Why choose our design for the DIY patio table and chair set?
If you’re struggling to find the perfect outdoor table on a budget that fits well with your patio and deck, why not build it yourself?
As the weather heats up and more time is spent outdoors, it’s important to have a space to entertain guests and bring people together. This beautiful garden and patio dining table and chair set invites guests and family members to gather for a meal together.
The full-size outdoor dining table and chair set seats 6-8
The DIY chair.
When designing the outdoor dining chair, I decided to use thinner 2x3s to reduce the bulky look that a lot of DIY furniture has. This makes the chair look more minimalistic, clean, and professional.
The slight incline of the chair makes sitting more comfortable and relaxing. With an incline it was very important that the design of the chair allows for the piece to slide under the table for a comfortable dining experience as well.
The chair is decked with thinner 1 inch lumber pieces that feature slats to allows for proper water draining in rainy weather.
Lastly, my goal with the design of this chair was to make it very easy to build. The joints are simple and easy for anyone to work with. The angles of the chair are also easy to cut and assemble if you follow my step-by-step plans. This is a great build for anyone who is new to woodworking.
The DIY table
The table in this outdoor dining set is made from common construction lumber found in most hardware stores. My goal with this design was to make sure that its sturdy and can handle real weight.
This table is made from bulkier cuts of lumber to ensure that it can withstand the elements outdoors for a long time. When joined properly this table does not shake, rock, or move. The lumber cuts give an home farmhouse feel to the table.
Using wood for the build gives the dining table and chairs a warm and natural look. I love the grain variation that I can get with wood.
Table décor and setup can change based on season and mood to vary the style and allows for the table to be used year-round.
What about the patio cover in the photographs?
Plans for the 8×10 patio cover can be found here.
Time to build
About 2 hour per chair
About 6 hours for table
Total cost of build
About $350 for the table.
About $65 per chair
Skill level required
Beginner-Intermediate
Download the PDF plans
Outdoor wood dinning table and chairs PDF plans
What is included in the PDF download?
Easy to read step by step instructions
Material list
Tools needed
3D illustrations
Tools for building the table
- Miter saw
- Drill
- Impact driver with bit for screws
- GRIP Clamps
- Sander
- wood countersink drill bit
- will need 10 lb of 2.5-in screws (highly recommend T25 Star Drive screws)
- 5 lb 3-1/2 screws (highly recommend T-25 #10 x 3-1/2 screws)
- pencil
- Wood glue
- sand paper
- 1/4-in x 12-in drill bit and 1/4-in dowels. The size or dowels and drill bit can vary (more detail in further steps). You will need at least four 48-in long dowels.
- Hammer
- hand held saw
- Long 6-in Driver Bit
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links.
Material list for table
Available with purchase of PDF plans.
Step 1 (DIY patio table)
First, cut a 38-in piece from the 4×6 lumber.
Next, draw lines on both ends of the 38-in piece with a pencil to indicate where to cut off the edges at 30-degrees (see diagram).
Next, cut the edges at 30 degrees.
repeat this set 2x
Step 2 (DIY patio table)
Next, cut a 30 3/8-in piece from the 4×6 lumber.
Next, draw lines on both ends of the 30 3/8-in piece with a pencil to indicate where to cut off the edges at 30-degrees (see diagram).
Next, cut the edges at 30 degrees.
repeat this set 4x
Step 3 (DIY patio table)
Next, cut a 38-in piece from the 2×6 lumber.
Next, draw lines on both ends of the 38-in piece with a pencil to indicate where to cut off the edges at 30-degrees (see diagram).
Next, cut the edges at 30 degrees.
repeat this set 3x
Step 4 (DIY patio table)
Next, cut a 15.5-in piece from the 4×6 lumber.
Repeat this set 4x
Step 5 (DIY patio table)
Next, take one of the 30 3/8-in pieces and one of the 38-in pieces (from the 4×6 lumber) and center them over each other as shown in the diagram.
