Great project. Somewhere between beginner and intermediate.

Step 1: Supplies

Buy a barrel. Hopefully, your supplier will cut the barrel for you. This saves a lot of time, energy, and headaches.

Step 2: Make It Pretty

I removed the steel bands for this, however it probably would have been just as easy to leave them on. I then used and oil rubbed bronze colored paint to repaint the steel bands, and then re-attached them.Then, I replaced the screws with new carriage bolts.

Step 3: Create the Base

Creating the arches for the base was probably the toughest part. There are a couple of good YouTube videos that demonstrate this pretty well. The picture shows how I used a ruler to create the half circle for the base. Basically, you divide the width of the barrel from where you want the base in half.

https://youtu.be/I7w5810fG1k

Here is where I got a lot of help from.

Then add a bottom board to support the base and the runner.

Step 4: The Top

I used three-quarter inch oak panels. I happened to have these left over from a previous project, otherwise I would not have spent the money. They get a little pricey. I glued them, and then used a pocket hole jig to secure them from the underside. Then I used two support braces.

Step 5: Frame

I used Oak 1 x 4s to create a frame for the top to rest on. This was not an easy task, getting it secured to the barrel was tough. I ended up having to use some corner brackets along the bottom side of it to ensure if anyone tried to pick up the table it would not fall apart. You can see that in the pictures.

Step 6: Assembly

I moved it inside the house to do the final assembly. Basically while it was upside down, I marked the barrel while the base was in place. That way I could drill some pilot holes from the outside in, and then later attach screws from the inside out. Once I put it together, I was able to screw the barrel in place with the base. Then, I set the top on it and added a piano hinge to the backside. Which offered a small storage space inside.