How to Build a Folding Table: Simple DIY Woodworking Project

• tables
• woodworking
• plans
• DIY
• furnituremaking

Finding just a bit more table space in a hallway or living room, only when you need it, isn’t easy. A classic solution is the drop-leaf table, a 16th-century design still useful today because it’s so efficient. Lift the leaf when you want more surface area. Drop it when you want a slimmer, neater look. There are several variations on these tables—and we chose the simplest one, with a single leaf and a fifth leg that swings out to support it. It’s perfect for a foyer and can be built with basic tools and a small table saw in a home workshop.

Probably the trickiest step is cutting the leg tapers. We made it easier by designing a sled that carries the leg safely past a table saw blade at any angle. Additionally, the legs and aprons of the base go together with simple dowel joints and the top attaches easily, with screw-on fasteners. The result is a sophisticated design that you don’t need sophisticated skills to carry out.

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