Build your own garden table from planks and trestles

A perfect and fun summer project on the terrace.

Here I have used:
2 old sawhorses bought at a flea market. You can also build your own
6 pieces of rafter wood from the hardware store, here they are approximately 4,5 meters in length
Standard joists and battens
Angle brackets, screws, white paint, etc.
Tools

I wanted a huge garden table for my new large terrace, but had a hard time finding one. I had had the two wooden saw trestles standing for a long time and thought that these could be used. I built on the two trestles by stabilizing them with extra cross sticks, so the trestles were completely stable (see the pictures.)

Then I "connected" the two trestles with 3 joists, which I attached with angle brackets, so that they formed the base for the table. 2 on the outside and one in the middle.

I milled the angle brackets down at each end of the joists so that they took up the least amount of space. You don't need this, but I thought it was fun to try.

Between the joists I put some pieces of battens that I sawed into suitable pieces. These were for stabilization and so that I had something to screw the tabletop to.

Then I made some slanted “straps” that were cut at angles so I could screw them under the table. I don’t have the golden rule with angles, but I tried my best. Now I had a really good table frame that I could screw the 6 pieces of rafter wood onto. Finally, the table was sanded and painted with white outdoor paint.

Really enjoy your garden table.

Janne.