Makeshift Engineer
The completed table.
DIYRecycleware

Balcony Table

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The recycling continues with this little quick project. My apartment has a balcony where I like to sit and enjoy the cool breeze and watch fish swim about in the little water garden I set up in one corner. What was missing in this little setup was a table at which I could sit and enjoy an ice cold beverage.

Future table top. An old lazy Susuan that's going to be a table top.
Future table top. An old lazy Susuan that’s going to be a table top.

I was wanting to make a little table for my balcony for a long time but lacked the appropriate materials. Many DIY projects aren’t that convenient to do in Taipei given the small spaces you have to work in and with. One day, coming back from a late evening bike ride, I passed by a pile of old furniture and odds and ends that someone had left along the side of a street for the sanitation department to come collect. Other people were already picking through the pile, with some making off with chairs and bed stands.

An old wooden stool that will be the legs of my table.
An old wooden stool that will be the legs of my table.

I found a round piece of wood that was part of a large lazy Susan . It was just the right size for my balcony table. I hauled the piece of wood along with some wooden rails that was part of a bed frame. The plan was to attach the round piece of wood to an old stool on the balcony by clamping the table top to the stool without putting screws into the stool. Proably made it more complicated that I should have, but I didn’t want to ruin the stool since it wasn’t mine to drill holes into.

Placing the old stool onto the lazy susan top.
Placing the old stool onto the lazy susan top.

 

Attaching the stool to the lazy susan top with pieces of wood.
Attaching the stool to the lazy susan top with pieces of wood.

I borrowed an electric drill from a friend and started to work on the table a few days later. I first put the table top upside down on the ground and placed the stool on top of it. Next I attached four pieces of wood to the table top so as to clamp the stool firmly on all sides. Next, I attached two cross beams to the pieces of wood anchored to the table top so as to clamp the stool firmly in place. I had my table!

The finished table in evening light.
The finished table in evening light.

I later installed a little halogen light to shine down on the table at night so I can sit outside and read there during the evening.

Close-up of the stool attachment. The stool wasn't directly screwed into the table. This way, it can be removed and used a stool if need be.
Close-up of the stool attachment. The stool wasn’t directly screwed into the table. This way, it can be removed and used a stool if need be.

Another piece of furniture from recycled items. Everyone really should learn how to reuse and reduce the things we consume!