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Adirondack End Table[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 end table
Build This Project
Pack
4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack
Uses
1 pack, all 5 boards
Shown in
Black WalnutON SALE
Also in
Hard Maple, Cherry, White Oak (QS), Red Oak, Ash, Hickory, Ambrosia Maple, Sapele, Padauk, Purpleheart
Shipping
Free shipping
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A low slatted side table to sit beside an Adirondack chair, with a shelf underneath for a book or a citronella candle. It also works as a plant stand on the deck or indoors. The legs are two strips face-glued for a chunky look, the aprons wrap round them like a pinwheel, and the gapped top drains rain. It is an end table — not a seat or a step.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg pieces | 8 | Boards 1–2, ripped in half | 16½" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 16½" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Aprons | 4 | Boards 1–2, ripped in half | 13" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 13" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Top slats | 4 | Boards 3–4 | 16" × 4" × ¾" | 16" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Shelf cleats | 2 | Board 3, blank ripped in half | 12¼" × 1 15/16" × ¾" | 12⅛" × 1 11/16" × ⅞" |
| Shelf slats | 2 | Board 5 | 8⅜" × 4" × ¾" | 8¾" × 3½" × ⅞" |
Legs: 2 strips face-glued, 4 legs.
Frame: 4 aprons in a pinwheel, each overlapping the next; screwed only at the corners (end grain), glued and screwed to the legs.
Top: 4 slats with ¼" gaps, screwed to the aprons, no glue.
Shelf: 2 slats on 2 cleats screwed across the inside faces of the legs, 5" up.
Finished size: S4S top 16" × 16¾", 17¼" H, frame 13¾" square · S2S top 16" × 14¾", about 17⅜" H, frame 13⅞" square.
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S) — white oak, ash or hickory for outdoors
- Exterior wood glue (Titebond III)
- About 50 exterior #8 flat-head screws (stainless or coated): 1½" and 2" (S4S) or 1¾" and 2¼" (S2S)
- 4 plastic furniture glides
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Exterior oil or spar varnish
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 6–8 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Four ¼" spacers (offcuts or tile spacers)
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Rip the leg boards. Rip boards 1 and 2 down the middle — 4 strips, 1 15/16" wide. Use a push stick. Crosscut each strip into 2 legs at 16½" and 1 apron at 13".
- 2 Glue up 4 legs. Face-glue the leg pieces in pairs — 1½" × 1 15/16" × 16½". Use exterior glue (Titebond III), clamp every 4", and leave them overnight.
- 3 Cut the top and shelf parts. Crosscut boards 3 and 4 into 2 top slats each at 16". From the rest of board 3, cut a 12¼" blank and rip it in half for the 2 shelf cleats. Crosscut board 5 into 2 shelf slats at 8⅜".
- 4 Build the pinwheel frame. Each apron overlaps the end of the next one, so the corners go round like a pinwheel and the frame is 13¾" square. Drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 2" exterior screws through each apron into the end of the next. No glue — that is end grain.
- 5 Fit the legs. Stand a leg in each inside corner, top flush with the aprons, glue line facing front and back. Glue and drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 2" screws through each apron into the leg — 4 per leg. Check each leg is square to the frame.
- 6 Add the shelf cleats. Turn the table upside down. Mark 5" up from the floor end of each leg. Screw a cleat across the inside faces of the two front legs, top edge on the marks, and another across the two back legs. 2 pre-drilled screws per leg.
- 7 Lay the shelf. Set the 2 shelf slats on the cleats, between the legs, with a ¼" gap between them. Screw down through each slat end into the cleats — 2 per end, pre-drilled.
- 8 Attach the top. Lay the 4 top slats across the frame with ¼" spacers between them and an even overhang all round. Drive 2 pre-drilled, countersunk #8 × 1½" exterior screws through each slat end into the aprons. No glue: the gaps let the slats move and let rain drain.
