Introduction: Minimalist Table Legs From Flat Bar
Well, as it turns out table legs are expensive!
I recently built a table from leftover oak parquet flooring. Having put quite some effort into it, it seemed weird screwing some boring legs to it. That is when I got an idea to try to build minimalist table legs from a flat bar.
This idea is nothing new. You can buy these things from a hardware store or online. A pair of those would probably cost around 100-200€. As it just consists of a flat bar I decided to build my own with a fraction of a price.
Let´s get started!
Step 1: Things Needed
To be completely honest this type of leg design is not the most stable. As it lacks cross braces the table rocks from side to side pretty heavily. My solution to combat that issue was to attach the whole table to a wall with small angle brackets. Not ideal but still much better than spilling every drink you put on it.
Materials:
- 6 meters of flat bar (50x5mm). I paid 10€ for it.
- Spraypaint
- Flathead screws
- A piece of 2x10 lumber
- 2 Strong hinges
Tools:
- Strong clamps
- Angle grinder or metal saw.
- Welder (optional)
- Drill with metal drill bits
I estimate the total cost of this project to be around 15-20€.
And of course, you need a tabletop to attach the legs to. I made mine from scraps of oak parquet flooring. The gaps are filled with epoxy.
Step 2: The Jig
The first thing I did was to build the jig. It is by far the easiest jig I have ever built consisting of just 2X4 lumber and a hinge. I cut the 2X4 int two pieces and just screwed the hinge on like shown in the photo. As simple as that. It is important that the top face is completely flat and parallel. Otherwise, the bends come out crooked.
The hinge that I used was one of those door hinges that slide apart. It was definitely not the best idea as the hinge started bending as well.
Step 3: Bending
Then I just made the bends. I marked the desired bend location and clamped the flat bar down. As you can see I also used a little piece of metal near the bend (has to be perpendicular) to clamp it down better. Then I just used some muscle power. I just eyeballed the angle then checked and corrected it by using a little speed square. I repeated this step 4 times till I had a square.
Step 4: Cutting
Then I just clamped the square in a vice and cut off the excess with an angle grinder. When clamping it to the vice it is important to check that the width of the bottom matches the width on the top.
Step 5: Welding and Drilling
I am not 100% sure but I think you do not need to weld the two ends together. When the leg gets properly screwed to the table it probably fixes it in place just as well. As I had a welder at the spot I just welded it to be extra sure.
Then it was just a matter of drilling the holes. I actually managed to break 2 or 3 bits as the ones I used were really brittle.
Step 6: Paint
And the last thing to do before attaching was to paint them. I just used rattle can paint. One coat of primer and two coats of matte black. Pretty happy with the results.
Do not forget to clean the surface with mineral spirit before painting to remove oil and dust ;)
After attaching the legs I found that the vertical sides had a little bend in them (towards the outside). To fix that issue I just ratchet strap to pull them together and make parallel.
Step 7: The End
