How to Make My Own Dining Room Table Tops

Learn how to make a tabletop to build a custom dining room table for your home. Apply the knowledge to other furniture projects such as side and coffee tables for other rooms. An attractive and functional tabletop can be made from any species of furniture grade plywood. Birch, maple and cherry are common options for furniture grade plywood. The builder cuts the plywood to the desired size and shape, and sands and finishes the edges. After making a basic top, apply the principles to make an endless number of tabletop designs. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Adjust the depth table saw to cut through wood that is 3/4-inch thick. Set up the fence on the table saw to cut the plywood panel down to 36-by-96-inches using a tape measure. Run the plywood panel through the saw to make the cut.

2

Adjust the fence on the table saw to cut the panel down to 36-by-72-inches using a tape measure. Run the plywood panel though the saw to make the cut. This is the tabletop.

3

Sand the 3/4-inch thick edges of the tabletop using a edge belt sander. Run the edges through the sander until they are completely smooth.

4

Place the tabletop on a work surface. Apply the edge banding to each 3/4-inch thick edge of the tabletop using a flat iron to secure it into place. Make sure the edge banding is even with the edges of the plywood as you run the iron over the banding.

5

Use an edge banding trimmer to trim the top and bottom edges of the edge banding to create a perfectly flush edge on the plywood tabletop.

6

Sand the surface of the tabletop with fine grit sandpaper. Be sure to sand with the grain to avoid scratching the surface.

7

Apply a wood finish to the tabletop. Allow the finish to dry prior to using the tabletop in your woodworking project.