DIY 2-Tier Coffee Table

by rfalcon12

33K1136

Intro: DIY 2-Tier Coffee Table

I had seen a coffee table at a high end furniture store and loved it, but the price was way out of my range. So I drew up a set of plans to create the table on my own. Get the plans for the table here: http://adventuresincreating.blogspot.com/2010/10/future-coffee-table-progress.html

STEP 1: Buying the Steel

Using the plans I had drawn up I went to my local steel supplier and had them cut the steel to the sizes I needed. I used 3/4" steel tubing.

STEP 2: Prepping the Steel

I used a degreaser like GooGone to clean and prep the steel.

STEP 3: Weld Your Steel

I used an arc welder to weld the frame pieces together, starting with the smaller table first. I used a metal angle, a level, and clamps to make sure all my angles were 90 degrees. Once I was done with the welding I used a grinder to clean up the welded corners and smooth out any slag.

STEP 4: Paint the Frames

I used Rustoleum Black Spray Paint to paint the frames. Then used a clear coat to seal it.

STEP 5: Make the Wood Tops

I used stain grade Pine for the tops which I had cut down to size at my local Home Improvement store. If you have a Kreg Jig or Biscuit joiner that would be the best thing to use to connect the wood planks together. I had neither so I used a combination of wood glue and mending plates to connect them together. I clamped the wood and let it set overnight.

STEP 6: Attach the Tops

Using the metal driving bit on my drill I drilled 2 holes in each long side of the large table and 1 hole on either end. Then 1 hole on each side of the small table. Then using 6 x 1 1/4" wood screws I attached the table tops.

STEP 7: Stain the Tops

Now that the tops are attached you can sand them down to prep for stain (or paint, whichever you prefer.) I used a fine grit sandpaper to sand the wood. Then used a Minwax stain in the color of my choice to stain the pine using a paint brush meant for staining. Then sealed it with a wipe on poly.

STEP 8: Finished!

Now you're done! Show off your awesome table to your friends and brag how it cost you a fraction of the one in the store!

6 Comments

baecker03 7 years ago

if possible, try to cut the steel at a 45 degree angle and weld together for a 90 degree... looks much better in my opinion. I had created a few speaker towers years ago with mdf, and neglected to do this... regretted it ever since.

ZacharyR8 8 years ago

What gauge is the steel tubing? Looks like 16ga or 11ga, but hard to tell.

PDXHICKS 9 years ago

I really like how clean this looks. I think I would want the smaller table to have the same type of leg configuration though as it would cut down on materials some have less drag when pulling it out from under the larger table maybe. (Can't bend down much here so that kind of thing is important these days.)

I was also thinking how great this would be in a stand up work table version for a kitchen or craft room or even as a sewing table if it was made taller. Nice work and good details on the instrux.

sauwen 12 years ago

Wow, that is crazy neat!! I understand you got your wood table top at your local home improvement store. What might these large pieces of wood be called because I've never seen them in that type of shape before in my Home Depot. They always seem to be in planks. Thanks for the great instructables!

arredamento 12 years ago

Great project, thank you for making us understanding how much simple could be if you free your mind & immagination! I suggest you to make a green version of the table! would be awesome! thanks!