another recycling option

a good dilemma--sold a table close to the end of the day on wednesday. a little bittersweet when that happens--all of the stuff that is displaced is one issue, but the fact that i rarely have something in the wings to take it's place (my store room doesn't allow for large pieces to be standing-by) is the real issue. so the gaping hole of this missing 6-foot-tooth needed to be addressed immediately.
fortunately, i've had the "makings of a table" in storage . . . a heavy, vintage door and two wooden pedestal legs, salvaged from another table.
i've had a "door table" in my house for seven years now. it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture. we brought back an iron table base from Germany--another weighty object adding to our already over-flowing supply of planned projects. shortly after arriving in our new home, i figured-out what i wanted to do with it. of course, using it as a table base wasn't terribly original, but i decided to top it with a door. again, i'm sure that wasn't an original thought either; without doubt, i'd seen many in my magazine stash and flea-market-style books. anyhoo, i found the door and had a large piece of glass cut to top it (a paneled door isn't a suitable surface for a glass of milk or bowl of soup--you need the glass).
so here's your tutorial for making a table of your own.
first, you'll need the legs. preferably, from a former table--you know they can do the job and they come ready to use (holes pre-drilled and everything!). these pedestal legs truly are the best and most commonly found. you can expect to pay upwards of $50 for legs.
you'll also need a door (one of my favorite decorating "accessories"). these doors are made to hang, by their edge, from a few hinges--they are perfect for table-use. when choosing your door, be sure to look for something wide enough to seat your crew with plates and serving bowl/platters. if you are lucky enough to have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in your area, you'll find a wide variety of doors there. If you're in the market for a chippy paint finish with other flaws, you should be able to find one for under $50.
You'll also need a glass topper (so your milk doesn't topple). Take your measurement to a glass cutter--tell them you're using it for a table top, so they can recommend how thick it should be (I get 1/4" with sanded, not polished, edges)--you'll have to decide how to finish the corners. i go with a "quarter round" which means your corners will have the same curve as a quarter coin. Depending on the size of your glass, you can expect to pay upwards of $100 for this part of your table.

So, I tried something different with this table. I wanted to see if I could put it together without the screws/bolts showing. I tried lag screws first--two different sizes--two different trips to the hardware store, but that's another story. I figured-out that lag screws wouldn't work, but here are some pictures of that effort. The center of the door had a higher profile than the panels. The holes for the bolts were going to hit the panel, so I used shims to close the gaps.

I figured out I'd have to run bolts through top and bottom. Why? The lag screws only caught purchase on about a 1/4" of the door. It would work for a while, but after a few folks push back on the table, it'll start pulling the screws out. Trip number three to the hardware store. The bolts go all of the way through and are secured on the base with nuts.

I had to drill larger holes then I started with--the bolts were 3/8"--thank goodness I already had a 1/2 " bit, as the guys at the hardware store were beginning to doubt I had a clue about how to do this!

The almost finished product.

Tah dah!

Here's the table we've had in the house for seven-ish years.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I guess I had switched my settings by accident,

but I wanted you see the different base.

So there you go--recycle an old door and an old table base into a new table.

Have you got any recycling projects you can share?

Wait until you see all of the recycling projects we're offering at Spectacular, Spectacular! We've got some creative minds putting together some inspired projects for you!

Thanks for your indulgence!