How to Glue 2-by-4s to Make a Table

Lay two open F-clamps on their spine, approximately 10 inches apart on the work surface.

Apply wood glue to the 4-inch face of a piece of 18-inch 2-by-4 lumber, using an ink roller to achieve full coverage. Stand this plank across the spines of the F-clamps at one end, with the glued face toward the other end of the clamps.

Apply glue to a 4-inch face of another plank of 18-inch 2-by-4 lumber and press the unglued face to the glued face of the first plank resting across the F-clamps. Repeat another three times, so there are five 2-by4s glued together, narrow edge up.

Adjust the planks so that all the ends are perfectly flush then tighten the clamps around the glued lumber.

Place a couple pieces of scrap lumber across the glued planks to help keep them flat, and clamp the scrap lumber down with G-clamps. Don’t wipe off excess glue, rather wait 30 minutes for it to dry, then scrape it off with a metal scraper — this prevents it being pushed into the wood fibers.

Repeat, so you have two planks measuring 10 by 18 inches and 4 inches thick, each made from five pieces of 2-by-4 lumber. These are the table legs.

Glue up four planks of 30-inch, 2-by-4 lumber in the same manner, as you did for the legs, but glue along the 2-inch edges, so the result is a table top that is 16-by-30 inches, and 2-inch thick.

Sand both sides of the legs and the table top with an orbital sander until smooth and flat.

Stand the legs upright, so they are 18 inches tall. Drill a 2-inch-deep, 1-inch diameter hole in the middle of the end of each 2-by-4 plank that makes up the legs. There should be five holes per leg.

Insert a 3-inch long, 1-inch wide dowel peg into each hole and move the legs so they are 20 inches apart and parallel.

Paint the tops of the dowel pegs with paint, then center the tabletop over the legs and bring it down carefully on top of the legs. The paint on the dowel pegs marks the exact spot where the mating holes for the dowel pegs need to go on the underside of the table top.

Remove the tabletop and turn it over to expose the painted dowel peg positions. Ensure they are still straight and the two columns of peg marks are 20 inches apart. Drill a 1-inch-deep and 1-inch diameter hole at each point. Remove the pegs from the legs.

Finish the pieces of the table with the wood finish of your choice and leave to dry thoroughly before assembling the table.

Stand the legs back upright, peg holes at the top. Roll on some carpenter’s glue with an ink roller to the top of the legs, and coat the dowel pegs in glue as well.

Insert the dowel pegs into the holes on the legs, and lower the table top over the legs, so the dowel pegs fit into the mating holes on the underside of the tabletop. Press down firmly so the glue on the top of the legs has full contact, and the pegs are fully enclosed. Leave to dry before using the table.