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Ready Made…Reel-to-Reel coffee table
December 14, 2011
— coffee table, craft projects, home projects, ready made, reel to reel player, reel-to-reel, worcester county
I love this site! A friend of mine recently posted the coffee can light fixture on my facebook page. It was such a neat idea and I am really into making the “old” new again that I had to check out the rest of the site. This is one of the Ready Made projects that they have posted – a Reel-To-Reel Coffee Table. Now…I know my parents HAD a reel to reel player…I wonder if they still do!
When the family’s analog eight-track tape deck died, our son begged us to keep the corpse, hoping that one day techies of the future might resurrect it. Meanwhile, we needed a coffee table and thought the piece might be a suitable base. And it was.
Skill Level: Moderate
Active Time: More than a weekend
Cost: $$$
Materials
- Square steel tubing (for the legs)
- Outdated gear with a sturdy chassis
- 8 10-24 hex-head cap screws with lock washer and nut
- Paint or clear Krylon (optional)
- Glass or Plexiglas table top
- 4 rubber cane tips
- 4 hard rubber casters
- 8 square nuts
Tools
- Square steel tubing (for the legs)
- Outdated gear with a sturdy chassis
- 8 10-24 hex-head cap screws with lock washer and nut
- Paint or clear Krylon (optional)
- Glass or Plexiglas table top
- 4 rubber cane tips
- 4 hard rubber casters
- 8 square nuts
Using the hacksaw, we cut the legs from ¾” square steel tubing, and filed the edges smooth and even.
It was necessary to temporarily remove the back panel of the deck so we could get in there to attach the legs. Then we drilled through-holes in the tubing and in the chassis and secured them with hex-head cap screws (because they look cool). We connected it all together with a lock washer and nut on the other end.
Some might say that the legs look rusted. We prefer to call it a “carefully acquired patina,” but in any case, a coat of clear Krylon would prevent any tarnishing.
Since you can’t put the glass (or Plexi) right on the legs, we started experimenting and discovered that rubber cane tips fit nicely over the leg tops. They also had the perfect tackiness to keep the glass in place.
Did I mention the deck is heavy? Hard rubber casters with a threaded shaft make it easier (i.e., possible) to move. We affixed them to the legs with two standard square nuts per caster. Perfectionists will want to drill and tap the legs and attach a set screw to one (or both) of the nuts, but that struck us as overkill. Our eight-track table has survived three moves, and like vinyl, it’s just sitting pretty, waiting for the revival.
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