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I saw these wine barrel tables on Pinterest and it was love at first sight. I just did not want the rustic look. I wanted mine to be a more finished surface and unique to me. I designed a winery logo using my surname as the winery name and the established date was our wedding day.
I started by putting screws into all the stave's to stop the barrel from falling apart when cut and to give it a decorative look. I found the best halfway point that let me cut the barrel in half without cutting through any of the staves. I cut the bands using a grinder and I only had to cut through the top and the bottom of the barrel. I sanded down the barrel to remove all the rough surfaces and to remove all the wine stains.
The arches were the hardest part of the table. You need to divide your barrel width in half to get the centre point, measure the depth of the barrel and add that and the height you want it to be lifted off the floor. (Mine was 40 mm) and draw the arch with a compass. (I used a D.I.Y wood one.)
I left a little extra either side to add a decorative finish to the legs. I chose to just slope mine just to soften the look. But this said it was not that easy. The barrel is not always, even so, did spend time using a grinder with a sanding disc to get the barrel to fit nicely inside the arches. Added the 2 x 930 mm timber to the base of the arches and used a router to give them a decorative look. And added centre support between the two arches to support the weight of the barrel.
I screwed the 2 x 860 mm and 2 x 750 mm pieces of timber onto the top of the barrel. These are to support the tabletop and are used to anchor the hinges. The top of the wine barrel did need a bit of sanding to level it out first.
It then all got stripped down again to stain the barrel with cedar stain and sprayed the bands with black spray paint, and 2 coats of varnish. I know some will say it is a shame to stain the oak, but I was going for a different look and the red wine stains did not all come out. I used large screws to attach the wine barrel to the arches from the inside.
I added cast iron studs as a decorative feature which look great. I just needed to drill pilot holes and screwed them in.
My tabletop was a bit of a cheat because I am a big fan of building from recycled furniture, I used a broken coffee table and recycled the top. I sanded all the imperfections away and did my final sand using 320 git sandpaper. Then I attached it to the base using my 4 x 9 cm brass hinges. I stained the top and applied a coat of varnish to seal the stain in. (On my first test run the stain ate into my decal and destroyed it) I designed a family logo using Microsoft word ( lot's of company's on the internet will do this if you supply a picture). I went for a winery logo in keeping with the wine barrel theme, my family name, the year of my marriage to make it more meaningful to me. I ordered a vinyl decal online, but it is very important that the decal has no border or background or this will spoil the end result.
I transferred my vinyl decal onto the table, do this slowly so you do not crease the decal, the final result must be smooth. Now the most important step. You must work in a dust-free environment. I put up a tent and kept vacuuming it out and left it to settle for a few days. I put a strip of masking tape under the top of the table so that when the liquid glass runs over the drips will attach to the tape which can be pulled off to keep the underneath clean. The top must be wiped with a tack cloth very well before you pour the liquid glass over the tabletop. There are many videos on youtube that give you instructions on how to pour the Norton liquid glass.
This was one I made for my sister as a gift.
More details on this project can be found on www.uniquecreationsbyanita.com.
