Easy Coffee Table From Recycled Materials

I recently picked up a few secondhand chairs for my dining table. They consist of plastic seats on wooden frames, and to sweeten the deal, the seller threw in a spare set of legs he had lying around. After staring at them in the corner for a few days, I decided to turn them into a coffee table. For the tabletop I used a cutout from a kitchen countertop.

Tools:

1. Cordless drill
2. Jigsaw
3. Handsaw
4. Screwdriver
5. Drillbit
6. Paintbrush

Materials:

1. Chair
2. Wood for tabletop
3. 4 Wood screws
4. 4 punched plates (at least two holes)
5. 4 Screw-in nuts
6. 4 Machine screws
7. Paint

Cut the legs to the same length to ensure the tabletop will be level and the table won’t wobble. Try to align the cut parallel to the position of the tabletop, for example by using the crossbraces between the legs as a reference.

Cut the tabletop into a shape you like. As long as it fits on the legs, anything goes. I opted for a freeform design using a jigsaw.

Countersink the punched plates, so that the wood screws are flush with the top. Screw the plates onto the top of the legs, leaving one hole accessible from the bottom. Predrilling the holes with a cordless drill helps to prevent the legs from splitting.

Next, place the legs on the underside of the tabletop and mark the hole locations. Drill holes for the screw-in nuts, being careful not to drill through the tabletop. A piece of tape on the drill bit at the correct length can serve as a marker for the proper depth.

Install the screw-in nuts in the tabletop and attach the legs with appropriate machine screws. I chose this method for easy disassembly and reassembly and because the hardware was at hand, but wood screws would work just as well.

Paint the tabletop or finish it with oil to protect it from spills. I had a can of chalk-based paint lying around, which I used to paint just the top of the tabletop (for extra style points and a bit of laziness). Then, everything was finished with oil.

And voilà, your stylish coffee table is complete!