How Do You Make a Dining Table?

To make a dining table, glue up a solid timber top from boards edge to edge, build a base of either four legs with apron rails or two trestle ends joined by a stretcher, fix the top to the base with fasteners that allow the timber to move, then sand and finish. Standard dining table height is 73cm to 78cm, so a 30mm to 40mm top sits on legs cut to that figure minus the top thickness and any apron.

It is a substantial project rather than a difficult one. The skills required are accurate cutting, flat glue ups and patient sanding. The main risks are timber movement and an out of square base, and both are manageable if you plan for them.

Deciding the Size First

Everything else follows from the dimensions, so settle them before buying timber.

Height should be 73cm to 78cm. Pair it with chairs having a seat height around 45cm to 47cm, which leaves comfortable legroom. If you already own the chairs, measure their seat height and work back from there.

Length is driven by seating. Allow 60cm of table edge per person as a minimum and 70cm for comfort. A 180cm table seats three per long side. Width of 90cm to 100cm gives place settings opposite each other plus a usable central strip for dishes. At 80cm you lose the central strip. Below 75cm, people opposite each other will find their knees meeting.

Then check the room. Allow 90cm of clearance around every seated side and 120cm on any side that is also a walkway. Measure the room, subtract those clearances, and confirm your intended size actually fits before cutting anything.

Also consider the overhang. The top should project 20cm to 30cm beyond the legs at the ends so people can sit without straddling a leg.

Choosing and Preparing Timber

Solid hardwood gives the best result for a dining table. Oak, ash and beech are all widely available in the UK, machine predictably and finish beautifully. Pine is cheaper and easier to work but dents readily under daily use.

Buy timber that has been kiln dried and, if possible, planed on at least two faces. Then let it acclimatise in the room where the table will live for at least a week, ideally two, stacked with spacers so air moves around every board. This step is not optional. Boards that have not settled to indoor humidity will move after assembly, and that is what causes cupping and open joints.

Select boards for the top with an eye to grain and colour. Lay them out and rearrange until the pattern reads well. Alternate the growth ring direction from board to board so any cupping tendency partly cancels out rather than compounding into one big curve.

Buy roughly ten to fifteen percent more timber than the calculation suggests. You will lose material to jointing, and you may reject a board once you see it planed.

Gluing Up the Top

The top is the part people look at, so the glue up deserves the most care.

Joint the mating edges so they meet with no gap along their full length. Hold two boards together against a light: if light shows through anywhere, the joint needs more work. A hand plane or a jointer both get you there.

Apply a waterproof PVA or polyurethane adhesive to both edges, then clamp across the joint every 20cm to 30cm, alternating clamps above and below the panel to keep it flat. Use cauls across the width if you have them. Snug the clamps until glue squeezes out evenly, then stop: over tightening starves the joint.

Check for flatness with a straight edge while the glue is still workable. A panel that dries with a twist is very difficult to correct later.

Scrape off the squeeze out once it reaches a rubbery stage rather than waiting for it to harden, since cured glue is harder than the timber around it and will show as a pale line under finish.

Let the panel cure fully, at least 24 hours, before removing clamps. Then flatten both faces, working the underside as well as the top.

Building the Base

There are two straightforward base designs, and the choice affects how the table can be used.

A four leg base with apron rails is the traditional approach. Cut four legs to your height minus the top thickness, then join them with apron rails set just below the top. Mortise and tenon joints are the strong option; dowels or good quality screwed and glued joints are perfectly serviceable. The apron creates a rigid box, and the corner legs limit where benches and chairs can go.

A trestle base uses two end frames joined by a central stretcher. This leaves the long sides completely clear, which means chairs can go anywhere along the table and a bench can tuck fully underneath. It requires a well made stretcher joint, since that single connection carries all the racking load. Wedged through tenons are traditional and can be knocked apart for moving.

Whichever you choose, check the base for square by measuring the diagonals. If they match, it is square. Do this while the adhesive is still workable, and clamp the frame flat on a level surface as it cures.

If a trestle base appeals but the joinery does not, our modern wooden dining tables UK sale range includes trestle designs with the same practical benefit.

Fixing the Top to the Base

This is the detail that determines whether the table survives its first winter of central heating.

A solid timber top expands and contracts across its width with seasonal humidity changes, potentially by several millimetres on a wide panel. It barely moves along its length. If you fix the top rigidly to the base at every point, that movement has nowhere to go and the top splits.

Use fixings that allow lateral movement: slotted holes running across the width of the top, buttons housed in a groove in the apron, or proprietary tabletop fasteners. Fix firmly at the centre and allow movement towards the edges.

Never screw a solid top down through oversized washers alone and consider the job done. The movement is real and it is stronger than the fixings.

Sanding and Finishing

Work through the grits in order: 80 or 100 to remove machine marks, then 120, 180, and finish at 240. Skipping grits leaves scratches that only appear once finish goes on. Sand along the grain throughout.

Raise the grain before your final pass: wipe the surface with a damp cloth, let it dry completely, then sand lightly at your finishing grit. This lifts compressed fibres that would otherwise swell when finish is applied.

Round or chamfer the edges. A sharp arris on a table edge is uncomfortable against forearms and chips easily. Even a heavy sanding of the corner improves it markedly.

For finish, hardwax oil is the practical choice on a dining table: durable, easy to reapply, and repairable in patches without stripping the whole top. Apply thin coats with a cloth, respect the drying times, and abrade lightly between coats. Three coats on the top, two on the base.

Finish the underside too. Sealing one face and leaving the other bare creates a moisture imbalance that pulls the panel into a curve.

What This Project Involves

Realistically, a dining table takes several weekends: a week or two of acclimatising timber, a day for the glue up, a day or two on the base, then sanding and multiple finish coats with drying time between each.

You need a saw, a plane or jointer, a drill, a sander, a square, a straight edge and a good number of clamps. Clamps are usually the limiting factor, and a top glue up needs more than most people own.

It is a genuinely rewarding build and the result can be better than much of what is commercially available, particularly in timber quality. But it is not a shortcut to a cheap table once you have priced good hardwood.

If the appeal is a solid timber table rather than the making of it, a ready made piece arrives finished, square and stable. Our modern dining tables UK sale range covers solid timber, glass, marble and high gloss, and for households furnishing from scratch our modern wooden dining table sets UK sale collection pairs tables with matching chairs. Complete the room with storage from our modern sideboard furniture UK sale selection. At Furniture in Fashion we offer free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What thickness should a dining table top be?

30mm to 40mm suits most solid timber dining tables. Thinner tops can work with substantial apron rails supporting them, but they are more likely to flex and cup over a wide span.

What is the best wood for a homemade dining table?

Oak, ash and beech are all good choices: hard enough for daily use, widely available in the UK and predictable to work. Pine is easier and cheaper but dents readily on a dining surface.

Why do homemade table tops crack?

Almost always because the top was fixed rigidly to the base, leaving no room for the timber to expand and contract across its width. Use slotted fixings or tabletop buttons that allow lateral movement.

How long should timber acclimatise before building?

At least one week, preferably two, stacked with spacers in the room where the finished table will live. Building with timber straight from a cold store is the most common cause of joints opening later.

Is it cheaper to build a dining table than buy one?

Not always. Good quality kiln dried hardwood is a significant cost, and you also need clamps and tools. Building makes sense for the control over timber, size and finish rather than purely for savings.