This beautiful table can be build out of an old barrel which is sitting in the basement and collecting dust. It has that rustic appeal and from one barrel you can build two coffee tables. It can be a beautiful addition to your living room or your garden. The cost of building one coffee table is really low and all you need is some hardwood planks, some basic tools and some free time.

DIY coffee table out of old barrel

First of all you have to cut the barrel in two same halves. Use pencil or chalk to mark the middle of the barrel and then first use the angle grinder to cut the metal parts of the barrel rims and then use the circular saw to cut the barrel in half.

Making DIY coffee table out of old barrel

After that is done, it is time to build the base of your future table. Use at least 2 inches thick hardwood plank and cut the shape of the barrell with jig saw and connect the two base holders with the plank in the middle as shown in the picture above. Then it is time for some sanding, use the sander to completely remove any residue of old paint, dust and smuts from the wood. The wood must look like in the picture above before it can be painted. Before the barrel is mounted on the base and tightened with wood screws you have to check if your future table is leveled and after you leveled it you can tighten the barrel on the base. After that you have to mount the holder of the plate of the table on the table base. For that you can use four pieces of 2×4 or or planks at least 3 inches wide as shown on the picture above.

Finished DIY coffee table out of old barrel

All we have to do now is to mount the plate of the table. For that you can use 1 inch thick hardwood planks because you don’t want your new table to be too heavy. If you don’t want to use your coffee table to store things like in the picture above then just simply attach the planks on the holder of the plate with wood screws and your new table is ready for painting. On the other hand, if you want to have the possibility to open the plate to store things inside of the table then you have to assemble the planks in one plate and then assemble the plate to the holder with hinges. The final step is to paint your new table and for that we recommend darker shades of brown. These types of coffee tables can also be used outside of modern coffee trailers.


Let’s review the list of material and tools needed for the project:

1. an old barrel

2. a couple of hardwood planks

3. angle grinder

4. circular saw

5. jig saw

6. random orbit sander

7. wood screws

8. paint