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Although the legs of your table aren’t necessarily the first thing you choose to show off to your house guests, they can certainly spark a conversation if they’re interesting enough. For the DIYers out there, you have a whole new tangent to bring the conversation to once your guests notice your creative DIY work.
While wood has long been the preferred medium for tables of all kinds, there are also plenty of metal designs to choose from as well. And, believe it or not, some of the old things that have been collecting dust in your attic for a decade also have the potential to serve a creative purpose.
Start by building your own wood table, or construct a metal tabletop. Then use the ideas here to add creative table legs.
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Creative Table Leg Ideas for Beginners
If you’re new to the DIY life, it’s best to get your feet wet with a few simpler wood projects before pulling out the big guns. Once you’ve tried a few of these easier projects and gained the confidence to challenge yourself, you can try your hand at some of the more complex designs further down in this article.
Although the designs in this section are geared for beginners, they still have the power to spark excellent dinner conversations amongst your guests.
1. Hairpin Table Legs
Hairpin-style table legs are an excellent way to bring a more streamlined and modern design to your living area. Although these are made from metal, they aren’t difficult to construct and take a short time to put together. To create these legs, you’ll need a tape measure, hacksaw, welder, and a rod bender or torch.
Check the project details here: instructables.com
You’ll also need an angle iron, flat corner brackets, a ⅜” hot-rolled steel rod, and paint. Before starting, you’ll want to know exactly what length you’re looking for. Then, you’ll want to bend your metal. The best way to do this is with a rod bender as this equipment will provide even and streamlined legs.
After that, you’ll need to make an assembly fixture with the rods and brackets and then weld the pieces together. For more details about how to make hairpin table legs, click here.
2. Contemporary-Style Table Legs
Creating contemporary-style table legs are also great for adding a modern touch to your home. There are a few different ways to create a contemporary look, but I’m going to focus on one, in particular. To start, you’ll need to cut your wood to your desired length. You’ll also need to sand the legs down really well so they will have a metallic look when you paint them later on.
Check out the detailed project tutorial here: youtube.com
Drill holes anywhere you’ll be using a screw, as well as where the base will attach up to the tabletop. Attach each part of the rectangular leg base and then attach the perpendicular pieces to each side. The final piece will then attach to your perpendicular pieces and you can spray paint the legs the color of your choice after assembly.
3. Rustic-Style X-Shaped Table Legs
If you’re looking for a rustic or farmhouse-style eating/living area, X-shaped table legs are an incredibly simple and sleek design you can incorporate into your dining or coffee table. To create this easy design, you should make sure you have all of your supplies beforehand.
Watch the video tutorial here: youtube.com
You can cut down the 2×4’s with your circular saw. You should also remove the rounded edges of your 2x4s to get a clean look when you’re done. Use a miter saw at 45 degrees to cut your boards correctly and then use high-quality wood glue to keep them together. Let the glue set for around 30 minutes before continuing.
Make sure any gaps are filled and all necessary areas are sanded down thoroughly before staining your table legs. After it has dried, drill a large hole in the center of each X and insert the black iron pipe.
4. Water Pipe Table Legs
For those of you who consider themselves creative and resourceful, using galvanized pipes is certainly a way to get your guests talking about your home decor. As an added bonus, they may not actually look like pipes by the time you’ve fitted them to your tabletop.
Check out the detailed project here: beckiandchris.com
Before assembling your pipe legs to the tabletop, make sure the pipes are thoroughly cleaned and there isn’t any residual grease. This part is especially important if you’re using reclaimed pipes. If you need to cut the galvanized pipe, you’ll need to use a powerful angle grinder or one of the best jigsaws. Once you’re ready, fit the base together and attach it to your tabletop. If you don’t like the current look, you can always use spray paint to change it to your desired color.
5. Curved Table Legs
Although this design takes a little bit of skill and patience, it can still be accomplished by beginner DIYers. Because there are so many different curvy designs to choose from, it’s best to sketch out the general design onto your 2×4 with a pencil. This way, you can guide the table leg along with the saw in the direction you need for your desired design.
I’ve included this design in the beginner’s list because there are plenty of simple designs to follow, with the potential for more intricate designs also available.
6. Geometric Table Legs
The process for creating geometric table legs is very similar to the contemporary-style process I mentioned above. It’s also a table leg design that works well for a variety of skill levels. Beginners have the flexibility to choose a simpler geometric pattern while more seasoned DIYers can choose more complex designs.
Check out the step-by-step process here: youtube.com
7. Book Table Legs
Whether you need a quirky addition to your reading nook or you just love the idea of a book-themed home, a table with book legs is just the thing for you. In fact, this design is incredibly simple and takes minimal effort to get right. However, there are some things to keep in mind here, like making sure all of the old books you use are of similar sizes.
