This clever coffee table achieves the perfect balance between natural and industrial.
This project was an instant hit with our Creative Ideas team and I can't wait to show you how
to make it.
Start by prepping your pipes with some TSP. I've already cleaned these up and I'm going
to lay them out according to the detailed directions to create the leg braces for the table.
You can see each brace is basically 2 h-shapes,
connected by a span of pipe. Start by screwing
the caps onto the 8-inch pipes. Attach two of these pipes to a T. This is a T,
and attach 2 of them to a cross - this is a cross. Then use what's called a 'close' to connect the
T to the Cross, but don't tighten it down completely. That's your H.
Build both sides, then lay them on a flat surface, and connect them using a 12-inch
pipe. Tighten down the connections to the center pipe really well. I love that this
project uses really minimal tools.
You need the braces to balance evenly in the end-- so take a quick measurement of the distance
between the legs of each H. If you need to, you can make small adjustments by 'spinning'
the pipes like this, tightening or loosening until the measurements match.
Now you can move on to making the tabletop. You're going two make 'notches' in each end
for the leg braces, and here's an easy way to do it. Mark the two hole locations using
the detailed directions then, with your tabletop on a piece of scrap, and clamped, drill the
holes. Using a square, draw two lines parallel to each hole, just kind of kiss the square
right up to the edge of the circle, and extend the lines down to the edge of the board.
When you jigsaw along those straight lines- you get a notch. Choose the finishes you want
for your pipes and your wood. Go to lowes.com to check out the finishes we came up with--
and you're ready to assemble. This is the real genius to this project, the way it balances.
Start by sliding the cross-bar of one of the H's into a notch on the tabletop, the lower
end of the leg brace will angle in. Add the second brace on the other end the same way.
A second set of hands makes this much easier to do - you can see how the pipes kind of
grip the tabletop....then position the lower shelves in between the pipes.
A great project to bring balance to almost any space.