Picnic Table to Go

This children's picnic table would be a marvel if all it did was provide kids with an irresistible spot for drawing, playing games, and eating birthday cake. But it offers so much more: it can be broken down in a matter of seconds (its pieces are ingeniously held together by interlocking slots) and stacked into an easily carried unit for storage or transport. If you know how to use a jigsaw, you can make a picnic table of your own in a weekend.

Click here for a printable version of the Picnic table plans (picnictable.pdf).

	Materials
	• One 4- by 8-foot sheet of 3/4-inch AC plywood • Twelve 1 1/4-inch wood screws • Primer and exterior paint

	Tools
	Tape measure, straightedge or carpenter's square, pencil, coffee can with 4-inch diameter, safety glasses, leather work gloves, jigsaw, 100-grit sandpaper, vibrator sander or sanding block, file, electric drill, paintbrush

Getting a 4- by 8-foot sheet of plywood home from the lumberyard may be this project's most challenging step. Rather than wrestle with it whole, have the yard cut 3 pieces from it:

•One 24- by 48-inch piece (call it Section A) for the tabletop
•One 44 1/4- by 48-inch piece (Section B) for the legs, tabletop support and cleats, and carrying clips
•One 27- by 48-inch piece (Section C) for the seats and seat supports

If you want to save sawing time later, you can have the yard cut Sections A and B, plus the two 8 3/4- by 48-inch seats and the two 4 3/4-inch by 48-inch seat supports.

TIPS FOR CUTTING, SANDING AND PAINTING PLYWOOD

1. Once you've drawn the straight cut lines, use a coffee can with a 4-inch diameter as a template to round off most of the corners, lay out the handles, and shape the feet. Use a dime to round off the slots in the table legs, as shown on the diagram for Section B.

2. Use a jigsaw equipped with a sharp wood blade that will allow you to make both straight and curved cuts. Support the plywood on a stable work surface, cut slowly, and let the blade do its work.

3. The most important cuts will be the 3/4-inch-wide slots for the interlocking joints. See the Tip in step 3 on page 98 for an easy way to keep the measurements and cuts as precise as possible. During assembly, you may have to use the jigsaw or file to widen some of the slots for a smooth fit.

4. Wear safety glasses so you can watch the blade and your guidelines. Try to make smooth, continuous cuts to minimize sanding later. Wear leather work gloves to avoid getting splinters.

5. After you've cut your pieces, sand and round over all of the edges using 100-grit sandpaper, preferably on a sanding block or vibrator sander. Pay particular attention to the tabletop, seat edges, and handle cutouts.

6. When it's time to paint your picnic table, first apply a coat of quality exterior primer, then finish with 2 coats of exterior paint.