Author: sharon

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Virginia’s Cable Reel Hairpin Leg Coffee Table

closeup cable reel table with hairpin legs

Some of you may have used a cable reel for a table at some point…maybe in college? You were probably excited to put that behind you and get a ‘real coffee table’. You may rethink that when you have a look at Virginia’s cable reel hairpin leg coffee table.

Virginia took something pretty ordinary and made an amazing piece of DIY furniture with it! Built with two overlapping layers of wood for durability, cable reels can take anything you dish them in your home, and Virginia finished the top to make it smooth, attractive and ready for use inside your home. If you’re looking for a round tabletop, this is perfect – no cutting required. The markings left on the reel from its previous life add a unique look and transcends the expectation your family and guests may have of a coffee table.

Last but not least are the hairpin legs. Virginia’s cable reel has a nice pair of hairpin legs supporting it that have been painted yellow for added color. All of our metal legs can of course be painted or left just as they arrive–whichever you prefer.

Virginia’s tabletop has been sanded and finished with polycrilic. You can follow suit with your tabletop or leave it unfinished depending on how you want your finished product to look. We’re proud to add Virginia’s table to the blog…if you’re looking for DIY furniture inspiration, check out all of our hairpin leg styles and past DIY projects. All our modern metal table legs are made to order right here in the USA, and we know you’ll be as happy as Virginia when you’re done.

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Grant’s Hairpin Leg Coffee Table

Sometimes simple is best! Here is a great hairpin leg coffee table Grant made. If you haven’t built a piece of DIY furniture yet, there is a special pride in sitting around a coffee table you made…we’re sure Grant has that feeling these days!

grants hairpin leg coffee table

We often say all it takes to make a beautiful DIY table is a tabletop and a set of hairpin legs. That maxim is proved true time and time again when customers share their creations with us. We’re glad we can help people make their own custom furniture.

Grant chose to use our original hairpin legs for his coffee table. These modern metal legs have simple lines and classic style. We like to say they go with anything! But we do offer different styles of metal legs as well. Our twist hairpin leg, for example, is just that – literally a twist on the original hairpin leg. We also offer the 3 rod hairpin leg which, as the name suggests ads a third rod to the original hairpin leg for additional stability.

But don’t be fooled, our original hairpin leg is plenty strong to hold up Grant’s table–or pretty much any table–they are made of 3/8-inch steel rod after all. You can also order them in ½-inch steel rod if you’d like. The list goes on and on, but we’ll let you check out all the styles for yourself. Suffice it to say we’re confident you’ll find the perfect set for your next DIY table.

Thanks for sharing the photos Grant…the table turned out great!

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Jodie’s Slab Side Table with Painted Hairpin Legs

We talk a lot about reusing, repurposing, and scavenging materials for your DIY hairpin leg projects, and sometimes a piece of wood comes into your life and you know it should stay there. That is exactly what happened to the Jodie! The longer we’re in the hairpin leg business the more we’ve noticed that there is usually a great story to go with a great hairpin leg table!

Upon moving into a new house Jodie noticed an oddly placed old timber slab – it was attached to the brickwork of the fireplace. No longer wanting it on the fireplace, but wanting to keep the timber, Jodie realized it would make a perfect side table, with the right set of hairpin table legs. She chose a tall set of 3 rod hairpin legs.

She knew she was looking for painted legs so Jodie applied an etch primer and then spray painted the legs. The finished table preserved the beautiful slab of wood while making it functional at the same time.

You can read more about Jodie’s DIY furniture story on her blog. This is one of our favorite hairpin leg stories! If you have a piece of wood worth preserving as a new piece of furniture…send us the story and some photos when you’re done!

We’d be happy to provide the metal legs for your project whether you’re using 3 rod hairpin legs like Jodie or one of our other modern table leg styles. We offer different hairpin leg styles, heights, and diameters, and all of our metal legs can be painted or left just the way you they are. Let us know what you come up with!

