#Build This Rustic Farmhouse Table

Farmhouse furniture is meant to be a little imperfect. That makes it hard to screw up

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(Photo by Alison Gootee)

Materials

STEP 1: Prep Your Lumber

Construction lumber has a higher moisture content than the wood used to build furniture, so after purchasing it, let it sit around inside your house for several weeks to dry out a little.

To start, you'll want to cut out the pieces. Crosscut the top pieces, breadboard ends, stretchers, and legs. Note that the breadboard ends are slightly wider than the tabletop. This is a rustic detail with a practical aspect. It will allow the top to expand and contract with humidity and never be wider than the breadboard ends. There is also a slight overhang on the stretchers, for a similar reason. When you cut the legs, double-check that the length is a good fit for your dining-room chairs, especially if any of them have arms. Chairs with arms should be able to easily slide under the table's aprons.

Crosscut both short aprons but don't cut the long aprons yet. You'll measure those after joining the legs and stretchers.

TIP: When buying lumber for furniture, even if it's construction-grade, you may have to cut the best piece from a larger hunk of wood. After you choose the lumber from the stack, use chalk to mark the outline of the board you want. Then remove the excess. Yes, this results in more waste, but your finished product will look better for it.

STEP 2: Create the Base

To start, make a base assembly out of the aprons, legs, and stretchers. Attach one leg on either side of one of the short aprons. Bore two holes for pocket screws into each side of the apron's back, four in total (fig. 1 ). Clamp the legs to the apron, but add a -inch piece of wood to the front as a spacer (fig. 2). This will offset the face of the apron from the face of the leg, pushing it back a bit and creating a nice dimensionality. Drive the pocket screws through the apron into the leg. Repeat the same procedure for the second leg apron assembly.