TOOLS: Power tools will make your life much easier:Drill [note: 2 would make your life even easier]Phillips head bit3 in. length ¼ in. bittiny bit to pre-drill holes for dry wall screws (1/8 in?)1 – 3/4 in. flat wood bitPortable table or miter sawJigsawTape measure; t-ruler or sq ruler; pencilSaw horsesRatches w/ socket that fits head of the hex nut

HARDWARE/materials:24 – 1 5/6 in dry wall screws8 – 2 ½ in. dry wall screws4 – 3 in. hex bolts4 – flat washer (fits bolt)4 – ¼ in. t-nutsFlat black paintPaint brush

You will need a 4x8 plywood or particle board

Have the store cut the board into two 4x4 pieces

Now you have two 4x4 pieces

Next, you will need three 2x4 8 ft studs. Make sure you get Top Choice or premium studs. Other cheaper studs are not good enough quality.

Make sure the studs are straight as possible. We rejected 10 studs for every one we selected. You can place the stud on the ground. Make sure the stud does not rock when place on the 2 in side or is not twisted. There should be no gaps where the stud meets the floor. If there is a bow when placed on the 4 in side, this is not important. You will straighten out the board when you build the table.

You will need ~24 1-5/8 in. screws to secure the studs to the particle board base. You will need 8 2-1/2 in. screws to secure the corners of the stud sides. More on this later

NEED PICTURES

You will need 4-¼ in. hex nut bolts and 4-1/4 in. t-nuts.

Load all your material in the truck and let’s build a table

First, layout the two 4x4 particle board base. Place 2 studs on the edge of the length of the base.

Place your third stud next to the end. Make sure you line up the end of the stud with the inside end of one of the side studs. Use a t-ruler or sq-ruler to mark the other end from the inside edge of the other side stud.

Take the third stud and cut at your mark. NOTE: cut on the outside of your mark, the saw blade chews up some of the wood

Take the left over piece of stud back to the base/sides to measure and mark the length just like before.

Take it back to the saw and cut again.

You are now going to cut the side studs for the L-cut on both the side studs.

Take 1 stud and measure two marks at 45 inches and 51 inches. From the top of the stud, measure down 1 3/4 in. at the 45 and 51 inch line and mark it. Finally, draw a line to connect the 1-3/4 marks. Remember to do this to both remaining studs.

Repeat this on the second side stud.

Place 1 side stud vertical on the saw horse. Mark the 45 in and 51 in mark from the flat side so you can see it. Put the 3in. length, ¼ in bit in the Power drill. Put the hole bit in the other drill.

Drill 2 holes about 1 in. inside the 45 and 51 in marks. Drill all the way through the stud.

Repeat on the other side stud.

Picture of flat wood bit Flip the stud over. Place the flat wood bit point into the hole. Drill down about 1 in. NOTE: don’t go too far!! If you drill all the way down through your top piece it won’t hold the table together.

Do this on the other hole.

Repeat on second side stud.

Jigsaw for the L-cut. You are actually going to make a curved but at the corners. Start at the 51 line, cut down to the 1-3/4 line. About ½ in. from the line start to cut a rounded corner. Follow the length of line until about ½ in. from the 45 in. line and cut another rounded corner. Cut down to the end of the stud.NOTE: make sure someone holds the ends of your studs.

Place the T nuts in place. Place the flat washer on the hex bolt. Hold w/ your finger on the t-nut while you thread the hex bolt into the other side. Hand thread the hex bolt into the t-nut.

Using a ratchet tighten it down. When you crank it tight, the hex bolt will cause the spikes on the t-nut to bite down into the wood and stay permanently.

Take all the studs (the side students should be bolted together) and lay out all the studs in a rectangle. Make sure the end pieces are inside the side studs.

Put the small bit into the drill and predrill 2 holes for the long screws.

Screw 2 – 2 ½ in. dry wall screws to secure each corner.

Turn the frame upside down. The bolt heads should be lying down on the floor. [ie. you should be able to see the large hole w/ the t-nut in it] Place both 4x4 particle board base squares on top of the stud sides. Line up one corner and center them on the studs. Using 1 5/8 in dry wall screw, drill 1 corner in place. Adjust the frame under the base so that it is straight. Place a screw at each corner.

WARNING: Do not screw around the area where the tables join. You do not want to screw the tables together.

Screw the remaining 4x4 piece onto the table frame placing screws about every 1 ft EXCEPT where the L- cut is.

You can paint the inside walls black and an inch boarder on the table top. Once the FLL mat is down, then a black area will appear where the mat does not cover.