Kids Bench/Table

 I don’t  have a huge  kitchen, so I  have found it fairly important to  utilize  every  square inch.  Do you remember  the tutorial  about the conver-table ?  Well,  shortly  after making a table that was able to  serve multiple functions,  I decided I needed a  bench to match!  I really  wanted to have a kids  eating area,  so when we had company they  could sit at the “adult table”.  I had  looked into making  a cute little  table and chairs for the kiddos,  but like  I mentioned earlier,  I don’t have a huge kitchen.   What a conundrum !?

Challenge Accepted!

 Not only  do I have a tutorial  below,   but Ana White is a rockstar and  has  drafted  up the plans and they are available on her site! Don’t  have access to a tablesaw!? She has a solution for that!

Materials Used:

• Wood Glue
• 2.5″ Wood Screws
• Wood Plugs
• 2×8   (12′)
• 2×10 (8′)
• Shelf Support Bracket
• Spray Paint

Tools Suggested:

• Miter Saw
• Table Saw
• 18g Nail Gun
• Drill
• 3/8″ drill bit
• Kreg Jig
• Orbital Sander

Cut List:

2×8

4@  17″ (2 of which requires additional cuts)

2@  36″(1 of which requires additional cuts)

2×10

1@ 18.5″

2@ 17″

 Legs

Begin by taking 2 of the 2×8’s that are cut at 17″.   Using a tablesaw cut a notch out of the entire length of the 17″ board.   Then repeat the same process on the second board.

Next take the 2×10  cut at 17″ and line it up the with 2×8 that  has the notch cut out.  Dab a little bit of glue in the joint and then for added precaution I  used 16 gauge 2″ finishing nails.

Repeat the the same process on the other notched out board.

For the next step on the legs,  use a Kreg Jig System and drill 3 holes  on the 2 remaining 2×8″ boards.  ( These will become the chair backs)

Again I used a little bit of wood glue on the joint and then reinforced with 2 1/2″  screws via the pocket holes.  I then repeated on the remaining leg.

 To hide the pocket holes, I  use these awesome little guys! Just  use a dab of glue and use then to fill the pocket holes.

 The Top

For the top I used (2)  2×8’s.   This is where it gets a  little tricky.   Using a jigsaw  I cut out a 9″ section in the center of one of the boards.  I needed the slot to be 9 ” and 1 1/2′ deep.  ( The table top  board will eventually  will sit on this cut out.)  Using the  Kreg Jig again,  I drilled  pocket holes that would allow me to join both 2×8’s together. For added precaution I  used a little bit of wood glue on the seam.   I then  used 2 1/2″ screws to fasten the two boards together via the pocket holes. ( Again,  I used pocket hole plugs to hide the pocket holes.)

Now it is time to attach the legs to the top!

I wanted to conceal the screws as much as possible so I used “wood plugs”.  In order to use these I simply  used a drill bit  (determined by the size plug) in this case I  used a 3/8″  bit.  I  drilled only  partially through the board with this bit.  I then followed  up with a much smaller bit to pre- drill . ( This helps prevent the board from splitting.)  After the hole is pre-drilled  I  used 2 1/2″ wood screws to secure the leg to the top.  I then added a small amount of wood glue to the wood plugs and put them in the screw holes.

 The last  part of the bench/ table is the “kids table top” in order to give the table top a more support I opted to use a heavy duty shelf support.  I didn’t want the hardware sticking out like a sore thumb so I used an “Oil rubbed bronze” spray paint to help it blend in a little better. After the  bracket had completely  dried  I installed it so that it would be centered.

Now it’s time for the table top! Using the remaining 2×10″  I placed it in the previously  cut out notch, and then secured it to the bracket from the underside.

 I also  secured the table top on the topside.  Again,  I repeated the same steps as earlier.  I  partially drilled with a 3/8″  bit and then pre-drilled with a smaller bit.  Secured it in place with  2 1/2″ wood screws, followed with 3/8″ wood plugs.

Finish Work

That completes the structural aspect now,  on to the finish work.  Bust out the wood filler and fill any and all holes.  I  normally  apply a  small amount to the top of all the the wood plugs. It fills in all the small crannies and does a great  job camouflaging the wood plugs.

After the wood filler has completely dried,  I used an orbital  hand sander to smooth out the entire piece,  paying special attention to the areas where a wood plug was  used.

Now,  it is ready for  stain and or paint.  I opted for Minwax Jacobean stain and then  followed up with the “Satin Finish” polyurethane.

Mission Completed!

A space saving STURDY bench, that when flipped on its side, is an AWESOME  kids eating area, complete with two chairs and a table.  Booyah!