Hubby How To: DIY Modern Table Leg Design – Two Styles

There’s some beautiful modern table leg designs out there! A great way to get the design you want and save a little money, is to make it yourself. This post has two DIY modern table leg designs, DIY plans, and How To instructions.

Updated 9/26/2023

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Have you ever seen any of those beautiful tables with unique metal table legs and tell yourself you need one?! Well that’s exactly what happened to us. And then we saw the price tags of such table legs alone not including the tabletop! 

So that meant DIY time! We’ve created two modern table leg designs. They create beautiful table frames to put any kind of tabletop on whether it’s a live edge wood slab like ours, wood planks, or painted solid wood. The tabletop can be anything you dream up (check Pinterest for ideas!)

The table leg designs use steel tube for both options, but could be modified to use wood or aluminum if preferred.

Now let’s get started on how to make DIY modern table legs two different ways.

Tips For Metal Supplies

Purchasing Metal By The Foot

Now, if you’re new to working with metal, then there are a few things to know.

Firstly, most metal is purchased by the foot. Meaning generally you buy it in 1 foot increments from a local business. Most metal comes from the plant in 20 foot sticks that are then cut up and resold at a local business or distributor. 

Typically, you won’t find metal tubing at a home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowe’s. It usually takes a quick internet search to find a local supplier.

Suppliers Cut to Nearest Increment Length

As mentioned, the supplier will need to cut your metal lengths for you to purchase. Give them the list of lengths you need rounding up to the nearest foot or inch for each piece depending on their requirements. 

We find if you’re friendly and respectful, some businesses will cut pieces down to the inch for you (and might save you a little money instead of buying almost a whole extra foot). However, we suggest getting the metal material cut just slightly longer than you need. This way you can cut it accurately to the desired dimension.

The following table leg designs have both the total linear feet of metal and the individual lengths of metal noted.

What If I Don’t Want to Cut The Complex Angles?

If you don’t have access to the proper tools or don’t want to cut angles yourself, some metal suppliers will cut it for you. Usually it will be for an extra fee. If there’s multiple metal suppliers near you, call around, ask and get a cutting quote, if possible. This way it saves you the hassle of driving over just to find out they can’t do the work or it’s extremely expensive.

Another option is to get the final pieces cut by a tube laser cutting service. They’ll typically charge you by the hour for the total active cutting time required for the project. Again, do a quick internet search for a local service, call them, and get a pricing quote so there are no surprises.

Modern Double Y-Shape Table Leg Design

The first table leg design is a modern double Y-shaped legs that create a beautiful asymmetric look. We’ve created DIY plans you can grab, which will help you create the exact 8’ x 4′ table leg design. You can find the plans for this build in our Site Shop or if you prefer, you can buy them from our Etsy Shop. 

Double Y-Shape Table Leg Design Instructions

Step 1  – Get Your Plans & Materials

Firstly, grab your DIY plans from our Site Shop or Etsy Shop, if you haven’t already. Then it’s time to purchase your materials. 

As mentioned above, metal suppliers will cut the metal tube either to the nearest foot or nearest inch. Make sure to have them cut a little longer than needed, so you have room to accurately cut your angles. Once you have the plans and materials, you’re ready to start making your modern table legs.

Also, it helps to already have your desired tabletop whether it’s live edge wood or painted MDF. This way you can confirm measurements. Pinterest is a great resource to find a little visual inspiration.

Step 2  – Trace The Angles

Print the angle templates from the plans without scaling the page. Then using the paper template, trace out your angles corresponding with each piece. Lastly, confirm the angle is correct with a digital angle finder or protractor. Repeat for each metal tube.

Step 3  – Cut Rectangular Tube To Final Angles

After tracing all the angles, it’s time to cut the angles. There are several ways to cut metal tubes at home and you can choose your preferred cutting method. The key is to take it slow and let the tool do the work. You don’t want to force it.

• Industrial Metal Bandsaw – Using a slow cutting metal bandsaw is the commercial industry standard. However, most people don’t typically have these in a home workshop, but a maker’s space or industrial business might. If you have access to one, then use one.
• Miter Saw – With a special metal cutting blade, a miter saw can be angled and chop through the metal tube. If you’ve never cut metal tube before, try on a piece of scrap first to practice.
• Angle Grinder with Cutting Wheel – You can use an angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel to cut each side of the tube following the traced angle. You cannot cut fully through the tube at once. It requires cutting through each of the four sides of the tube for every individual tube. It will definitely be the most time consuming method, but won’t require purchasing a blade or secondary tool.

Once you’ve chosen how to cut the tube, proceed to cut each length to its final angle per the plans.

Step 4  – Weld Table Leg Pieces Together

After all the pieces are ready, it’s time to weld the legs. Ensure that you use appropriate gear and take all safety precautions when it comes to welding.

To begin, layout all of your pieces and equipment. You’ll start by tacking the entire table frame together to ensure it fits together correctly. Then go back and finalize by fully welding.

Did You Know – Tacking is the term welders use for a small temporary weld to hold the parts together until everything is ready for final welding. Tacks are not strong or meant to be final.

Start with a  #1, #3 and two #2 pieces per the plans and tack together to create a trapezoid on a flat surface.
Then tack a #4, #2, and #5 creating a C-shape. Repeat this with another #4, #2, and #5.

Measure and mark on the trapezoid piece where the two C-shapes need to attach.
Next, stand up the trapezoid piece by leaning it against an object or have someone help hold it. Tack one C-shape into the correct position and then repeat with the second C-shape.

After it is assembled, make sure you’re happy with the positions of the parts. This is why using tack welds are important in case any part needs to be adjusted.

