Introduction: Wine Barrel Beer Table

About: Fixer, Finder, Fabricator. I teach engineering to high school students, at St Marys Secondary College in Nathalia VIC Australia

I found Half a wine barrel that the local pub was throwing out, so I grabbed it because it was made out of oak, and I would hate to see that in someone's fireplace.

Step 1: The Barrel

As I said I found the barrel that someone cut in half,  it was almost ready to fall to pieces as 2 of the bands had fallen off and the top one was also ready to fall off. It would be very difficult to reassemble, so I carefully  put the bands back on, and took it home.
I was not sure what to make until I saw the nice graphics on the top, so I sanded the top back and put furniture oil on it. It looked good to I decided to keep the graphic which would mean keeping the top in-tacked.  My first thought was a coffee table, But as the project  progress the misses said she like the hight of the table and would like it on the deck next to her chair.

Step 2: Stuff You Will Need

1. Sand paper  grits 40, 80, 120, 240.
2.  matt black paint
3. 3 or 4 coach bolts with washers and nuts
4. drill and dill bits
5. 3 or 4 wood screws
6. small nail or tacks
7. hammer
8. jig saw  (reciprocating) saw
9. clean rags
10. your favourite timber finish
11. angle grinder, with sanding disc.
12. about 2 hours
13. beer

Step 3: Mark Out the Legs

I decided to make the table with three legs as they don't rock around on uneven surfaces so I marked out the three slats that are going to be used for legs.
I then made sure the bands were straight and tight and drilled and screwed the the three slates to the bottom band so nothing would move in the next steps

Step 4: Remove the Sharp Bits

The top band had quite a sharp edge on it so I used a grinder with a sanding disc  to remove the edge and make it smooth

Step 5: Remove the Bands and Paint

I removed the top 2 bands with a hammer and a block of wood and then cleaned with thinners. I hung them from the roof with wire and spray  painted matt black. I also painted the heads of the coach bolts

Step 6: Sanding

I used 4 different grit sand papers starting with 40, then 80, 120 and 240.
I only sanded the top and the top of the sides and the legs.
Sanding is boring so I got some free child labour to do most of it. :-)

Step 7: Oiling

You could probably do this step last, but i put a coat of my favourite furniture oil on, so it would be under the bands, helping protect the timber from spills and moisture. just use a rag to rub the oil on.

Step 8: Refit the Top Band

I put the top band back on and knocked it down with a hammer.

Step 9: Cut Out the Legs

Next I drilled 3 holes big enough for my jig saw blade to pass through, and cut around the bottom of line the the 2nd  band had left.
I found that oak was very hard and difficult to cut with a dull blade. I should really have put a new blade in the saw, but the store was closed.
Don't forget to leave the the legs uncut. The waste wood can then be removed.

Step 10: Fitting the 2nd Band

The second band can now be fitted. I knocked it down with a hammer and a block of wood and drilled three hole through the band and the legs into which the coach bolt were fitted.
To help keep the top band in place I drill 3 small holes and nailed in some carpet tacks as they had an old style black head which matched the look of the table.

Step 11: Remove the Bottom Band

Now that the table has been bolted together the bottom band can be removed and the legs sanded and finished off.
The misses likes the hight of the table but it could be cut down for a coffee table.

Step 12: Other Stuff

I think that now its finished that it would look better with four legs, and it needs to be  a bit shorter  as the curve on the end of the legs  make it look a bit odd. But it is very stable, doesn't rock around and the ring around the top stops my drunk friends from putting there glasses on the edge of the table, so that stops their beer getting knocked over.

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Furniture Challenge