Glass Mirrored Table
The idea of this table was simple; to create a box section rectangle table, with a mirrored top for our kitchen sitting area. I wanted the table to have a functional but industrial look.
A cube in theory is an easy thing to build, but building a cube with seamless joins and corners would be more challenging. Glass is an unforgiving material, which will show imperfections in the box section if there is any warping of the rectangle box design.
First I had to cut all the sections to length. The box section lengths for the top and bottom of the rectangle will later require mitering, so that the join at 90 degrees appears seamless.
After the box section had been mitred with a grinder and a file (sorry no videos!), I welded the lengths together in sections. The top and bottom rectangles were welded together first, before they were joined together with the upright sections. I did it this way around as it it was important that the top especially and bottom sections were completely square. Otherwise the glass wouldn’t fit properly, and the table wouldn’t be completely square.
All of the outer faces of the welds had to be ground down in order to achieve the seamless aesthetic for the table. The fillet welds on the inside of the table were left for additional strength.
Clean looking corners. Only worry now is someone falling onto one of the relatively sharp corners, so this will require more filing and filleting.
I welded 12mm plate to the inside of the box section for the glass to sit onto. The plate was inset 6mm into the frame so that the mirrored glass would sit flush with the top of the box section.
The box section is pretty much finished! Now just awaiting the glass for a test fit.
The glass is a great fit inside the table frame. I was considering painting the metal frame black, but I am now considering allowing the table to rust and applying a clear coat over the top. I think the rusty steel and oak flooring is a nice colour combination. The contrast between the rusted steel and mirror along with the oak flooring reminds me of the bauhaus design period.
After some grinding and sanding back of the welds I managed to achieve clean and tidy corners. If I am being critical the weld penetration isn’t great where the weld has been ground back, but I am pleased with the aesthetic.
