BUILD A PICNIC TABLE WITH BUILT-IN COOLER

DIFFICULTY RATING: INTERMEDIATE

DURATION: ONE DAY PLUS DRYING TIME

Scroll down to see a step-by-step overview of this project.

TOOLS YOU’LL NEED:

  1. Tape measure
  2. Pencil
  3. Jigsaw
  4. Hacksaw
  5. Pipe clamps
  6. Sander
  7. Speed square
  8. Quick-Grips®
  9. 3/8" or adjustable wrench
  10. Cicular or miter saw
  11. Drill driver with 3/4" wood-boring bit

MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED:

  1. (2) 2 x 6 x 8-foot pressure-treated lumber
  2. (5) 2 x 6 x 12-foot #2 or better lumber
  3. (2) 2 x 6 x 10-foot #2 or better lumber
  4. (1) 2 x 4 x 8-foot #2 or better lumber
  5. (1) 1 x 10 x 4-foot common pine
  6. (1) 1 ½-inch x 4-foot slotted angle iron
  7. (16) 3/8 x 3 ½-inch galvanized carriage bolts
  8. Quick-Grips®
  9. 3/8" or adjustable wrench
  10. Cicular or miter saw
  11. Drill driver with 3/4" wood-boring bit with 16 nuts and washers

  12. (1) Box of 2 ½-inch deck screws

  13. (1) Box of 1 ¼-inch deck screws

  14. (1) Tube of construction adhesive

  15. (1) ¾ x ½-inch plastic 90-degree double-barbed elbow

  16. (1) Tube of all-purpose exterior caulk

  17. (1) Quart of spar urethane or finish of your choice

  18.  ½-inch inside-diameter plastic tubing

The type of wood you choose is up to you, but we used pressure-treated lumber for the legs, and common kiln-dried lumber for the rest of the table. You’ll need to apply a finish when you’ve completed your project, which will add beauty as well as durability.

CUT LIST

STEP 1: 

Make most of your lumber cuts first. If you don’t have the right saw, ask your local Home Depot associate to make the cuts for you. 

Save the two table-to-leg angled braces for the end as you can then measure for plumb vertical legs and adjust accordingly.

Cut: 4 legs at 65 degrees with length of 32 inches. Next, cut the 12-footers in half to give you 10 6-foot boards. Set eight of these aside to be used for top and seat boards.

Cut one of the remaining 6-footers in half again for the two cooler sides.

Cut the last 6-foot board for the center top pieces: (2) 14 ½-inch ends and the removable cover at 42 inches. On this piece, drill a ¾-inch hole about 5 inches in from one end for a finger pull.

Each 10-foot 2 x 6 will yield (1) 27-inch top support, (1) 27-inch top brace, and (1) 58-inch seat support. You will need two sets of these. From the 8-foot

2 x 4, cut a pair of 9-inch center seat braces, leaving the rest for later when you will cut the two table-to-leg angled braces.

Cut the 4-foot 1 x 10 down to 3 feet to form the bottom of the cooler. Divide the remaining 12-inch piece into two 6 x 10-inch end pieces. Using a hacksaw, cut the angle iron in half to yield a pair of 2-foot brackets.

 

BUILD THE TOP

STEP 2:

Lay out the top boards, bottom up, without the cooler cover. Shim a roughly 3/8-inch gap between them as you clamp them together. Measure out and draw lines 17 ½-inches from each end. These will serve as markers for the inside of the top braces.

Set the two top braces in place and mark the end and outside lines with a pencil. Apply construction adhesive within the lines of the top braces, but not near the gaps. Replace the braces and use 2 ½-inch deck screws (two per top board) to secure them.

Note that the center top boards don’t extend all the way across the brace, so the glue and screws need to be closer to the edge. 

 

CREATE THE COOLER

STEP 3:

Using 1 ¼-inch deck screws, glue and attach the 1 x 10 bottom to the cooler side boards, and the two 6 x 10-inch pieces to the ends, aligning them with the sides and bottom of the box, leaving the gap along the top. Drill a ¾-inch hole in the bottom of the trough, and force-fit the ¾ x ½-inch plastic 90-degree elbow into the hole. Then seal all interior edges with the caulk.

 

SECURE THE COOLER

STEP 4:

Screw each angle iron to the top edges of the two cooler sides with the 1 ¼-inch deck screws and washers. Lightly glue the side edges and screw the brackets to the underside of the tabletop, centered above the open center space. Adding a little weight to the boards will also help the glue bond against the underside of the tabletop.

 

BUILD THE BRACE FOR THE LEGS

STEP 5:

Next, mark, apply construction adhesive and place the top leg supports on edge 8 inches in from the table edge. Using two 2 ½-inch screws, drive one at each end of the board at an angle into the tabletop to temporarily hold the brace in place, and then flip the tabletop over. Using a pair of 2 ½-inch deck screws per top board, screw the leg support from above to draw the pieces securely up to the underside of the tabletop. When the glue has set, this will provide a strong brace for the legs.

MOUNT THE LEGS

STEP 6:

Now it’s time to mount the leg pieces. Flip the top over again and securely clamp each leg to the top support so that they line up with the second and fourth top boards and are flush to the underside of the top boards. Drill two 3/8-inch holes in the legs through the supports. Remove the clamps, apply glue where the legs meet the supports, and reattach them with the carriage bolts.

Measure 10 inches from the leg bottoms and draw parallel lines across the legs. This marks the lower edge of the seat supports. Carefully center and securely clamp each seat support to the legs and drill two 3/8-inch holes in the legs through the supports as shown in the picture. Remove the clamps, apply glue where the legs meet the supports, and reattach them with the carriage bolts.

ATTACH THE SEATS

STEP 7:

To attach the seats, center the outer boards on their seat supports with a 1-inch overhang off the back edge. Mark, glue and screw these boards down using a pair of 2 ½-inch screws in each support. Next, set the inner seat boards in with the same 3/8-inch gap you used for the top board spacing. Flip the table over and install the seat braces from below using glue and screws. Do not let these screws protrude from the seat top.

BRACE THE SEATS

STEP 8:

Measure and cut the leg-to-top braces. These should be cut on 45 degrees, attached to the center of the leg supports and also to the bottom of the cooler using 1 ¼-inch screws.

On each corner of the seat boards, measure in 2 ¾ inches and place a mark. Using a speed square, draw a 45 degree diagonal line on all eight outside corners of both bench seats. Using the jigsaw, cut off the corners

SAND AND FINISH

STEP 9:

Finally, sand all edges of your new table and apply the finish of your choice to make it weatherproof.

Then attach the ½-inch tubing to the plastic elbow under the cooler and run it to a bucket, or along a table leg and out to the grass.

If you decide to block off the ends of the cooler to add a drain, you could also consider using the cooler trough as a planter. Just fill it with potting soil and add plants!

For more summer project tips and ideas visit homedepot.com. To find a local Home Depot store, click here.