{"id":20840,"date":"2011-10-27T18:30:16","date_gmt":"2011-10-27T23:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artofmanliness.com\/?p=20840"},"modified":"2021-06-02T16:09:50","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T21:09:50","slug":"make-a-dining-room-table-by-thanksgiving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/featured\/make-a-dining-room-table-by-thanksgiving\/","title":{"rendered":"Make a Dining Room Table by Thanksgiving"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tuck Oden.
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\"Homemade<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like me, every time you wander through a big-box furniture store, you feel a little insulted. Here you are, a man, staring at relatively simple furniture, being asked to lay down large sums of money for a bookshelf, dining set, or desk. And if you know enough about wood to spot laminate and fiberboard, you\u2019ll quickly see these expensive pieces of furniture have a shelf life (no pun intended) of about two years.<\/p>\n

Today I want to show you a project that\u2019s within your reach if you have a few tools, a couple weekends, and the courage to take on something new. If you\u2019re completely new to woodworking, this may be a little ambitious, but if you\u2019ve got a little experience, you shouldn\u2019t encounter too much trouble. Keep in mind that I\u2019m an amateur. I took shop class in high school and have done a few little projects here and there, but I\u2019m certainly no pro.<\/p>\n

\"Wood

My two primary pieces of machinery: 10″ Craftsman Table Saw and 10″ Craftsman Radial Arm Saw<\/p><\/div>\n

The result of this project is what your wife or girlfriend would call a \u201cRustic,” \u201cBarn,\u201d or \u201cRanch Style\u201d dining room table. I call it a man table, because it\u2019s made from inexpensive wood, can take a beating, and one day your grandchildren will be serving their kids Thanksgiving dinner on it. Being the man that built that table is, well, manly. I\u2019ve found a few similar tables on Craigslist and furniture sites, starting at around $1200. That\u2019s absurd. I built mine for less than $200, including the chairs I bought for it.<\/p>\n

I started by doing some searches around the ol\u2019 internet to find other folks who\u2019ve built their own tables. Using the images and information I found, I started drawing up plans. My table is approximately 6’x44″x31″ (LxWxH). You may find different dimensions work better for you (31″ is pretty tall)–so make your plans however you like. I also built leaves that make the table 8.5\u2019 long.<\/p>\n

\"Measurement

Leaves and All for Fall<\/p><\/div>\n

What You’ll Need<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shall we get started? This is going to look far more expensive and complicated than it really is. Have no fear. This took two weeks from start to finish (while working full-time).<\/strong> Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need:<\/p>\n

Tools:<\/strong><\/p>\n