Whew! This was a challenge. Yes, it should have been easy - Ana's plans are really straight forward and seem easy enough to follow. I think I just have a hard time following directions! First, the table needed to be small, so I was going to have to tweak the plans anyway - why not make it just a bit different? Well, because then it's not so simple!
Almost finished with my first plan, the table boards started splitting. I had to make what I had work, so back to the drawing board, and the end result did turn out beautifully.
The chairs were a challenge because I really didn't want to use my husband's BIG circular saw. I bought a new cordless, lighter saw - and it wouldn't cut through the 2x4s. After butchering the first set of legs, I dampened my fears and pulled out the big saw. How silly I was - it was easy to use and cut right through those 2x4s with ease! Once I had the legs cut it was pretty simple to put the chairs together. I would suggest that you sand and finish all the pieces before you begin putting them together. And, attach the seat slats before attaching the seat to the back piece! I ended up adding an additional 2x2 across the seat so that I'd have something to nail the slats to (Thank you to my son for that idea!).
I had the table and 4 chairs sitting on the lawn waiting for my son to pick up, and had quite a few people stopping by to ask about them. I always tell everyone that I've found this wonderful site just full of beautiful furniture plans waiting to be built - thanks, Ana!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200-250 for table and 4 chairs
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax stain with polyurethane, mission oak.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
yogashell
Sat, 06/02/2012 - 07:08
Great work!
They turned out beautifully! Thanks for the tips!