Latch Hook Table

I recently started doing latch hook again. I made these as a child since it was a huge time sink for not a lot of money (great for winters when you can't go outside). Now I'm trying to decorate a camper and had a large custom latch hook kit made to use as the rug for the floor.

I wanted a dedicated place to work, and something better than the dining room table. I found a picture of the Frank Edmunds & Co. Latch Hook Frame and thought it would work fine, but figured I could build it for cheaper. In the DIY spirit, I designed and built something similar.

Mine's a little narrower and should work fine for any rug less than 45 inches wide. If you want it wider, adjust the 45", 46.5" and 48" boards accordingly. This will increase the cost for the wood. Height wise, mine's around 29 inches tall. This is the same height as my dining room table, so I am used to the height. Feel free to lengthen or shorten the 28" pieces accordingly.

For this, you will need:

1 1x6x4 board

5 1x2x8 boards

40 Size #8 1.25" wood screws

10 Size #8 2.5" wood screws

12 Size #6 3/4" Pan Head wood screw for clamps (#8 would also be fine)

3  6" Horizontal Toggle Clamps

The boards can be whatever type of wood you like (pine, oak, maple, etc). I made mine from white oak because I had it available. Quality pine will cost around $30 for the boards and screws, oak will cost around $80. These can be bought at most home improvement stores (Lowes, Home Depot, etc). The toggle clamps can be bought from Amazon for around $12.

Cut the boards as follows:

1x6 48"

1x2 48" need 3

1x2 46.5" need 2

1x2 45" need 2

1x2 28" need 4

1x2 10" need 4

Take the 48" 1x6, the 2 nicest looking of the 48" 1x2, and 2 of the 10" 1x2. Stand the 1x2 10" piece on it's side and screw the other pieces on top of it as shown. The 1x6 goes in the middle, the 1x2 on the edges. This is the top assembly so use the best side up for the boards. I used a gap distance of 1 inch between the front and the middle board and 1/2 inch between the middle and rear. The completed part of the rug needs a wider slit than the plain fabric end.

Combine 2 of the 28" pieces with one of the 10" pieces to make a leg assembly. I used 3.5" as my distance from the bottom of the leg to the bottom of the cross support. Use whatever size you like, just be consistent. Make a second leg assembly.

Flip the top assembly over and place the 2 46.5" 1x2 boards into position. Try to align the 1x2s with the edges of the 1x6. Screw from the outside in using a 2.5" screw. Once you have all 4 2.5" screws in place, flip the top over and screw 3 1.25" screws from the top surface into each of the support boards. If the boards don't quite fit, feel free to trim them slightly to make them fit.

Flip the top assembly over and screw in the 2 leg assemblies. I used 2 1.25" screws per leg from the inside to the outside. Make sure the leg assembly is facing out (10" support is on the outside), also make sure the 10" support will be closer to the ground when the table is upright.

Almost the same as the middle supports above. From the underside line up the 2 45" 1x2 boards. Try to line the 1x2s with the middle of the 1x2 top boards. Screw from the outside in using a 2.5" screw. Once you have all 4 2.5" screws in place, flip the top over and screw 3 1.25" screws from the top surface into the support boards. Again, if the boards don't quite fit, feel free to trim them slightly to make them fit.

Flip the table onto it's front and attach the remaining 48" 1x2 board to the back of the legs, connecting them together. I did this with 1 2.5" screw and 1 1.25" screw per side.

Add the 3 toggle clamps to the top of the rear board. I placed them at 12", 24", and 36". Please note, the picture above only shows 2 of the clamps. I added a third after using the table for a couple days. It makes things a bit better.

At this point, I disassembled my table, sanded and stained the boards and reassembled it. I used a Minwax Polyurethane and Stain all in 1 protective coating. You're welcome to use whatever method you like to protect your table (including using nothing). Pictures taken during reassembly.

Enjoy

There are other ways to assemble this that might be easier for you depending on your setup. I was alone for the final assembly so did things in the way that was easiest for me. If you have a helper, you might find it easier to build the legs first with both 10" cross boards, the second one being at the very top of each leg assembly, then attach the top boards, then flip it over and add the supports to the top assembly.

I did not use any glue for this project. I plan to move soon and wanted to be able to disassemble the table for convenience. Up to you if you want to add glue.

Not everyone wants to use clamps. Feel free to leave them off and use whatever weight system you prefer. You need something though or the rug will eventually get heavy enough to pull itself out of the table.