- 9 Sand. Ease every edge and corner, then 120 → 180. Outdoors, rounded edges hold finish better than sharp ones.
- 10 Finish. 2–3 coats of exterior oil or spar varnish, including the leg bottoms and the end grain. Add plastic feet or glides so the legs don't sit in water.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Rip the leg boards. Rip boards 1 and 2 down the middle — 4 strips, 1 11/16" wide. Use a push stick. Crosscut each strip into 2 legs at 16½" and 1 apron at 13".
- 3 Glue up 4 legs. Face-glue the leg pieces in pairs — 1¾" × 1 11/16" × 16½". Use exterior glue (Titebond III), clamp every 4", and leave them overnight.
- 4 Cut the top and shelf parts. Crosscut boards 3 and 4 into 2 top slats each at 16". From the rest of board 3, cut a 12⅛" blank and rip it in half for the 2 shelf cleats. Crosscut board 5 into 2 shelf slats at 8¾".
- 5 Build the pinwheel frame. Each apron overlaps the end of the next one, so the corners go round like a pinwheel and the frame is 13⅞" square. Drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 2¼" exterior screws through each apron into the end of the next. No glue — that is end grain.
- 6 Fit the legs. Stand a leg in each inside corner, top flush with the aprons, glue line facing front and back. Glue and drive 2 pre-drilled #8 × 2¼" screws through each apron into the leg — 4 per leg. Check each leg is square to the frame.
- 7 Add the shelf cleats. Turn the table upside down. Mark 5" up from the floor end of each leg. Screw a cleat across the inside faces of the two front legs, top edge on the marks, and another across the two back legs. 2 pre-drilled screws per leg.
- 8 Lay the shelf. Set the 2 shelf slats on the cleats, between the legs, with a ¼" gap between them. Screw down through each slat end into the cleats — 2 per end, pre-drilled.
- 9 Attach the top. Lay the 4 top slats across the frame with ¼" spacers between them and an even overhang all round. Drive 2 pre-drilled, countersunk #8 × 1¾" exterior screws through each slat end into the aprons. No glue: the gaps let the slats move and let rain drain.
- 10 Sand. Ease every edge and corner, then 120 → 180. Outdoors, rounded edges hold finish better than sharp ones.
- 11 Finish. 2–3 coats of exterior oil or spar varnish, including the leg bottoms and the end grain. Add plastic feet or glides so the legs don't sit in water.
Why a pinwheel frame? Each apron covers the end of the next one, so all four corners look the same and every apron is the same 13" length. It is simple to cut and very rigid once the legs are in.
Why gaps in the top? Outdoor slats swell when wet. The ¼" gaps give them room, let rain drain through, and keep water from sitting on the top.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Taller plant stand: use longer legs from a second pack for a 24" plant stand.
- Paint it: classic Adirondack colours — white, red or forest green — over an exterior primer.
- Indoor version: any species works inside; walnut or cherry with a hardwax oil finish.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- The leg strips are narrow rips — use a push stick, or rip them with a bandsaw.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- This is an end table and plant stand. It is not a seat or a step — don't stand or sit on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
White oak is the best choice in the pack. Ash and hickory are strong but need a good exterior finish every year. Use exterior screws and Titebond III glue, and keep it off wet grass.
Drinks, a book, a lantern or a potted plant up to about 30 lb on top. Put heavy pots on the shelf. It is not a seat or a step.
Better not. Store it in a shed or garage over the winter, and re-oil it each spring.
Planned offcuts only: a short piece off the end of each leg strip, about 15" off board 4, and about 29" off board 5. All 5 boards go into the table.
No. Each 47" strip gives two 16½" legs and a 13" apron, so this table needs the 4ft pack.
Get a free woodworking plan every Tuesday
The Tuesday 3-2-1 Build and the Friday Five, plus 10% off your first order of any non-sale species. Walnut is already on sale.
Next build with this pack
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