Hi there! Thanks for checking out my latest project! We needed an extra dining table at The Lodge, so I began scouring the internet for ideas. I almost settled on a great set of plans I found, but Brad challenged me to come up with my own idea- and I’m so glad he did! I LOVE how this table turned out- so much I made 2! It was so rewarding to see my idea become reality, and to be able to help one of our ranch families build their own table as well. I thought I’d share the process so you can make your own, too! We used reclaimed barn wood from old, unused barns and corrals on the Ranch for the majority of both tables- but you can easily make this from new wood as well!
Since this is a long post, I’m breaking it up into two portions- let’s build the top!
You will need-
For the tabletop-
3- 2″x12″ @ 8′
2- 2″x6″ @ 8′
For the trim-
2- 1″x3″ @ 8′
2- 1″x3″ @ 45 1/4″– measure before cutting as this will depend on the width of your boards.
Gather up your wood. If you are using reclaimed lumber, there will be plenty of trimming and planing to get everything ready to use! Looking at this old pile of wood can be pretty intimidating- but the end result is so worth the effort!
I planed the underside of the tabletop boards, because they were not the same thickness.
On old or new wood, I recommend running the tabletop boards through a table saw to trim the sides.
On old wood, this will smooth things out so the edges join flush. On new wood, this will take off the rounded edge and eliminate what would otherwise be a “crumb groove”.
Now, line up your tabletop boards to decide how you want everything to come together.
I went with the 3- 2×12’s in the middle and a 2×6 on each side, but you could alternate 2×12 and 2×6 boards as well! Now, flip everything over so that they are still laid out the same. Mark for pocket holes, then drill them. I drilled 1 1/2″ pocket holes. You could also use a biscuit joiner here, but I prefer my Kreg Jig. The lighting was pretty bad here, so I apologize for the pics!
Now, attach everything with wood glue and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws.
Now is a good time to sand the main tabletop. I really tried not to take too much character from the old wood here during sanding. We are going for rustic, so there are definitely some rough spots remaining, but the poly will help smooth things out a bit.
Now, you can attach your 1×3 trim boards! If you are staining your trim boards different than your main top- you can do that ahead of time. I used Rustoleum Dark Walnut stain for the trim. I ended up sanding quite a bit of the stain away and had to touch it up later- so it’s really up to you whether you’d like to stain your trim before or after attaching.
First, attach your 8′ trim boards on the sides, then measure, cut, and attach the shorter trim boards on the ends. I did not get good pictures of this step, but you can refer to the pics here to see how it goes. I chose to use 1×3 instead of 1×2, because the old boards were pretty wonky and I wanted the extra strength of 1x3s to help straighten everything out. It actually worked best to do this while the table was bottom side up, so that everything would be flush on the top side. I know that table top is a beast, so you can sand and stain after attaching trim to keep from having to flip it so often.
I used my 16 gauge nailer with 2″ nails and wood glue, but an 18 gauge nailer would work well, too. 
Almost finished! Now, touch up any sanding and staining.
As you can see from the pics, I had to take more of the grey from the top than I wanted and there are some over-sanded patches. I’ll show you what I do to help blend those spots in. If you are using new wood, this won’t be necessary, but it’s a good trick to camouflage sanding spots on old wood 🙂
This table top was very grey- so I used Varathane Weathered Grey on its own, but on a more browninsh-grey table, I have mixed Dark Walnut and Weathered Grey with great results as well!
Very lightly dip a clean rag in the stain, and gently rub it into the bare patches on your tabletop. Blend as best you can, using a clean rag as necessary. Once the stain is dry, you can lightly sand if necessary for further blending.
Once you’ve got your top sanded and stained how you like it, finish with a coat or two of poly. I used 2 coats of Varathane Triple Thick in Satin.
Finished!
Part 2 can be found here- https://www.sunnyand79.com/barn-wood-and-pipe-dining-table-part-2-base/
Please let me know if you make this table and how it turned out for you!! Happy Building!
Hi
Great looking tabletop would like to see part two. I know this is a few years old but the finished product really looks nice.
Thanks, Bill! Part 2 is here- https://www.sunnyand79.com/barn-wood-and-pipe-dining-table-part-2-base/