How to build a DIY dining table?

[MonicaManley]

 

Trying to plan how we DIY this style of dining table. Ideally budget friendly for the legs. Thinking wood for legs, white paint and then a stone bench top getting cut somewhere local to replicate the inspiration pic?

[EricL]

Hello @MonicaManley 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your D.I.Y. dining table.

Stone benchtops have a limit on how much area can be extended out unsupported. You can often see this on breakfast bars where the extended lip of the benchtop is no more than 300mm from the edge of the cabinet. If you do happen to see stone benchtops that extend farther than this, it will often have a steel frame supporting it from underneath. The same rules will apply for your proposed project.

Because there are no cabinets supporting the stone top a steel frame will need to be built beneath to support its weight. This also means that the legs will need to be made of steel to carry the weight of the frame and the stone top. The steel legs can then be covered with timber to create that circular shape.

Another possible method to recreate this benchtop is to make it out of timber. I propose using Kaboodle 2400 x 900 x 36mm Hevea Timber Benchtop and standard timber lengths to create the legs for the benchtop. There are various ways to give a timber benchtop a unique finish, plus there is no need to create a steel supporting frame for it as the timber is strong enough to support itself. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Nailbag]

Hi @MonicaManley 

I would agree with all of the comments and suggestions made by @EricL. Though very achievable it would be an expensive exercise just in the stone top due to having a radius end as these are a costly custom cut. Depending on the length of your table which in this photo appears top be quite short, you need to think carefully on leg placement. Not only for support, but how they might interfere with the persons legs.

A timber top one as @EricL is a very easy and economical DIY project start to finish. There is a wide range of tops available at Bunnings as well as different treatments for a personalised colour. There is also quite a range of legs to mix and match that you could re-colour if required. My son just made his first piece of furniture last summer this way that I didn't know wasn't purchased.  

Nailbag

[Dave-1]

Morning @MonicaManley 

My first thought was mmmm there will be some issues and then the second was mmmmm how could they be worked around.

I agree 100% with @EricL s thinking. Stone benchtops have no flex available to them and the weight would be high so the supporting structure needs to be solid.

I wonder if you built your frame with a solid timber top maybe 100mm smaller from the sides  and then placed the stone so it over laps the timber. That would take the flex and support out of the problem. (With the timber top Id say 40mm thick btw)

Now to the legs, you will need solid legs as it will weight a fair bit. You could build them yourself or even frame up a box for one end. I do prefer steel for this type of weight tho. and in particular I am thinking of the V styled footing and top of a support.

This type of shape. I couldnt find one like this in Bunnings tho. You would just need to make sure that the steel legs can carry a couple of hundred kilos (thick timber bench plus the stone)

Dave