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Wine Barrel TableI had always loved these wine barrel tables and wanted to try and make my own. I was lucky to get a few wine barrels from a local winery and here are a few of the tables that I came up with. I have also included some of the issues that I came across and how I solved them. Most of the tables I saw were rustic but I wanted to try and make some that look good inside or outside your house. And I also wanted to include an ice bucket in the centre to keep your drinks cold.
Wine barrel TableI have added a few of my barrels in this tutorial for the purpose of showing you issues and solutions I came across along the way and how I resolved them. I filled my barrel with water and bleach and let it soak for a few days. I emptied the barrel and let the barrel dry out in the sun before I started. I added screws to the top and bottom bands to keep them in place and removed all the other bands to make it easier to sand. It is a good idea to number them so you know where they go. I sanded the barrel starting with 120grit to remove all the rough surface and the wine stains. And gave a final sand using 240grit. I stained the barrel and added 2 coats of satin varnish. I replaced all the bands and added screws in all the stave’s to keep them in place and to give it a decorative look.
I bought a 25l bucket (which must have a lip to prevent it from falling through the hole). I removed the handle. I found the centre of my wine barrel and cut a circle the size of the top wine bucket under the lip. I drilled a pilot hole and used a jigsaw to cut the centre out.
The top of my wine barrels tables is usually made from old table tops which I recycle and reinforce using Plywood underneath to add some strength to the top. My average table top is 1.2m, and I try to build them with a thickness of 60mm. The top I have shown above in this post was cut using a jigsaw, but for some reason, I ended up with an edge that was sloped, so it was unsuitable for my project. I don’t know why this happened and would love any feedback. I have since found that this is a blessing as long as you have your tabletop the right side up. It will save lots of time grinding later.
So I came up with another plan and used my router attached to a piece of plywood. I found the centre point of my piece of wood and screwed my plywood into the centre of my wood and routered the circle out. This does take some time but I have found this is the best way to end up with a good clean circle. The inside circle proved more difficult because the top of the barrel was not a perfect circle and slopes so I used a grinder with a sanding disc to keep remove the excess until the top fit snug.
To secure the top to the barrel, I could not work out how others had done theirs so I came up with my own idea. I lined up the table top up with the barrel and drilled a hole through the barrel and into the middle of the inner circle of the table top and inserted large bolts to prevent the top from moving. I have countersunk the bolt heads so they did not obstruct the lid.
I used the router to remove part of the underneath surface so that the lid balanced on the rim of the barrel and not on the surface of the inside which was not level on any of my barrels. I have made a few of these tables and found this to be the best way. The picture below was one that I had the lid resting inside the lip. But this one had a slight wobble.
The wine barrel lid on this one had had a slight wobbly because the inside of the barrel was warped. I chiselled out the centre of the lid so that I could add a pull latch to make it easier to lift off. I sanded the surface ending with 320grit, stained it with cedar stain and added 3 coats of satin varnish. And to finish off I added I strip of aluminium cut to size to finish off the edge. 
On the table above I used a veneer instead of solid wood because the pattern on the wood was nicer but I found the surface was not very durable. So I decided to try coating the top with Norton Liquid glass which gave a stunning effect.
This is another wine barrel table that I made.
If you want a more detailed step by step tutorials http://uniquecreationsbyanita.com/how-to-make-a-wine-barrel-table-with-built-in-wine-bucket/
I have also made some wine barrel coffee table if you want to check them out. http://uniquecreationsbyanita.com/wine-barrel-table-greek-key-design/
http://uniquecreationsbyanita.com/how-to-make-a-personalized-wine-barrel-table/
I hoped you enjoyed my project.
Thanks for sharing @AnitaH25.
You might be interested in this previous discussion about wine barrels as there were some great ideas - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Outdoor/Wine-Barrels/m-p/11656
Jason
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Lucky1. It's wonderful to have you join us and great to see this project has inspired you.
I trust @AnitaH25 will be pleased to hear that you're a fan of their work.
If you'd like to attempt this project yourself, our helpful and knowledgeable members would be happy to assist with advice as you do. We've got some lovely Oak wine barrels which would be perfect for a project like this.
We look forward to hearing all about the projects and plans you have around your home and garden. Please feel free to reach out anytime you need assistance or have something to share with the community.
Mitchell
Hello @lenacurly
Thank you for joining the discussion. Let me tag @AnitaH25 to make them aware of your question. There was mention of a cedar stain which is available in the Feast & Watson range. For compatibility, I recommend getting the clear satin finish in the same brand. But just to be safe let's wait for confirmation on the brand they used on the wine barrel tops.
Are you planning on building something similar? Please make sure to post an update on your project. I'm sure our members would be keen to see your creation.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