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Caitlin’s Beer Crate Hairpin Leg Table

One of the best things about our hairpin legs is that they truly allow you to make any piece of furniture you want. From type of furniture – coffee table, desk, dining room table, to materials used – repurposed door, upgraded existing table, slab wood, reclaimed pallet, or even a beer crate! And that is just what Caitlin did. Check out this awesome beer crate hairpin leg table.

moosehead beer crate side table with hairpin legs

More than a few of us have seen an antique crate that was created for milk, beer or fruit and thought, ‘what a cool crate…but what would I use it for?’, well, an antique crate makes a great side table. The finished piece is certainly unique and the beer company’s logo adds character.

If you don’t have crates like these lying around, check out your local antique shops, flea markets or yard sales. When Caitlin paired the crate with our metal hairpin legs, she was able to preserve the antique look, because the legs have a timeless quality to them. Whether your wooden box is an antique or not, adding a set of hairpin legs will give it a classic look.

At Modern Legs we offer hairpin legs from 4-inches in height to 30-inches so no matter what your project you’ll be sure to have the metal legs that fit perfectly. Caitlin used the original style hairpin legs for her project but we make other styles as well such as Just the Tip legs and 3 rod hairpin legs. Check out all of our offerings and see what works best for your project. All of our metal legs are made to order and are made right here in the USA!

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Ashley’s Cupboard Door Table with Metal Hairpin Legs

cupboard door table with hairpin legs closeup

Here at Modern Legs we know that all it takes to make a great DIY table is a table top as simple as an old door and a set of hairpin legs. We’ve done it ourselves and were delighted to see Ashley did it as well!

She took a vintage cupboard door, added a set of our classic hairpin legs, and she had a great new table. When reusing materials for a new piece of furniture you can choose to keep it as-is or make some updates for its new purpose. Ashley opted to keep the cupboard hardware on which nicely integrates the door’s old life with its new one…nice touch Ashley.

Taking vintage household items and making them into hairpin leg furniture is a great way to create an old looking piece of furniture without paying antique shop prices. One of the great things about our hairpin legs is their classic style. Metal legs go perfectly with projects such as Ashley’s that have a vintage look as well as projects with a more modern style.

Hairpin legs are extremely versatile and we offer a variety of styles to further compliment any project you’ll be undertaking. If you’re wondering about time involved, it can be a pretty wide range. Reusing materials that are in ready-to-use table top condition mean that you can start and finish pretty quickly. If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can create your own table top and spend a bit more time crafting the finished product.

Making your own piece of furniture really can be as easy as screwing a set of metal hairpin legs onto the underside of an old door. Thanks for sharing Ashley, great table! If you’d like to see more of Ashley’s work check out her blog.

If you’re about to wrap up a hairpin leg furniture project, send us some pics when you’re done!

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Painted Side Tables with Metal Hairpin Legs

A recent customer sent us a picture of the set of end tables they made with our hairpin legs and we’re glad they did! This pair is painted a very colorful and lively pattern bringing the tables to life. This customer chose to use three hairpin legs per table – which is a common layout for stools as well.

small side table with hairpin legs

small side table with twist hairpin legsThere are some advantages to using three legs instead of four. First of all they take up less floor space. That gives the user more room around the table and the ability to place the table in the corner.

We also like the use of the classic hairpin legs on one of the tables and the modern twist hairpin legs on the other table. It is a nice combination. If you’re thinking of making a smaller piece of metal leg furniture, think about what size tabletop you’ll be using. If you’re making a smaller tabletop perhaps three legs would be best for your project which will save you a little time and material.

We have lots of styles of hairpin legs to use in addition to those on these tables. Check out our 3 rod hairpin legs and our Just the Tip legs as well. All of our metal legs are made to order right here in the US. Send us a pic of your project when you’re done so you can inspire other DIY furniture enthusiasts!

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Slab Table with 3 Rod Hairpin Legs by TJ

We love seeing the trend of hand-crafted conference room tables! Large factory-build meeting tables may look like a dime a dozen, but they sure don’t cost a dime. Our suggestion is: build or commission your own table and end up with a unique table that’s built with quality and personality. Custom metal hairpin legs and a beautiful wooden tabletop are the basic essentials for an amazing table.

slab table with 3 rod hairpin legs

Here is a great table TJ build using our three rod hairpin legs. After he finished he said,

Thank you so much. This is the third table I have built using your products and I love them more and more. Thanks!

