One of the bigger projects for our NYE party was building a table for shucking oysters. Most people just put a piece of plywood over some saw horses and cut a hole in the middle… well the Wilds are not most people.

Hunter and his dad built the table while I was driving from Georgia to SC, but luckily they took a lot of pictures as they built the table.  Apologies in advance because these aren’t exact instructions, but more picture based and Kelley interpreted instructions!

Oyster Roast Table

What you’ll need:

Unfortunately, I don’t have perfect instructions with sizes, so here’s the best I have: The table was built based off of a standard sheet of plywood, which is 48″ x 96″. Everything else was built around that, so the table is about 50″ x 98″ total when framed out. The legs are 4″ x 4″ x 36″ (standard bar height) so it’s the best height for standing at.

Also, my husband and his dad used salt treated wood so the table isn’t affected by all the oysters and washing it down.  This will make it pretty heavy.

First you’ll build the frame of the table.  This helps the table stay flat and not droop.

We didn’t want the table to always be set up, so the plan was to have removable legs.  Measure the width of the legs, and then screw in wood that far away from the end into the frame to start making pockets for the legs.

Once those are in, screw in a few more boards across the table to keep it sturdy.  I’m telling ya, this is a well built oyster table.

Then add a small piece of wood in each corner, to finish making pockets for the legs to go into.  Use small blocks the size of the legs as a template.

When the pockets are ready, put the legs into the frame to make sure they fit just right and flip it over.

Now it’s time to add the top of the table!  Screw the top piece of plywood into the frame.

Hunter and his dad decided to add a lip to the table so oysters won’t just fall off, and to class it up some.  They measured, cut, and screwed in some smaller pieces of wood into the frame to make the lip.

Lastly, just cut a hole in the middle and put a trashcan underneath for the oyster shells to go in so you can recycle them afterwards. Done!

We broke the table in with 2 bushels of oysters on New Years Eve, but kept it in the garage for a little warmth.  Now we are looking forward to hosting another oyster roast soon!

This table is most definitely going to survive the next hurricane, and out-live the two of us.

Update: A few years later, this table has enjoyed it’s share of oyster roasts and a move and is still holding up!  We still have the legs separate so it can be easily stored on the side of our garage and cars can pull in.