When happy with all the positions, go back and fully weld everything. It’s recommended to weld up all the top joints, then flip the frame and fully weld up all the bottom joints.

Tada! The modern double Y-shape table leg base is assembled!

Step 5  – Use Angle Grinder To Clean Up Joints

Unless you’re extremely good at welding and you like the look of weld beads, the joints will likely need some cleaning up. Use an angle grinder to remove any burrs or rough areas, and to smooth out welds. Don’t over grind or you might have to re-weld it or accidentally grind through the wall of your metal tube.

Step 6  – Pre-drill Holes To Attach To Tabletop

Now with the table leg frame assembled, decide where the anchor points will go to attach the tabletop. Pre-drill holes with metal safe drillbits at the desired anchor points.

If top surface is wood, then drill holes that are larger than your fastener. This allows the top surface room to expand and contract.
Make sure to double check that your fasteners aren’t too long and will go through the table.

Step 7  – Seal The Metal

Once everything is smooth and finalized, it’s recommended to seal your metal. This is important to help preserve it and to keep it from rubbing off onto surfaces. There are a few ways to finish it.

• Raw Metal Look (shiny) – Use a polishing oil to buff the entire frame and then follow with a clear coat. This will leave the final look more like the original material and shiny.
• Painted Look (matte) – We preferred the matte look for the final product and used a matte black spray paint to seal the metal frame. It gives an industrial look without the shininess. You can use whatever color and finish you prefer.

Step 8  – Attach To Desired Tabletop

Last thing to do is attach your desired tabletop to modern metal table legs! We specifically wanted a live edge wood topped table and used two slabs that had been sanded flat and filled with epoxy. 

However, it can be anything from wood to painted MDF attached to the metal table legs. Use whatever will achieve your desired final look! Just be careful that if you use a soft wood , you will want to attach it with some threaded inserts to give it some additional strength.

Enjoy The Beautiful Modern Double Y-shaped Table Leg Design!

Modern Hourglass Table Leg Design

The second table leg design creates a modern hourglass metal table frame. You may have seen this look before with wood and as a farmhouse-style table legs. This is a slightly more modern look using metal (though you could still make it out of wood if you want to!). We’ve created DIY plans for this table leg design that’s 50″ x 29″ and meant for an 8′ x 4′ tabletop. You can find the plans for them in our Site Shop or our Etsy Shop. 

DIY Hourglass Table Frame Instructions

Most of the steps below will sound like a repeat of the modern double Y-shaped table legs. Reference above, if needed. The main difference is the welding steps and process.

Step 1  – Get Your Plans & Materials

Firstly, grab your DIY plans from our Site Shop or Etsy Shop, if you haven’t already. Then it’s time to purchase your materials. 

Metal suppliers will cut the metal tube either to the nearest foot or nearest inch. Make sure to have them cut a little longer than needed, so you have room to accurately cut your angles. Once you have the plans and materials, you’re ready to start making your modern table legs.

Also, it helps to already have your desired tabletop on hand. This way you can confirm measurements. Again, Pinterest is a great resource for finding inspiration.

Step 2 & 3

These are exactly the same as noted in the previous table leg instructions. Print angle templates from plans and trace onto metal tubes. Then cut tubes using your preferred cutting method (bandsaw, miter saw or angle grinder).

Step 4  – Weld Table Leg Pieces Together

After all the pieces are ready, it’s time to weld the legs. Ensure to use appropriate gear and take all safety precautions when it comes to welding.

To begin, layout all of your pieces and equipment. You’ll start by tack welding the entire table frame together to ensure it fits together correctly. Then go back and finalize by fully welding.

Start with one #1 and two # 2 pieces from the plans. Tack weld together to form a triangle.
Next, tack one #1 and two #3 pieces together to form the top triangle.
Then, tack two #4 pieces together to form a small V-shape.
Lay the two triangles and the V-shape on flat surface into position to form one hourglass. Then tack together all pieces of the hourglass.

Repeat these same steps for hourglass on the other side of the frame.

Now, make sure two hourglasses are the same height. Break any tacks and realign, if needed.

After assembled and happy with all positions, go back and fully weld everything. It’s recommended to weld up all the top joints, then flip the frame and fully weld up all the bottom joints.

For the #5 connecting tubes there are two ways to approach it.

1. Either weld the two #5 pieces directly to the hourglasses tacking to check alignment prior to final welds. This makes it a strong solid piece, but does not allow for disassembly of the table leg frame.
2. OR weld metal plates to the ends of the #5 pieces and use threaded bolts to attach to the hourglasses. This allows for the main bars to be removable and allow for disassembly of the table frame (Of course you’d have to remove the tabletop first).

Decide how to attach the #5 pieces and complete welding.

You did it! The modern hourglass table leg base is assembled!

Step 5, 6, and 7

Again, same exact steps as the previous instructions for the other table legs.

• Use an angle grinder to clean up welds and joints
• Pre-drill holes for attaching the tabletop
• Then seal the metal table frame using oil and clear coat or painting

Step 8  – Attach To Desired Tabletop

Last thing to do is attach your desired tabletop to the hourglass table legs! It can be anything from wood to painted MDF attached to the metal table legs. Use whatever will achieve your desired final look! 

Enjoy The Modern Hourglass Table Leg Design!

Lessons Learned

More DIY Projects

If you liked these DIY modern table leg design, then check out other DIY projects! The hanging daybed is definitely a favorite lounge place for us and our community of DIY-ers. Or if you’re looking for the perfect balance of DIY and sustainable living, the stacked rain barrel system is a great project to supply you with free water for outdoor uses and gardens!

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Hope this how to and our plans help you make a pair of beautiful modern table legs soon! Let us know your thoughts and if you’ve made either in the comments below!

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.