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  3. How to build a portable table

3 April 2020: All Mitre 10 and Mitre 10 MEGA stores are closed to the public under COVID-19 Alert Level 4 restrictions.

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How to build a portable table

This useful piece of furniture complements any barbeque, pool or outdoor area. It is put together with screws and can therefore be dismantled for storage or moving.

Instructions

This useful piece of furniture complements any barbeque, pool or outdoor area. It is put together with screws and can therefore be dismantled for storage or moving.

As a general guide, timber in contact with the ground should be treated to H4 standard. For timber above the ground, H3.2 standard is adequate. Where timbers are cut, make sure you re-coat the exposed surface with a suitable preservative available from Mitre 10.

Ideally the timber should be “dressed” (machine gauged). This finish gives a smooth surface, one that is easy on clothes and skin. It is easy to paint, although stain may not perform as well as on a sawn surface. Sawn timber (identified by its furry appearance) may be used where it doesn’t come in contact with those who are using the table.

Table 1: Timber Cutting List

Item Dimension Detail Number of
Legs 100 x 50 x 1m M/G & H4 treated 4 or 6
Top Rails 100 x 50 x 90mm M/G & H3 treated 3
Seat Rails 100 x 50 x 1.8m M/G & H3 treated 3
Top 100 x 40 x 2.4m Decking 8
Seats 100 x 50 x 2.4m M/G & H3 Treated 4

 

Building Your Table

Step 1:

Cut the legs to the length shown. The angle used is 60 degrees. Make sure the ends are parallel and square to the face (see illustration 1). With a sharp plane set fairly fine, make a neat chamfer around the four sides of both ends.

Step 2:

Cut the top rails to the length shown, nip off the bottom corner, and again chamfer the ends and the two bottom edges (see illustration 1).

Step 3:

Repeat for the seat rails.

Step 4:

On a flat surface place the legs in position, and using the 75mm nails, tack the top rail and seat rail on top of the legs using the measurements shown. Check the legs are at 60 degrees to the rails.

Step 5:

Drill and screw three 75mm screws into each joint in the positions shown (use a drill the same size as the screw shank in the rail, and one equal to the thread core in the leg). Remove the nails and repeat for the other two frame(s) using the first frame as a template to check the others are the same.

Step 6:

Fix the metal brackets to the outside of the end frames (and either side of the middle one if applicable), positioning them in the centre of the top boards and seat boards.

Step 7:

Then cut the seats and table tops to length, again chamfering all edges at both ends.

Step 8:

Mark the rail positions on the underneath of the seats and tops and square the lines across.

Step 9:

Lay the top boards upside down on the slab with their ends flush and stand the two end frames in the positions you have marked. Screw the brackets firmly to the top (see illustration 2).

Step 10:

Repeat for the centre frame.

Step 11:

Carefully roll the table over the right way up, then fix the seats in position again using the brackets in the positions shown.

Step 12:

Leave the assembly for a few weeks to allow for shrinkage before fixing the top and seat down more securely with the 25mm countersunk screws (put them midway between the brackets and the edges). If you put them in before the shrinkage takes place you will find the timber may split.

Step 13:

Apply a suitable finish. If there is an end-to-end wobble in the table (because the brackets are not stiff enough) fix a 100mm by 25mm stiffener in the position shown (hard against the top rail).