Maker Project - Steampunk Inspired Table

Our steampunk table design started after seeing a similar table be sold on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/listing/102317687/glass-loft-dining-table.  The person on Etsy is selling their table for $650, however, our design was built at a  fraction of that cost and also included some upgrades. 

All the components were purchased through the local big box hardware store Home Depot, Amazon, and Ikea.

We built two tables. The first table we built is at a height of 35 inches, and the second table is at just under 31 inches.

The glass table top is 58 ¼ x 28 ¾ inches and is ⅜ of an inch thick. It can be found at Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70221461/ for $79.99.  We found that this particular glass table top was by far the most affordable we could find, plus it came in two designs.


We used the following tools when  putting our tables together: table saw, electric drill, screwdriver, carpenter’s ruler, small bandsaw, and a carpenter’s adjustable square, 1 ⅜” spade drill bit.

Black metal pipe and iron fittings combined with wood are a easy materials to work with and provide an easy interface for combining and screwing together substructure for furniture.

The following parts list is for our second table and contains the roll paper dispenser. The roll paper dispenser is, essentially, white meat wrapping paper that you could purchase at Costco. However, Costco no longer carries this product and it can be easily found online.

Here is the list of components:

2 - Wood 2 x 4; these are cut up into six 28” lengths and provide the glass table top supports. $2.20 each ($4.40)
4 - 90 Degree street Elbow, 1” NPT Male x NPT Female, Black Finish $2.84 each ($11.36)
4 - Mueller Industries 1” Blk Tee  $2.05 each ($8.20)
2 - 16” Length of 1” Black Metal Pipe
2 - 4” Nipples (4” length of Black Metal Pipe - Need to purchase these off the shelf as the shorter lengths can not be threaded as easy at the hardware store.)
2 - 1” Union Fitting $3.16 each ($6.32)
2 - 50” Length of 1” Black Metal Pipe
4 - 1” Black Metal Flange Fitting  $2.71 each ($10.84)
4 - Caster Wheels with lock ( We used Cool Casters - Solid Skate Wheel Caster, Black Wheel) $11.00 each ($44.00)
8 - 4” Diameter Wood Rounds (Bottom of table legs) $2.50
4 - 10” Length 1” Black Pipe
4 - Reducing Tee Connectors 1” x ¾” x 1 “ NPT Female Fitting  $3.35 each (13.40)
4 - 8” length 1” Black Pipe
2 - 18” Length ¾” Black Pipe $3.08 each ($6.16)
2 - 2” Length ¾” Black Pipe $0.52 each ($1.02)
2 - ¾” Union Fitting $2.72 Each ($5.44)

You could replace the last six items on this list with four 24” or 20” length black pipes for the plain table legs. Also, if you do not want your table to roll, eliminating the casters and wood table leg substructures attached to the flange fittings would reduce your costs too.

I’d recommend purchasing the majority of your black metal pipe lengths at the hardware store in the 10’ length and then having them cut them down to size and thread the ends. There was no charge for cutting and threading the black pipe lengths. The 10’ black pipe costs approximately $20 each and you will need two 10’ lengths cut down.

Total cost of the project: $233.63 (approximately)

Plain Leg Option: $183 (approximately)