Asked on Mar 25, 2014

Table base?

Among quite a few other things I am trying to upcycle ; is the top to an old, round dining room table. The wood is still in great shape ; it's just gonna take a lot of elbow grease to clean it before I can even think about redoing it . But my question is what are some ideas for a base for this table since there was no base anywhere to be found when I loaded it up?I thought about turning it over and using it for a round raised bed , but after seeing the detail on the top; even if it is under a inch of dirt and grime; I just could not see putting it on the ground. Anyway the only decent idea I've seen is using a very large piece of a tree trunk as a base. My sister suggested one of those big wooden spools , but I just keep thinking there has got to be more ideas out there that I'm not seeing. Help please!!!
  8 answers
  • Dick Clark IV Dick Clark IV on Mar 25, 2014
    A few years ago I had a similar round table top getting rolled from one side of the garage to another every time I started a new project the
  • Dick Clark IV Dick Clark IV on Mar 25, 2014
    Oops big fingers...... Then one day I found a table leg off an old Duncan Phyfe table. The kind of leg that comes down then splits into three feet. For support I screwed a round piece of thick plywood to the leg, centered the table on this and screwed from the bottom to hold the whole thing together. We painted it and it is now our kitchen table with seating for four.
  • Bonny McDaniel Bonny McDaniel on Mar 26, 2014
    Sometimes thrift shops have those big, iron bases that used to hold a glass top table...the glass gets broken and the base ends up in a yard sale or at the thrift shop. You would need a big, heavy one to hold the oak top and you could use the above method of putting a piece of plywood on it first.
  • Jennifer G Jennifer G on Mar 26, 2014
    I once used ready-made table legs from Lowe's (four of them) on a random round table top I had laying around for a photoshoot… It turned out so cute, the model bought it after the shoot! I spaced the legs evenly around the circle and braced them underneath with cross beams (like an X) inside the circle since it had a deep 'skirt' around the outer edge.
  • Pat Pat on Mar 26, 2014
    Agree with Jennifer G. Go to Lowes and find some legs. If you are really daunted by stripping the refinishing the wood, you might consider chalk paint and maybe a graphic art on top of the chalk paint. That is what did...
  • Mark Hopple Mark Hopple on Mar 26, 2014
    it shouldn't be hard to find legs in a second hand store.. perhaps old sewing machine base.. Depending on the size ...maybe use as a head board...I like the tree stump idea also...u can take off the bark and stain it...good luck to you..
  • KathrynElizabeth Etier KathrynElizabeth Etier on Mar 26, 2014
    Table legs at Lowe's are expensive. Hunt for a beat up table with decent legs, or more than one table if you're willing to mix styles. Or you could buy a small, square, used table and mount your table top on it. A sturdy old night table would also work, if you found one the right height for your needs.
  • Claudia Claudia on Mar 27, 2014
    I really like Katherine's idea of using a night stand (or washstand) to mount the top on.