We love getting feedback about our metal legs and seeing what our customers build with them. This gorgeous table has lots of stability and style. The thickness of the wooden tabletop gives the table strength and durability but also character. The wood’s natural shape has been kept on the edges and the sheer size of that tabletop itself is impressive!

How often do we see a single piece of wood that size these days? We’d rather meet around a table like this than a Formica-topped table any day!

If you’re thinking of making a larger table like this, you’ve come to the right place. All of our metal hairpin legs are designed to hold plenty of weight, but the three rod legs like TJ used are even sturdier and can definitely handle a huge tabletop such as this one – they are made of half-inch steel after all. Thanks for sharing TJ, great job!

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Bench Leg Entryway Table by Sue

Deciding which metal legs to use for your table can be a challenge. Not only do we carry multiple styles of hairpin legs, but we also carry two styles of bench legs. Each style of leg offers different style and support options and although bench legs are often used for benches, they also make great table legs.

console table with flat bar bench legs

Here is a beautiful example from Sue. This is an entryway table using bench legs. What a great design! The tabletop is a thick slab of wood and the edges keep the natural growth patterns of the tree. The bench legs nicely add structure as well as style to this table.

Our standard bench legs made from very durable flat bar steel (which Sue chose to use here). We also offer tube steel bench legs and both offer maximum support if you’re intending to put your table through a lot of heavy use. We think Sue would agree that they also just look good, and they bring a solid, simple finishing touch to a beautiful piece of DIY furniture.

Bench legs differ from hairpin legs slightly in that the legs for each end of the table are one unit – therefore two bench legs are used on a standard table where four hairpin legs would be used. We offer standard bench leg sizes but you can always ask us about customization. If you have a certain leg height in mind, drop us a line and more than likely we’ll be able to accommodate. After all, every set of metal legs we offer are made to order. And they are all made right here in the USA as well. When you’re done, send us a pic of your creation!

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Emily’s Museum Crate Table with Custom Metal Legs

closeup of metal angle iron legs

Here is an amazingly creative table design from our customer Emily. This table was made from an old museum crate! What a great idea.

museum crate coffee table with metal angle iron legs

The museum crate was left intact with its markings and handles to keep the authentic feel part of the finished table. Then it was covered with a sheet of glass to be used as the tabletop and to allow the inside of the box to be seen as well. The metal legs used on this table are short angle iron legs we custom made for the project. As Emily points out, this table is heavy and the angle iron legs are a great way to support the extra weight:

I’m making a coffee table from an old museum crate. It’s 36″ long x 22″ high x 18″ tall. I have no idea how heavy it is [but] it’s hefty

As we do with many of our customers, we custom made the legs to fit and support the table. There are many different options to pair up heavy tables and metal legs. First of all, all of our metal legs – hairpin legs and otherwise – are designed to handle the load of any standard table and its accompanying uses. But there are a few metal legs that are heavier duty and will do well holding up additional loads. The three rod hairpin legs, our metal bench legs and the tapered angle iron legs are great options for heavier furniture.

If you’re inspired by Emily to build your next table, let our custom metal legs be the finishing touch for your next furniture project. As always our hat is off to Emily…thank you for sharing a picture of the finished result. It goes to show that almost anything can make a great DIY coffee table!

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Glass Topped Box Table With 3 Rod Hairpin Legs

3 rod metal hairpin leg

The great thing about metal hairpin legs is that they go with any table you are able to come up with. Take Tom’s table for example. Here is a fun and unique tabletop made from a long wooden box that is the perfect size for this application. Tom topped it with glass that sits just inside the outside edge of the wood. The table has a nice mix of wood, metal, and glass materials. Tom chose the 3 rod hairpin legs to use with this table for a more complex look. Here is what Tom had to say when the table was complete,

The legs are fantastic and were perfect for this table

glass topped table with 3 rod hairpin legs

We’re proud to offer a variety of metal leg styles including the classic hairpin legs and a number of variations such as the 3 rod legs Tom chose to use. We also offer angle iron legs and bench legs. Whether you’re planning on making a side table, end table, dining room table or desk, we have metal legs that will meet your needs in form and in function.

Think about just how you want your finished piece to look and then pick out the metal legs that will best suite your project. All of our legs are made to order right here in the USA. And we love seeing what customers come up with so send us a pic of your finished product. Thanks for sharing Tom, great table!