farmhouse tables set for Thanksgiving

 

<table PLans>

I love having company over for holidays and gatherings.  And I’m blessed with a floor plan that allows for easy entertaining, but with groups of 20-30 people for every holiday it isn’t easy to seat everyone together.

Since I live in Florida, we’ve been eating Thanksgiving outside on the patio for years.
So, to accommodate our large family and avoid storing additional tables I made these two tables according to these Ana White plans. However, I modified the plans so I can put the tables side by side or lengthwise depending upon the group. I can either seat 14-16 side by side or 24-26 lengthwise. I modified the plans by making the bases longer and the table tops narrower.

This is absolutely my favorite thing about the tables!  I don’t have to store anything in my garage and they are soooooo versatile!
Most of the year I have my tables set up side by side so I can still have my comfy couch seating area my swinging bed. (Everyone’s favorite place after a big meal).This is a view of the entire 20′ x40′ porch.

I didn’t start building these tables until about a week before Thanksgiving so I didn’t quite finish the job.  I ran out of stain and in haste decided to let it fly.

The Ana White plans are very clear, easy to follow and right on target with the cost to build. I used standard lumber and made the table tops a little different from the plans so my tables only cost me about $100 each to make.  Totally incredible considering the size of the tables!

 

We’ve been using the table’s now for about two years and they’ve held up really well.  I sort of expected to see more warping and twisting of the lumber but so far the tops are still really flat and nothing is wobbly.  I didn’t attach the tops to the bases for ease of movement because all together they would have been super heavy.

Eventually, I’ll take a belt sander to the table tops and really smooth them out and maybe sand and finish painting the bases. For now, they do the job and I’m pleased with the results.