We found a used 70″ x 30″ butcher block tabletop for free on Craigslist and figured that the industrial black cast iron pipe aesthetic might just work for a table base.
We traveled to our local (giant) hardware store and bought:
1 x 48″ long 3/4″ black pipe
4 x 18″ long 3/4″ black pipe
8 x 8″ long 3/4″ black pipe
6 x 3/4″ black tees
8 x 3/4″ black flanges (feet)
We found it’s easiest to assemble the lower half of the “H” sections, screw in the 48″ long cross piece, and then finish of the top part of the “H” supports. You don’t have to use flanges if you don’t like the aesthetic, though as far as anchoring into wood is concerned the flanges underneath the tabletop do offer convenient support and holes for drilling. With this sort of pipe (black drain, 3/4″ cast iron) there are many other fittings (and shapes) that could be created out of 90 degree angle bends, not to mention the variability in pipe width.
As far as refinishing the butcher block goes, it needs to be sanded down (starting with a coarse 50 grit then going finer upward of 200 grit) and then coated with food grade (USP) mineral oil and then sealed with beeswax. Pure Tung oil is another option though it tends to be more expensive. Danny Lipford has a page that gives some great tips on butcher block maintenance.
All told this project should be less than $100 (presuming you salvage the wood) which is significantly less than a store bought version and then there’s the satisfaction of actually building something.
So beautiful!
How tightly did you screw the pipes together? We were inspired by your table and are trying something similar, but we are having a hard time getting 90-degree angles when we screw everything together. It seems like it should be really simple but for some reason is not. thanks!
Pretty tight, by hand, not using any sort of pipe wrenches. We ended up exchanging a couple of pieces of pipe because it seemed they were shorter than the others. Also, our scavenged piece of butcher block is a not perfectly even, it has quite a concave center channel from being worn on either side and there are some cracks between the pieces of wood (& a bit warped), but hey, it was free.
The biggest thing with the pipes that we found was making sure they are all threaded hand tight and that it presents a level surface, though a little bit of shimming underneath the tabletop will address any issues you might have within a few millimeters.
This is great!
Love the vintage industrial feel you could get by using some beat up wood for a top.
I just picked up an old letterpress and think a modified version of this (smaller) would be great to hold it.
I’m thinking of building the same one as a desk and am wondering if your legs touch the middle bar when sit at it. Thanks!
thanks for the instructions!
That kind of butcher block can be salvaged from an old upright piano. The portion that supports the keys looks just like that table top once it is removed and cleaned up. The piece I pulled from my old piano is around 56″x22″x2.5″
Are those custom cut pieces of piping? How high is your table? I’d like to do the same for my table top.
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Love this! I’m jealous you found the butcher block on Craigslist- great find! To answer your question my husband has a truck and usually scout for pallets in that. Otherwise one will fit in the back of my Murano. Can’t wait to see what else you create!
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have to pipe started to rust yet?
No rust, yet. But we’ll sand, prime and then paint these pipes before we move/relocate the table, probably best practice with any cast iron. -Mark
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