Apply glue in all the areas where the lumber pieces will be contacting each other.
Predrill 6 holes as shown in the diagram and add the 3.5-in screws.
When adding screws, make sure they go deep enough to be able to penetrate both thick lumber pieces.
Step 6 (DIY patio table)
Next, cut a 76-in pieces from the 4×8 lumber.
Draw a line all around the edges at 1/2-in to indicate where you will need to make a 45-degree cut.
Trim all the edges at 45 degrees as shown below.
Step 7 (DIY patio table)
Next, cut two spacers at 3-in from the scrap 4×8 lumber. These spacers will allow the central beam to rest on them you assemble the table base.
Rest the 76-in lumber pieces on top of the spacers as shown below.
Next, draw a line on both end of the 76-in 3×8 lumber piece. It should be 1.5-in away from the angles edge (see diagram).
Step 8 (DIY patio table)
Next, add all four of the 15.5-in pieces to the 76-in central beam as shown in the diagram.
use the lines you drew in the previous step to place the 15.5-in pieces correctly and in alignment with each other.
It is important that this step is performed on a level surface.
Add glue, predrill, and add four screws to each of the 15.5-in pieces to secure them in place.
I use wood working clamps to hold the entire set up as I work. This is very helpful to ensure proper alignment.
Step 9 (DIY patio table)
Next, using a pencil, draw two lines at 6 15/16-in as shown in the diagram on the assembled base pieces from step 5.
Step 10 (DIY patio table)
Next, take the assembled base pieces from step 9 and place them on top of the pieces from step 8 as shown in the diagram.
Add glue to all areas that will be making contact.
I use wood clamps to hold the two structures in place while I attach them together.
Next, using a 1/4-in or 1/2-in, long (at least 12-in) drill bit, drill four holes directly through the 38-in and 30 3/8-in pieces and deep into the 15.5 in pieces as shown in the diagram.
The size of the drill bit needs to be the same size as the dowels you will use in the next step.
Step 11 (DIY patio table)
Next, you will be adding dowels to the holes you drilled in the previous step.
I like to pour glue directly into the hole and I apply glue to the dowel sides as well. I make sure that there is a lot of glue to ensure a strong table for this step.
Cut dowels that are at least 12-in and hammer them into the holes.
Cut the parts of the dowels that are sticking out with a saw.
Next, predrill several deep holes to add 3.5-in screws to secure the structure together.
The depth of these screws needs to be at least 5.5 inches. You can use a the long screw driver bit to achieve this depth.
Repeat this step for the other side as well.
Step 12 (DIY patio table)
Next, flip the table base to lay on the upright direction.
Next, you will need to attach the two remaining 30 3/8 pieces you cut in step 2 to the table base.
The steps to attaching these parts are similar to the previous step with the exception of depth. The depth of the holes does not need to be as deep, and the dowels can be shorter too.
Step 13 (DIY patio table)
In this step you will be assembling the tabletop.
First, lay out four of the 1x6x8 lumber pieces and four of the 2x4x8 lumber pieces as shown in the diagram.
If they are slightly uneven in length, trim the edges to make them match.
The spacing between them should be about 1/2-in
Next, lay the remaining 38-in pieces across the tabletop pieces as shown in the diagram.
The spacing on these 38-in prices is illustrated bellow.
Step 14 (DIY patio table)
Next, I like to place the table base directly on top of the unassembled table top to ensure proper alignment.
The table top also serves as a weight to hold down all the table boards. You can also draw lines around the 38-in pieces to make sure the placement remains correct.
Next, add glue and 2.5-in screws to the central 38-in pieces.
Next, remove the table base and add glue and 2.5-in screws to the remaining two 38-in pieces.
It is VERY important to ensure that the screws do not stick out into the table top.
Step 15 (DIY patio table)
Next, you will be attaching the tabletop to the table base.
First, apply glue to the 30 3/8 pieces of the table base.
Next, lay the table base on top of the table top as shown in the diagram.
