natural rock coffee table

We renovated our arbor and outdoor seating area this summer and one of the improvements we made was to invest in some high quality patio chairs.
The full set includes a matching coffee table, but it\'s too expensive. We just got the chair.
This allows us to think about making our own coffee table to emphasize the chair.
After some brainstorming, we decided that a natural rock table looked good.
The frame of the patio chair is black metal, so we thought the simple black steel bracket made of square pipes looked good.
This rock coffee table is a great weekend project as it only takes a few hours of work and the result is functional and looks very professional.
Another advantage of this project is that the material only needs around $60!
We went to the local rock supplier on Saturday morning (Shamrock)
And carefully selected their slate.
It took about 40 minutes to find a piece with the right shape, size and color.
Our rock is 65 pounds and it only cost us $15.
We also bought some brushes.
Since we make the coffee table with stone, we don\'t want the spilled drink to stain it.
Seal the rock according to the instructions on the caulking agent. We got a water-
Based on glue, brush two layers with paint.
It\'s very easy to put on it and doesn\'t change the color or texture of the rock at all.
This sealant does work because after we use it, drops of water will string up instead of absorbing to the surface.
The bracket is made entirely of 1 inch square steel pipes.
We get steel from the Orchard Supply Hardware Company, but most hardware stores such as Home Depot or Los have this material.
We use a combination of a cut-off wheel and a band saw on a hand-held grinder to cut the metal.
We use our 120 volt Hobart MIG welder to stick everything together and weld it together.
We used some paper to draw the design of the bracket directly on the rock.
We chose a triangular bracket instead of a rectangular one, because one: the rock is not so much a rectangle as a triangle, and two more: the tripod is stable on an uneven surface.
The second reason is more important for us because this table will sit on uneven bricks and we don\'t want to have to constantly adjust and adjust the legs to prevent the table from tilting and swinging.
One drawback to making a triangular bracket is the need to cut some funky angles into steel beams (
Crossing between legs).
These pictures will illustrate this better than the text explanation, but this is basically how we solve the problem of cutting strange angles: We nailed a cross on each leg, this allows us to divide the entire booth into three parts (
Each one is a leg and a cross).
Then we put these three parts on the paper die board and mark the correct angle on the cross section with a ruler and sharpie so that they match well with the adjacent legs.
After these angles are cut, we stick the whole thing together, and once assembled, we go back to each joint and weld the whole joint.
After cleaning the metal with some steel wool, we applied two and a half layers
Paint with glossy black metal. Done!
Simply place the stand on the table you want and then place the stone on it.
The rock is heavy enough, there is enough friction between the bracket and the rock, so it will not move.
If you really want it, you can stick some thin foam padding on the top of the bracket to provide some cushion, or stick a block under the rock so it can register on the bracket to prevent sliding.
Although it works very well!