In these tough financial times, the concept of DIY projects has had a renaissance of sorts. Instead of spending money on anything besides the necessities, many handy homeowners have taken to making their own products and building their own furniture. Picnic tables, though a fun idea on the eve of summer outings and barbecues, are not exactly a survival item. If you're got some extra time and motivation, save yourself some money by building your own picnic table. Remember, nothing is as good as the homemade. Though a lot of newer models of picnic tables are made from plastic and metal, classic picnic tables are built using wood. Check out these simple instructions to make your own.

Materials needed for building standard wooden picnic tables:

3 rough wooden boards (preferred length for tabletop)

4 2x6 or 4x4 boards for the legs (depending on table length)

5 cross support beams (3 for bottom of tabletop, 2 for legs)

2.5? wood decking screws

Stainless steel bolts

1. Choose your desired wood (cedar works especially well). Pick up 3 rough boards in whatever length of your choosing (these will make up the tabletop of the picnic tables) and use a planer to smooth them down.

2. Rough sand boards with a belt sander.

3. Make sure that all boards are now straight and level so you will have a nice smooth tabletop.

4. Using 2.5? wood decking screws, attach 3 evenly spaced cross supports to the bottom side of the boards. For the easiest way to line it up evenly, first attach the support beams to the middle table board, then add the outer 2. Make sure to leave about a half foot of overhang on the ends of the table past the supports.

5. To add the legs, use 4 x 4's or 2 x 6's depending on how long your table is. 4x4's are adequate for most normal sized tables. Cut them at 28 degree angles on top and on bottom to form a parallelogram shape.

6. Making sure the legs are straight, line them up on the cross supports and drill holes for the 6? stainless steel bolts.

7. After legs are attached, add the cross leg supports to the outside of the legs with stainless steel bolts.

8. Now that the table is put together, detail sand the wood, then brush it down with a damp cloth.

9. Add a coat of sealant and let air dry for 24 hours.

10. Lightly sand finished picnic tables, wipe down and then apply one more coat of sealant. Let dry for 48 hours.

11. Add benches or chairs of your choosing and you're all done.

Not the handiest of creatures? You may decide instead to leave the building to the pros. If you're purchasing picnic tables, the choices are abundant and the prices not necessarily prohibitive. Lighter materials like aluminum and PVC or recycled plastics are easy to move and much stronger than you'd actually think. Heavy duty coated metals and concrete picnic tables are ideal when you know you won't need to move your table anytime soon, and are practically impossible to harm. Whatever path you choose, building or buying, picnic tables are a fun and useful way to usher in the new season.