Coffee table out of an old barrell

This beatiful table can be build out of an old barrell which is sitting in the basement and collecting dust. It has that rustical apeal and from one barrell you can build two cofee tables. It can be a beatiful 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.

First of all you have to cut the barrell in two same halfes. Use pencil or chalk to mark the middle of the barrell and then first use the [easyazon_link identifier=”B004X5NNGG” locale=”US” tag=”handymtips03-20″]Angle grinder[/easyazon_link] to cut the metal parts of the barrell rims and then use the Circular saw to cut the barrell in half.

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 [easyazon_link identifier=”B001JJD0Y4″ locale=”US” tag=”handymtips03-20″]Jig saw[/easyazon_link] 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 barrell 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 barrell 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.

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 reccomend darker shades of brown like palisander.

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

1. an old barrell

2. a couple of hardwood planks

3. Makita 9557PBX1 4-1/2-Inch Angle Grinder with Aluminum Case

4. DEWALT Bare-Tool DC390B 6-1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Circular Saw

5. Makita 4329K 3.9 Amp Variable-Speed Top-Handle Jig Saw

6. Black & Decker QS900 1/4-Sheet Sander with Filtered Dust Collection

7. The Hillman Group 42180 Pro Crafter 8 by 2-1/2-Inch Wood Screw, 50-Piece

8. Rust-Oleum 1974730 Painters Touch Latex, Semi-Gloss Black