Holy &*%$ - I built a table!

Ok, guys, I am really proud of myself for this one. I built a table. A serious, giant dining table. And it actually turned out well.

Anthropologie photo

You might be thinking Isn't your blog focused on this home DIY kinda stuff? Aren't you supposed to be doing these things? And the answer is yes, I am 'supposed' to be, but at this stage, I'm a total wannabe, and I have pretty much no experience and no idea what I'm doing. We only moved from our condo to our house a couple months ago, and this was the first big project I tackled. You might also be thinking, umm but you already built another table - so why is this one such a big deal? Well, that coffee table was easy peasy. It basically just involved screwing together 4 pre-assembled crates, so it was about as simple as any furniture build could be. This table, on the other hand, involved working with raw lumber and using multiple power tools. Totally hard core! (At least for me, though I'm sure several of you are laughing at my newbie-ness).

  

It should come as no surprise that I used plans from the queen of furniture building, Ana White. This is called the Fancy X Farmhouse Table, which was inspired by the Anthropologie Modern Farmhouse Table. I'm not going to share a step by step process, since you can just take a look at the actual plans. The estimated cost listed was $65, but I was skeptical that would be the case for us here in the (expensive) DC area. To my surprise, I actually spent less than $60 on lumber!

Overall, the process went pretty smoothly. I built it over the course of a week, starting one weekend, doing a few minor things during the week, and finishing up the following weekend. This could be completed in a single weekend though, especially if you know what you're doing already! At the end of the process, I spent some time beating the table up a little bit, so it would look like an antique with some history. Then, I used Minwax PolyShades Espresso Satin Stain.

This was the first time I used a compound miter saw, the first time I used a Kreg Jig, the first time I used a nailer... you get the picture. These are the tools I used (with affiliate links), in case anyone else is shopping around. With the exception of the drill that was a gift (and is amazing!), I picked out all of these because they were low cost and had high reviews - so they're good for beginners who don't want to spend a ton. I've been happy with all of them so far!

• Hitachi C10FCE2 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw
• Kreg Jig K4 Pocket Hole System
• WEN 61720 3/4-Inch to 2-Inch 18-Gauge Brad Nailer
• PORTER-CABLE C1010 Heavy-Duty 1-Gallon 135 PSI Max Quiet Trim Compressor
• Black & Decker QS900 1/4-Sheet Sander
• DEWALT DC970K-2 18-Volt Drill/Driver Kit 

Have you ever built any big furniture? I was excited to try, but I was definitely worried it was going to turn out crooked or wobbly! This was definitely a big confidence booster once I saw the end product was actually sturdy & usable!

**Update: I've received a few comments asking for a link to the full directions. It's listed above in the post, but in case you missed it, here's the link: http://ana-white.com/2012/06/plans/fancy-x-farmhouse-table