Our pallet DIY project was one of those things that was just meant to be. Phoenix rising is an apropos (and quite literal) way to describe the resurrection of this beautiful sewing machine table base! This upcycle is just like a phoenix rising from the ashes!
Constructing the mancave and craft studio in the basement has been a long 2+ year process for Hubs and has generated many trips to the waste station. On one such trip, this cast iron base caught my eye:
Some Fast Thinking
I could not let it go to landfill. At the waste stations in our city taking materials is a strict no-no. But I didn’t let that stop me. It just so happens my birthday was that day. And grovelling for a ‘gift’ is never beneath me. After whipping out my ID to prove my birthright, the person monitoring the site let me take the base home with me. However, with great hesitation on his part! It just pains me that something so beautiful and potentially useful could be gone forever! I love when everything just falls into place as if it’s meant to be!
The base made its way onto a shelf in our garage. It was like Christmas re-discovering it a few weeks ago when Hubs was reorganizing. Is it like that for you when you go through the junk treasures in your garage too?
Hubs was looking for a base on which to make a table top using reclaimed skid material and I thought this base would make a great conversation piece at the entrance to the mancave.
Sanding the Rust
Here you can see a better picture of all the surface rust.
Hubs spent a few hours sanding it all down.
Hubs was going to repaint all the metal, but I just loved the old patina as-is (especially the gold lettering of the three Phoenix plaques).
He eventually agreed with me and ended up clear coating it to protect it from rusting again. The refurbished metal looked awesome!
Pallet DIY – Making the Top
Hubs then set about creating a new top for the base and took apart all the pieces of a skid. He wanted to preserve the rustic look of the wood so only gave it a light sanding to keep all the dings and dirt (i.e. character) intact. He then screwed each slat onto a piece of MDF at either end near the edges and clear coated to seal it.
To hide the screws and edges, hubs bought some raw steel L-brackets and cut it to fit around the top, mitering the ends. A friend helped solder the seams together from underneath to give it a clean look on the surface and hubs finished it by drilling holes along the edges. The steel also got a coat of clear finish to prevent rusting.
Soldered metal ready for wood top
Skid top with finished metal edges
Bluing Creme
Hubs used gun blue creme to blacken zinc coated round head screws.
Then he poked the screws through a piece of cardboard and clear coated them:
Clear coating the screws on a piece of cardboard
This cardboard trick is the best way to spray paint small pieces like this with a clear coat so they can dry perfectly!
Here you can see the before and after. The bluing will blend right in with the frame!
Assembly of Pallet DIY
Hubs predrilled the screw holes through the metal into the skid top….
and fastened each screw into the top:
Here is the finished top. All that’s left is to attach the top onto the base with more screws.
Practical and Beautiful Again
The mancave is still a work in progress so this was the best shot of the table I could get amongst the cardboard covered floors and messy boxes.
Although the table is unique and decorative, it has a practical purpose too. Just behind where it sits is our upright freezer. When designing the basement, I inset the freezer into the wall to hide it away from the main living area. Having a table right around the corner to drop things when we’re loading and unloading the freezer is very handy!
Pin Pallet DIY
Just above the new table is where we recently mounted this airplane wall decor.
Once the mancave is complete, I’ll be able to get some better reveal pictures of the space. More to come of our basement renovation!
At Birdz of a Feather, we’re feathering the nest… one room at a time.
We hope you liked our very first pallet project. I’m certain there will be more to come, like this wooden wall art DIY. Until then follow our blog here (link in the footer) or on Bloglovin’ (button below) to get tutorials on other DIY projects, in and around the home. You can also follow us on Pinterest our Youtube channel and on Facebook.
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What a fantastic table. I’m happy to hear that you were able to rescue the Phoenix base. What a shame to see that sort of thing become landfill. I’ve picked up a few odd things at the dump over the years. One woman’s junk…etc., etc. The table is amazing as is your attention to detail.
Hubs takes most of the credit on this one; he really followed through on our vision!
You’re both fabulous. Please tell him I said so. 😉
Will do!
Amazing find! Great job saving it. 🙂
Thanks Jen! We’re so happy we were able to save it!
Great find and repurpose! I love a good (or bad) old sewing table! That looks awesome 🙂
love your finished project. I have 2 that I am restoring, one for a bedside table and the other?. BTW: I have a question (for chuckles only, NO criticism): you state it is handy to have it near your freezer. I look at the last picture and wonder: when you pull the ice cream from the freezer, where to you set it? 😉
Thanks Kitty! We only put that stuff there because a blank table isn’t as dramatic a reveal. It was just for the final picture then we cleared it off again right after 🙂 By the way, we don’t have ice cream in the freezer because I’m lactose intolerant but I wish I did – lol!
What a beautiful table! I so glad you were able to persuade the site monitor to let you take it home.
Thanks Linda; me too! I just couldn’t take no for an answer even though I knew it was a strict policy 🙂