Industrial TV/Hall Table

This table was a metal/wood project that I took on for a spot to put my TV. This project includes CNC plasma machine, drilling, welding, shearing, bending, painting, and woodworking. For this table I decided to do it 4' long, 14" deep, and 32" high for the base.

For main part of the base, I wanted to make the ends all one piece to give it an industrial look. To do this I designed it based on my dimension, to where I would bend both sides of the end piece so that it created the end, back, and front. I programmed some cutouts and a "W" in the end pieces for style and personal touch. I used a plasma cam CNC machine to cut this design. 12 gauge Mild Steel was used.

I now took the end caps to the press to bend them. I made sure to carefully measure the bend line and use a square when inserting into machine to keep everything uniform and square. If not, it could cause a bad wobble when complete.

I wanted to add some accent mesh behind the cutouts for more contrast and style. To do this, I used a fine metal mesh cut to dimension to fit just bigger than the holes. In this picture I have a piece clamped to a cutout to test the look. I loved it, and spent the next few minutes cutting the mesh for all openings.

Next, I used 1 1/2" x 1/8" angle-iron to span the length of my table. Since I wanted it 4' overall, I cut the pieces 47.75" to allow for the thickness of the end caps. You do have to grind the edges of the angle pieces to allow for the radius created by the bend of the end caps. To complete this step, I clamped the angle-irons to the end caps and used a square to square the table. I then tacked it all together using a MIG welder.

To add even more accent, I added hammered rivets. To do this, I measured where I wanted these rivets to be. I added them to make it look like rivets were holding the table together. I then center punched the center of where the rivets would go, and drilled a hole just big enough for them to go in. I then welded the backside of the rivets, and cut the excess off with a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder. Finally, I welded the accent mesh onto the backside of the openings. This photo shows the final product of this step.

I decided later on to add an extra angle-iron spreader on the bottom to prevent the legs from spreading or narrowing. For this I used the same 1 1/2" x 1/8" angle-iron. I just measured the same as the top runners to make sure it was the same width all the way down.

For the top and shelf, I used white oak. I had someone else plane it down for me, and cut to my dimension. I ended up going 15" x 50" for the top to allow for some hangoff of the base.

At this point, I used my router to round over the edges and test fit the pieces onto the base.

Next, I took my boards to a local paint store, and had two stains tested to pick my favorite. I liked the espresso color best, so I got a quart of it. I also got a satin finish to go on top.

After stain testing, I used clear epoxy to fill holes and voids. For this just mix a small amount of epoxy at a time to increase working time, and use a popsicle stick to work it into the voids.

At this point, I used a palm sander and sanded by hand to level out the epoxy and smooth the surface. I started with 80 grit, then 120, 220, and finally 400.

At this step, I stained my boards. I used a blue shop towel that I dipped into the stain and wiped onto the board. After letting it sit for a minute I used another towel to wipe off the excess. Be careful not to let it sit too long in certain spots, or the stain will look splotchy.

I had almost forgot to add my inserts to attach the top and shelf to the frame. I used a T-nut to do this. I drilled a hole just big enough for the insert to go into, then gently tapped the gripping spikes into the wood to hold them into place. You can see the inserts in this photo. There are holes in the frame that correspond to these.

Satin finish was used for these boards. I used a foam brush to apply the finish to minimize brush strokes. I did 3 coats, allowing about a day between each.

I used a satin black paint for this base. I used 80 grit sandpaper, and a file to get off rough spots and welding sparks. I then used paint thinner to clean the metal. Finally, I sprayed the paint using a cheap automotive paint gun. I let the paint cure overnight.

Finally, I was able to set the top and shelf onto the base, and used black headed cap screws to fasten them on. I am really pleased with this!!