Next, predrill holes four holes on either side of the 30 3/8-in pieces as shown in the diagram and add screws.
The tabletop should now be secured to the table base.
Step 16 (DIY patio table)
Lastly you need to sand down the whole table.
I use a 80-grit sand paper and an orbital sander to achieve this. After the 80-grit paper I use a 220-git sandpaper.
I also like to go over the perimeter edges of the tabletop with either a sander or a router to round off the edges. This is important so that when people are sitting at the table, they can comfortably rest their hands and arm on the table.
Once you sand down the table, its ready to be stained and sealed.
Step-by-step instruction on building the DIY chair.
Recommend tools for the DIY chair
- Saw (miter saw recommended for precision cuts)
- Drill
- Impact driver with bit for screws
- Sander
- wood countersink drill bit
Material list for the DIY chair
Need a total of (3) 2x3x8s and (3) 1x3x8s per chair. If you’re building all eight chairs, then you will need (24) 2x3x8s and (24) 1x3x8s.
- about 5lbs of 2.5 in long screws (highly recommend T25 Star Drive screws)
- about 2lbs of 3.5 in long screws (highly recommend T25 Star Drive screws)
- about 1lbs of 1.5 in long screws (highly recommend T25 Star Drive screws)
- Wood glue
- Sand paper
- Pencil
Step 1 (DIY chair)
Precut all your wood pieces into the following dimensions shown below. If your building all eight chairs then multiply the cuts by 8.
Precut (2) 20-7/8 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair. One side needs to be cut at 5-degrees.
Precut (2) 20-3/4 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Precut (2) 19-9/16 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair. These have one side cut at 15-degrees and the other at 10-degrees.
Precut (12) 19-1/4 inch long 1×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Precut (1) 19-1/4 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Precut (1) 16-1/4 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Precut (2) 14-1/8 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Precut (2) 17-3/4 inch long 2×3 lumber pieces per chair.
Step 2 (DIY chair)
Take two 17-3/4 inch 2×3 lumber pieces, one 16-1/4 inch 2×3 lumber pieces, and one 19-1/4 inch 2×3 -lumber pieces and arrange them as shown bellow.
Join the pieces by predrilling holes, add glue, and add 2.5 inch long screws.
It is recommended to predrill the wood prior to putting in a screw to prevent the wood from splitting. What works for me is to us a wood countersink drill bit.
Step 3 (DIY chair)
Next, take two 14-1/8 inch 2×3 lumber pieces and arrange them as shown in the diagram. Add glue, predrill, and add screws to join the pieces together.
Step 4 (DIY chair)
Next, add the 19-1/4 inch 1×3 lumber decking pieces. They must be about 5/16 inches apart. As before, predrill, add glue, and add screws.
Use 1.5 inch screws with the decking board to ensure that they don’t stick out of the frame.
Step 5 (DIY chair)
Next, take one 20-3/4 inch 2×3 lumber pieces, one 19-7/16 inch 2×3 lumber pieces, and one 20-7/8 inch 2×3 lumber pieces and arrange them as shown below.
Make sure that the correct sides are being joined together at the correct angle.
As before, predrill, add glue, and add screws.
Repeat this step 2x to have a total of two assembled armrests.
Step 6 (DIY chair)
Next, take one of the armrests and apply it to the seating component as shown below.
You can use a pencil to make a line where the seating component and the arm rest component need to light up. Appropriate spacing dimensions are shown below.
Next, add glue, predrill, and add screws as shown below.
Make sure to use 3.5 inch screws when joining the arm rests and legs to the seating frame. Go deep with the screw to ensure a safe joint.
Repeat this step for both armrests.
Step 7 (DIY chair)
Next, sand down the whole chair. This can be time consuming. I use an orbital sander to speed up the process
I use a rough 80 grit paper first and then finish it with a 220 grit paper.
Filling in the holes is optional.
At this point it is ready to be stained or painted!
