If you’ve spent any time on the interwebs lately, you’ve probably noticed that farmhouse tables are kind of a thing. We didn’t really want to miss a ride on that bandwagon, but we don’t need a dining table. What we did need, however, was a new train table for our son. See, his old one was broken destroyed obliterated in a tragic late night stumbling incident involving the other adult who lives in our house (she shall remain nameless to protect her innocence :)). So, being the trend-savvy guy that I am, I drew up some plans for a new farmhouse-style DIY train table.

The train table was sized to fit this Thomas play board I found on Amazon:

It makes a great top to this table and would be such a hit with kids. It has all of the places on the Island of Sodor that they would recognize from the show and lots of roads to drive on. Plus, it’s huge! At approximately 32×48 inches, it has a lot of space to play.

 Tools:

• Tape Measure
• Circular Saw
• Miter Saw
• Drill/Driver
• Pocket hole jig (like the Kreg Jig)
• Brad Nailer/Nail Gun (optional)

Materials:

• 1: 4×4 @ 8 ft
• 2: 1×3 @ 8 ft
• 3: 1×4 @ 8 ft
• 2: 1×2 @ 8 ft
• Optional: ¼” Plywood: 4’ x 4’ (if you choose not to use the Thomas play board)

Tips:

• Work safely, use proper protective equipment, and don’t rush.
• Read the entire plan and corresponding build post before getting started.
• Use glue on all joints between wood pieces.
• Continuously check all assemblies to make sure they remain square.
• Predrill holes before using screws to avoid splitting.

Step 1

Construct the top by cutting 6 1×4 boards. Drill two pocket holes in the ends of all the long 1×4’s. Then drill 3-4 pocket holes along the sides of the two longer 1×4’s and both shorter 1×4’s. These will be used for attaching trim in the next step. Assemble the boards as shown below using pocket hole screws and glue.

Step 2

Cut 1×2 boards to trim the sides, adjusting the length as necessary for a tight fitting miter joint. Attach with pocket hole screws and glue.

Step 3

Construct the base from 4×4’s and 1×3’s. Using the top as a guide, mark on each of the outer rails and inner braces where pocket holes will be drilled to attach the top. Drill pocket holes in the sides of the rails for attaching the top later on:

• 3 in each long rail (two on each end and one in the middle)
• 1 on each of the short rails
• 2 on the middle braces

Attach the outer rails to the legs at each end with two pocket hole screws and glue. Attach the middle braces to the outer rails with pocket hole screws and glue.

Step 4

Attach the top frame to the base with pocket hole screws. The top should overhang the base evenly on all sides.

Step 5

Optional: If you will be using the Thomas Wooden Railway – Island of Sodor Playboard you can skip this step.

Cut a piece of ¼” plywood for the play surface. Attach to the frame built in Step 1 using ¾” brads and glue.

Step 6

Optional: We already had an existing playboard from the old train table, but the old table was quite a bit smaller than the new one. So I added another piece of ¼” plywood to the top of the table with a rectangular hole cut in the middle. This way we could insert the playboard we had and the entire surface of the table would be at a consistent height.

Finish

Use wood putty to fill any visible holes and sand everything with 150 grit sandpaper until smooth. Apply your choice of paint or stain and polyurethane.

Share your Project

I can’t wait to get this finished for our son’s room. He will be so happy to have a train table again. I’ll be sure to post pictures when it’s done, but we’d also love to see how you use this plan to make your own table. Please share your DIY train table pictures with us on our Facebook page!