Andrew Mawby: DIY Planked X Farmhouse Side Table: Free Building Plan

Hello Remodelaholic friends! It’s Ananda from A Piece of Rainbow, where I blog about creative DIY projects for the home and garden. Today I am going to share with you a building plan for a multi-use farmhouse side table!

This planked X side table is so stylish and versatile. It looks great as a side table, end table, or even a small coffee table!

Just look at the inspiration photo above, you will know what I mean! Brooke from Nesting with Grace styled her living room so beautifully with this table. You can check it out at her blog here. Thank you Brooke for sharing your gorgeous photo with us!

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The original table is sold at Wayfair (you can also find it here for slightly less!). I created the plan following their exact dimensions, which is 19.75” H x 19.75” W x 13” D. You can easily modify the dimensions to fit your space and needs!

Before we start building, remember safety first! Please follow good practices to build safely and smartly. Follow safety guidelines of each tool you are using. Always wear eye and hearing protection. Work on a clean level surface, free of clutter or debris.

How to Build a Planked X Farmhouse Side Table

Click Here to Get a Free Printable Version of This Building Plan

Materials and tools:

2x2s and 1x4s ( see cut list below )
a drill (small drill preferred, see Step 4 )
Circular saw and a chisel
KregJig pockethole system and 1 1/4″ screws
Finish nailer and 1″ finish nails
Clamps
Wood glue
a piece of cardboard or thin plywood, cut to 10″x16.75″, as template

Cut list:

(4) 2x2s @ 19.75″ long, (4) 2x2s @ 16.75″ long, (4) 2x2s @ 10″ long,
(6) 1x4s @ 16.75″ long, (4) 1x4s @ 10″ long

Helpful tip: read through all the steps and drill required pocket holes before starting Step 1. Sand all cut surfaces with 120 grit sand paper.

Step 1: Building the cross pieces.

This step requires more patience. Everything else gets much easier from here!

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The two cross pieces are notched together by half-lap joints. To cut half-lap joints as shown in drawing above, set the depth of cut on the circular saw or table saw to half the thickness of the boards, which is 0.75″ for this project. Make a cut along the outside edge of both sides of the joint.

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This article has some great tips on how to clamp a saw guide and create lap joints using a circular saw.

Make multiple random cuts spaced at about 1/4″. Use a chisel to clear away the wood between the sides of the joint and smooth out the flat surface of the joint.

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Two of these pieces will form one X. Apply wood glue on the joints, and secure with a couple of 1″ nails.

Step 2: Assemble the side panels.

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Take a piece of cardboard or thin plywood, cut to 10″x16.75″. Center it on the X piece, use as template to mark the corners as shown above. Trim the corners of the 2x2s using a circular saw, jig saw, or miter saw.

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Attach the 10″ long 2x2s to the top and bottom of the X piece in two ways. First clamp all 3 pieces together. Then attach them use 1.5″ finishing nails or screw the X piece to the 10″ 2x2s at an angle using flat head screws. The screw heads will be covered by the vertical 2x2s next.

Drill pocket holes in the 10″ 2x2s as shown above and screw the center piece to the vertical 2x2s.

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Build 2 of these side panels. Now the table will come together in no time!

Step 3: Assemble the top and bottom panels.

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Screw the 1×4 braces to the 1x4s, then attach the panel to the 2x2s using pocket hole screws. ( One of the 1x4s need to be rip cut to 3″ wide. )

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Make two of these panels, one for the table top, one for the bottom.

Step 4: Assemble the table.

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First attach the top panel to the two side panels using pocket hole screws. Here you can see why we need to use a smaller drill, because we have about 16″ of space in between the sides.

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Attach the bottom piece. We are done building!

Step 5: Apply wood finishes.

If you love a farmhouse whitewashed look, here’s a detailed tutorial on how to whitewash wood using 3 easy and fun techniques. And this ultimate guide to create distressed wood paint finish will be perfect for those who want a rustic chippy paint finish. Make sure to choose non-toxic paint!

You can also leave the wood natural and use an all nature wood wax to finish the table. Here is a tutorial on how to emake my favorite home-made all natural furniture wax easily! The wax will repel stains and dust, and give the wood surface a richness.

Apieceofrainbow Furniture Wax Recipe

Below is another great photo of this stylish table.

Remember, if you do not want to build it, you can purchase it at Wayfair .

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Happy building! Be sure to pin this for later and share with your DIY friends!

Multi Use Side Table Building Plan | DIY Farmhouse Side Table Building Plan | Build this versatile multi-use farmhouse end table to use as a side table in the living room or as a bedside table. Living room photo courtesy of Nesting with Grace, free building plan at Remodelaholic.com.