Get the project details here: instructables.com
After all, what good is a cool table if it can’t be used? Before assembly, it’s smart to layout the books as you’d like them to be used. Once you’ve determined everything is even, drill a hole from top to bottom of each book to place your rebar. Thread each book onto the rod and glue them into place. You can also paint them to give it a more cohesive look to the rest of your home too.
8. Steel Table Legs
There are countless ways to incorporated steel into your table leg design. Whether you use four simple pieces or you choose to make a linear and creative design, your options here are endless. With that said, you have to be willing to learn how to properly work with metal, or else you won’t be able to get it right.
9. VHS Table Legs
In a way that’s very similar to the process for making book table legs, you can also do so with those VHS tapes that have been gathering dust in your home since childhood. If they don’t hold sentimental value, what better way to repurpose it than with new table legs?
Check out the detailed project idea here: instructables.com
Create a baseplate out of four old VHS tapes and then make the rings that will sit on top of the baseplate. The number of rings you make will depend on how high off the ground you want your table to be.
Creative Table Leg Ideas for Advanced Woodworkers
Maybe you’ve been DIYing for a while and you’re ready to step your game up a bit. If that sounds like you, you should try your hand at some of these more complex designs to test your DIY skills. While these designs still offer a more intense and detailed process, you can still add your own touches to make the project more unique.
1. Metal Farmhouse Table Legs
These farmhouse-style table legs are similar to their wooden counterparts. However, the fact that they’re metal makes them a bit trickier to work with and they take more time to complete. Cutting through metal and maintaining even cuts is notoriously more difficult than cutting wood.
That, paired with the fact that you need to make sure each metal piece fits correctly, makes this type of table leg design better for intermediate to expert-level DIYers.
Check out the project for a helpful demonstration of each step of the process: youtube.com
2. “Wooden Leg” Table Leg
Why not take the whole “table leg” thing literally and make table legs that ACTUALLY look like human legs? Take a note of A Christmas Story and hop on the train that is leg furniture. This project takes good precision skills and requires the builder to pay close attention to the details of the project.
Check out this step-by-step process for building a literal wooden table leg: youtube.com
3. Creating a Trestle Table Leg
Trestles are an excellent tool for builders to use when making all sorts of furniture, but what you may not know is that they also work incredibly well as table legs. Whether you’re building a table for a workshop or you want to transform a breakfast nook, building trestles as table legs is a great way to bring a unique touch to your home.
Watch the video tutorial here: youtube.com
Although trestles aren’t necessarily difficult to make, they do have many parts and it’s important to follow instructions in full detail. Missing one step will leave you with an uneven and wobbly table, which is something nobody wants.
4. Musical Instrument Table Leg
Of all the things that could make a usable table leg, not many would think a musical instrument could suffice. An old trumpet or horn is perfect for this as it offers a flat area where the tabletop can be installed.
This project definitely needs someone with the skills to cut wood in intricate patterns in order for each piece to fit together correctly.
5. Abstract Table Legs
Abstract table legs are a great way for woodworkers who like the creative aspect of the craft to hone in on their skills. This type of table leg allows you to make anything from squid-like legs to gravity-defying designs.
Check the project idea here: pinterest.com
6. Floral Design Table Legs With Pyrography
If you like making intricate details into your work, you could go for a classically designed table leg and use pyrography to burn floral designs into the legs. In reality, you could use your pyrography skills to etch any design you please into your new table legs.
7. Poured Concrete Table Legs
For an earthier look to your home, consider using poured concrete to create table legs. To do this, you need to create a mold out of plywood and vinyl to pour your concrete into. Seal your inside seams with the best silicone spray or caulk to ensure no concrete leaks out during the drying process.
Check out the step-by-step project guide here: youtube.com
Place L brackets at the top of the mold so they set into the concrete before pouring the mixture inside. Once the mixture dries, you can remove the mold and assemble the concrete legs to your table. You’ll want to sand the concrete down to remove any burrs.
8. Anchor Chain Table Legs
For the avid welders out there, making table legs out of anchor chains is another great way to add a unique touch to your home. To do this, simply decide how many chains you want to use to get your desired height. Then, weld the pieces together and connect the top to the table and the bottom to a base to hold the legs in place.
9. DIY Floating Table
If you want to take it to the next level, consider crafting this DIY floating table! Of all the projects on this list, this one is sure to grasp the attention of guests the most. With its seemingly gravity-defying nature, you can play eye tricks on your guests at any function.
Check out the video tutorial here: youtube.com
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced woodworker, there are creative table leg ideas here for everyone. Use these ideas in combination a table to create a beautiful homemade wood piece.
