A small dining wooden table is perfect for small families. The only problem is that it won’t be able to accommodate more people in case friends or relatives come to visit. To avoid embarrassment, it would be a good idea to extend your wooden table. The good thing about wooden tables is that they are easy to customize especially the ones that follow a farm table design. Perhaps the best solution is to buy a larger table, but if you are on a tight budget, you might as well just modify your current table by adding a leaf.

Step 1. Prepare the materials you’re going to need for the project: A chalk, sawhorses, tape measure, circular saw, drill, wooden pegs, wood, sandpaper, hammer, and protective coat.

Step 2. Draw a line to mark the center of your wooden table using a piece of chalk. Next, place two sawhorses underneath the table to serve as support. Using your circular saw, cut the table in half down the line you have just marked and lay them side by side on the sawhorses.

Step 3. Now that you have opened the table, take the measurements of the width and length of the tabletop. This is crucial to make your additional leaf fit seamlessly with your table.

Step 4. After getting the measurements of the tabletop, mark spots on each of the half with a chalk and drill ¼ inch holes into them. These holes are where you are going to insert the wooden pegs that will hold your additional table leaf. Make the holes deep enough to accommodate ½ of the length of the wooden pegs.

Step 5. Take the wooden pegs and coat them with wood glue. Next, insert them into the holes located on the side of each of the table halves. Make sure the pegs are properly secured. If not, you will have to drill the holes a little deeper.

Step 6. By now you should have already chosen wood that’s the same exact type your current table is made of. If that would be impossible, at least select a type of wood with a very similar pattern and color. Drill holes on each side of the new table leaf in a way that would match those of the two table halves. Once your additional leaf is ready, align one of the sides with the wooden pegs in one of the table halves and carefully insert it. Do this with the other side as well, making sure the pegs are properly inserted into the holes of the new table leaf.

Step 7. You might need to attach a steel or wooden brace underneath the table to support the new leaf and to prevent the table from swiveling. If you believe your table is already sturdy without braces, then you can skip this step.

Step 8. Finish the table so that the new leaf matches with the rest of the table. You will need to strip the old table of its old coat and use sand the surface to make it smooth. Next, stain the table and cover it with protective coat. Once the coat has completely dried, you can start using your newly customized wooden dining table.