Easy DIY $50 Dining Table and Bench

When we moved to Florida for our second internship for my husband’s PhD, we found a great apartment that we loved. However, it was unfurnished and we were only going to be there for three months. We kept our furnished home in Indiana and rented it out to people while we were gone, so we didn’t bring any furniture with us. That meant no dining table.

We had talked about looking at the local thrift stores for used furniture, and when we did, the tables were cheap, flimsy, breaking, and way more expensive than we wanted to pay, especially for how low quality they were.

Determined to have a more suitable dining area, I set out to build a budget-friendly dining table for us. Another catch was that I only brought a handful of tools, and certainly no power saws.

Follow the tutorial below to see how we made it and how you can make one of your own!! This dining table was suitable for our little apartment for the internship. I also used it as a workbench when I had little projects going on. It’s not huge, so it would make a great outdoor table or kid’s craft table. If you want it to be longer or wider, just add a little bit of length to the table top, and add more planks!

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What you’ll need:

Materials:

(9) 2 x 4 x 8 pine
(2) 4 x 4 x 8 untreated lumber
(about 82) 2 ½” pocket hole screws
(about 20) 2 ½” wood screws
Wood glue
Stain- I used Special Walnut by Minwax
Polyurethane
Sandpaper

Tools Used:

Japanese Pull Saw or miter saw
Miter box
Drill
Kreg K4 Pocket Hole Jig
Clamps
Orbital sander
Paint brush
Tape measure
Level
Speed square

Cutlist:

4×4’s:
- (4) 4 x 4 x 28” -Table legs
- (2) 4 x 4 x 10” -Table leg braces
- (4) 4 x 4 x 15” -Bench legs
2×4’s:
- (7) 2 x 4 x 46 ¼” -Table top planks
- (4) 2 x 4 x 43” -Bench top planks
- (2) 2 x 4 x 41” -Table apron, sides
- (2) 2 x 4 x 34” -Bench apron, sides
- (2) 2 x 4 x 20” -Table apron, ends
- (2) 2 x 4 x 6” -Bench apron, ends
- (4) 2 x 4 x 5” -Table leg braces, long
- (4) 2 x 4 x 3.5” -Table leg braces, short

Step 1: Cut your lumber

Using your saw and the cutlist above, make all your cuts.
Like I said before, we used a hand saw and a miter box (and a lot of elbow grease), but this table would more easily be made with a power tool like a miter saw!
Just make sure to measure out your boards before you make your cuts so that you can make the most of each board.

Step 2: Drill pocket holes

I use the Kreg K4 Pocket Hole Jig for a lot of projects. It’s a great tool for beginner woodworkers and DIY’ers! If the list of the holes you should drill below is confusing, browse through the pictures throughout the post to see where to drill your holes.
Drill (2) 1 ½” pocket holes into the ends of the aprons for the bench.
Drill a couple of pocket holes along one edge of each apron piece for the table and the bench that will secure the table top to the base. (see picture below)
Drill a handful of 1 ½” pocket holes on the edge of all but (1) of the dining table top planks.
Drill (2) 1 ½” pocket holes in either end of each bottom leg brace piece for the table base.
Drill (2) pocket holes into (1) end of each apron brace piece.

Step 3: Assemble table

The table assembly goes as follows:
- (1) Table leg brace in between (2) table legs. Use wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws. Repeat with the other legs and brace.
- With wood glue and 2 ½” wood screws, attach the table apron sides on the outside ends of the table legs so that the ends are flush with the top and end of the table legs. Also make sure that your pocket holes are facing up so that the table top can be attached to the aprons.
- Join both sets of legs with wood glue and 2 ½” wood screws and your table apron ends. Use a level and clamp to make sure the table legs don’t wobble, and they are level.
- Attach (1) long and (1) short table leg brace to each inside corner, so that the braces surround each leg. You can attach the two braces with a 2 ½” wood screw to keep them together.
- Use wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws to attach the table top planks Make sure the boards are flat against each other while you’re driving in the screws.
- Mark the underside of the table top at each corner where it will sit on the base. The ends of the table should overhand by 2” and the sides should overhang by 2 ¼”.
- Line up the table top over the base and attach with 2 ½” pocket hole screws.

Step 4: Assemble bench

Here’s how to assemble the bench:
- Attach the bench apron sides to the legs with wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws so that the aprons sit on the inside edge of the bench legs. Make sure your pocket holes are facing up so that the bench top can be attached.
- With wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws attach the bench apron ends to the legs to connect the two sets of legs.
- Attach your bench top planks edge to edge with wood glue and 2 ½” pocket hole screws.
- The bench top should overhang on the ends of the base by 1” and on the sides by ½”. Line it up and attach it to the base with 2 ½” pocket hole screws through the aprons.

Step 5: Sand

Once everything is assembled, you can give the dining table and bench a good sanding. You can use an orbital sander and work your way up the grits. I started with 80grit, then 120, then 220. An orbital sander comes in handy for almost every project and you can find the one that I use HERE.

Step 6: Stain

You can apply your stain with paper towels or a foam brush, or whatever applicator you prefer! I did a light coat of Minwax Special Walnut and love the light wood color!

Step 7: Seal

Once your stain has fully dried, protect your dining table and bench with polyurethane. I used Minwax Fast-Dry Polyurethane (HERE). Use a nice bristle brush and gentle long strokes to get a smooth finish.
After about 3 coats of polyurethane, let your poly cure for at least a day before you gently use it, and a few days before using it fully.
I like to give my projects a final wet sand to polish them and make them smooth to the touch. You can do this by lightly spraying your piece with water and then taking a high grit sanding sponge, such as 320 grit, and gently rubbing all over the whole thing, and then wiping it dry with a towel.