Plans

Free Woodworking Plans to Build a Fabulous Folding Table

05.31.11 By //
You Can Build This! The Design Confidential Free DIY Furniture Plans to Build a Folding Table

This table was brought to us by our BFF Loren, isn’t she amazing? Yes! I adore the sawhorse/ trellis style blend this table has, and I adore the portability of it! Pull it out when you need it, fold it away when not in use…genius! And a pretty simple build as well! I also think this would make an incredible craft table or portable conference table, even a great place to dine outdoors! So many things I can imagine using this beauty for!

As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!

$25-$50

  • 2 – 1×4 at 8’
  • 1 – 1×4 at 10’ OR 2 at 6’ OR 2 more at 8’ if they are cheaper or easier to transport.
  • 1 Sheet 3/4” Ply – can also use edge glued laminate project boards or boards glue and screwed together using your kreg jig, at a size of your choice, just be sure to adjust the apron dimensions and if need be the stretchers as well.
  • 1 – 3/4” Ply at 30” x 69” Top
  • 2 – 1×4 at 66” Aprons
  • 2 – 1×4 at 19 1/2” Aprons
  • 4 – 1×4 at 32” Legs (this will be cut down to the appropriate length when you miter as shown in the diagram)
  • 4 – 1×4 at 21 3/4” Leg Stretchers

Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.

Build the Top: If you are using a Kreg Jig create your pocket holes in the yellow aprons to connect them to the blue aprons, as well as around the inside of both yellow and blue aprons, spaced 6-8” apart. Construct your Table Top Frame by attaching the aprons using your 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws and glue. Then attach the Table Top frame to the Top itself using your 1 1/4” pocket hole screws and glue. If you aren’t using a pocket hole system, use 2” screws and glue to construct the frame, be sure to countersink, and then attach the frame to the Table Top using 2” Finish Nails and glue.

Construct the Leg Units: The Legs themselves will require a 10 Degree Cut at the bottom and a rounded edge at the top. The rounded edge at the top should have a 1 1/2” radius and can be created using a sander or a jig saw. Once your legs are mitered and rounded, you can attach the lower leg stretcher (blue) using 2” screws and glue, be sure to countersink. Before you attach your top leg stretcher (yellow) you should create a 10 Degree Bevel along the top edge. This will act as a stop when the legs are un folded and the table is in the upright position. You can create a 10 Degree Bevel using a table saw, circular saw, even a jig saw or hand saw if need be (I suppose if you were diligent, you might also get the job done with your sander if none of the tools mentioned are available to you) and you are simply trying to give that top edge of the top stretchers a flush method of stopping so that the legs are slightly splayed as you see in Loren’s finished pictures. Once you have created your bevel attach the stretcher to the legs using 2” screws and glue and place them 14 1/2” from the lower stretchers.

Attach the Leg Units: To attach the Leg units, you will simply need to drill a hole through both the legs and the aprons in the location where the legs will attach. The bottom outside edge of your legs should roughly align to the aprons above when they are sitting at the appropriate angle. To attach the legs, Loren simply used a bolt, washer and lock nut! Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! You can see how this will look in the image below and frankly I think it adds to the appeal of the table…adore! You will need to drill a hole that is roughly the size of the bolt shaft diameter or a tad larger. The legs will be offset and opposite on each side as you can see below..in other words one leg unit on the outside of the apron on the left and the opposite leg on the outside of the apron on the right side. This allows for the legs to collapse easily when you fold them in.

Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School

**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you provide an adequate link back to the appropriate post! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.

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1 comment on “Free Woodworking Plans to Build a Fabulous Folding Table”

  1. This is an excellent design! I am working on my second one (one for me and one for my daughter). I did have a hard time deciding exactly where to drill the holes. Any guidance?

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