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How to Build a Trestle Table: Simple DIY Project

With step-by-step master plans, putting together a collapsible serving table is easier than ever. Grab your toolbox and get your weekend woodworking started right now.

Previous Woodworking Stories

Movable Feast We designed a kitchen island that combines harvest table charm with uptown style. Here's how to make it. (Published in the November 2006 issue)
This Is My Job: Baseball Bat Maker Andy Byrnes never pegged himself as a woodworker. But the 25-year-old's love of baseball brought him to an Ottawa-based manufacturer that produces maple bats for more than 150 pro players. (Published in the November 2006 issue)
Build an Adirondack Lawn Chair and Table It’s a good thing that so many plastic patio chairs are designed to stack, and the aluminum ones fold up flat. That means we can get them put away and stored out of sight as quickly as possible. But, if you think outdoor furniture should enhance your yard and garden, consider a chair that evolved on... (Published in the July 2006 issue)
Build a Parsons Table This table, designed in the '20s, is generally attributed to Jean-Michel Frank, a French designer and decorator associated with Parsons School of Design in New York City. But the Parsons table, as we call it today, has become an American classic not because of a cultured lineage, but simply because ... (Published in the June 2006 issue)
Reader Projects: Sheds
Build A Solid-Cedar Screen What separates a great-looking home from the run-of-the-mill? You might think it's the BMW in the drive--but look again. Perhaps it's more what you don't see than what you do. Most homes have stuff outside. Some things are permanent, such as propane tanks and a/c units; other things are more transie... (Published in the March 2006 issue)
Extreme Treehouses Any kid in Bridgton, Maine, would want to have Peter Lewis's playhouse in his backyard. And no wonder. Lewis has tricked it out with a drawbridge and two spiral staircases. Best of all, the whole thing floats 21 ft. off the ground. Lewis, however, is no kid, and his masterpiece--a two-story, 6000-po... (Published in the March 2006 issue)
PM Classics: Simple Do-It-Yourself Weekend Projects - Toolbox For generations, tradesmen of all persuasions have been banging together simple wooden boxes for their gear. Long and narrow for easy carrying, these toolboxes were little more than five boards and a heavy dowel handle. They were the ultimate in utility--and they're just as handy now, whether you we... (Published in the March 2006 issue)
Build Our Arts & Crafts Dresser The Arts & Crafts movement in America is best known for the rectangular, somewhat understated style of furniture produced around the turn of the last century. These pieces were typically built of quartersawn white oak--a wood that displays a dramatic grain pattern, or fleck--and stained a deep brown... (Published in the January 2006 issue)
Build A Traditional Blanket Chest We call it a blanket chest, but don't let that sway you. This traditional piece is equally at home filled with the kids' toys or that collection of LPs you can't quite part with. Put it under a window, and it's an elegant window seat; move it to the middle of the room, and voilà!--Colonial coff... (Published in the November 2005 issue)
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Culled from a half-century of Popular Mechanics issues (make that the first half of last century), The Boy Mechanic represents an age when imagination could conquer far more than the checkbook — when solving a problem was more satisfying than paying to have it go away.