I just wanted to give it a little more character in some spots.

Lastly, put your table top on top of the bases making sure the anchors touch each end of the 1×3 borders. Screw the towable top to the braces with 2 1/2 inch wood screws and you are done!

Here she is! All done up in our kitchen nook!