Step 1: Cut the Top and Legs

Tom Silva cuts the leg for a trestle table with a miter saw
Photo: Allison Dinner
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Use a circular saw guided by a straightedge to cut the plywood tabletop and leg plates. With a miter saw, cut the 1x2 cleats, 2x4 stringers, dowel plugs, handrail, and newel posts to size. If your miter saw can't cut all the way through the posts, cut halfway through them, flip them over, and finish the cut through the opposite side.
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    Tools List

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    • circular saw
      Circular saw
    • miter saw
      Miter saw
    • drill
      Drill/driver fitted with a ⅝-inch paddle bit
    • pneumatic finish nailer
      Pneumatic nail gun

    Shopping List

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    1. Newel posts Get two for the legs.

    2. ¾-inch birch-veneer plywood Get a 4x8 sheet for the tabletop and leg plates.

    3. 10 ½-inch corbel Get four for the feet.

    4. Handrail Get a 6-foot length for the stretcher.

    5. ⅝-inch dowel Get a minimum of two inches to plug the fastener holes for the stretcher.

    6. 1x2 Get an 8-foot length to make the cleats for the underside of the tabletop.

    7. 1x4 Get three 6-foot lengths to make the apron.

    8. 2x4 Get a 6-foot length to make the stringers. 9. ¾-inch quarter-round trim Get three 8-foot lengths to trim the edges of the tabletop.

    10. 6-inch lag screws Get two to attach the stretcher to the legs.

    11. 8-inch lag screws Get eight to attach the feet to the legs.

    12. 3-inch deck screws

    13. 1¼-inch deck screws

    14. 2-inch finishing nails

    15. Wood glue

    16. 120-grit sandpaper

    17. Satin latex paint

    18. Waterborne polyurethane finish