Bowling Lane Table Project Complete

Date Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 12:05 pm Posts By Ryan Brown

One of the key missing pieces in our home has been a dining table. We designed a dining nook based on a specific table size, and I took it upon myself to find the perfect table. For some reason my wife gave me carte blanche on this one design element, so I made the most of it. Last night we assembled the finished product, and I am pretty excited, check it out:


Finished table

There are three main elements: a reclaimed Maple bowling lane top, a maple beam, and hot-rolled steel legs. Further details are below, and a full gallery with assembly pics is at the bottom of the post.

Background:

Reclaimed Bowling Lane Table Top

My main inspiration for the top was seeing the Brooklyn Bowl preview photos last summer, like this one:



Flickr Photo by Adam Macchia

I located a carpenter selling reclaimed lanes through many hours of googling and several phonecalls. There are sources in Texas as well as further away.

Metal Support Design & Fabrication

Jonathan at Austin Outdoor Studio really came through for me here. I gave him the following problem statement: “I need table legs to support a 200 lb table that allow for people to scoot in to a banquette without bumping their knees. They also must look really cool.” This is what he came back with. The legs are actually two pieces that bolt together around the cross beam. It’s amazing what they can do with a CNC Plasma table and a welder:




Here is a sketchup model I put together (primarily for spousal approval) of the table based on Jonathan’s design for the legs:



Jonathan’s design was inspired by Brander Design’s truss table.

Maple Beam Finishing

I chose a Maple beam to connect the steel legs as it matches the Maple top. My first phonecall was to Austin carpenter Evan McArthur. Evan is meticulous in his finish work and has a good eye for design. We purchased the milled beam from Austin Fine Lumber. Evan then took care of the final cuts and routing as well as the clearcoat. This was the first complete piece of the puzzle, and it looked beautiful.

Table Assembly Gallery

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Austin, Construction, Resource. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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15 Responses to “Bowling Lane Table Project Complete”

  1. Carma Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 11:40 am

    I saw your project on design*sponge and I am in awe. I love this table. I can’t even begin to express how sweet those legs are. Great job!

  2. Ryan Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 2:08 pm

    It’s on Design Sponge! Cool!

    http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/02/before-after-ryans-bowling-table-sues-headboard.html

  3. Sreekala Nair Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 6:29 am

    Hey Ryan,

    Am from India, just saw this table design on Design Sponge. Absolutely terrific job!! Really curious to know what kind of chairs you are thinking of teaming the table with?

  4. Deb Schiff Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 8:04 am

    Like the other folks, I found your excellent table blog item on D*. It’s awesome!

  5. Marci Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 8:23 am

    also found you via Design Sponge. Not only do I want one, but I’d kinda like to go bowling now!!! Congratulations on the beautiful table and your “appearance” on D*S

  6. Lindsay Says:
    March 3rd, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    Love, love, love it. Nice design, and cool unique piece you ended up with. More than a little jealous.

  7. Rebecca Says:
    March 15th, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    Have been looking for reclaimed bowling lanes for some projects I’ve got in mind.

    Any chance you’ll be selling this table? Great design – the metal work is fantastic.

  8. Bowling Alley Table on Design Sponge! | Austin Outdoor Studio, llc, A Welding and Fab Shop, Austin, TX Says:
    March 21st, 2010 at 9:30 pm

    [...] Check out this table we put together for a good friend of ours.  He has a full write up on is blog about the entire build.  He submitted the table to Design Sponge and we were lucky enough to get featured.  You can read about the table at Ryan’s blog http://www.inspiredaustin.com [...]

  9. Tim Holdsworth Says:
    March 25th, 2010 at 4:55 pm

    Well done Ryan, Great job!
    I was able to get a piece of bowling alley from a local alley closing down – dang it is heavy!

    If you know a wood turner, I was thinking of having made a ten-pin shaped pepper grinder and a bowling ball shaped salt shaker made…

    Food for thought!

    Tim.

  10. Ryan Brown Says:
    March 25th, 2010 at 8:18 pm

    Thanks for all of the kind words! It was very exciting to see the table on D*S.

    Rebecca: I dont’ think I’m quite ready to let go of my table just yet (still working on finding chairs so I can use it!), but I’m sure Jonathan could help you build something. You can find reclaimed materials around the web, just be careful to check references.

  11. Matthew Says:
    April 4th, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    Ryan,
    I love your table! I’ve seen a few different styles on the web, but this is my favorite by far. What did you use to coat the steel? Also, is the base actually attached to the table or is it resting on top?

  12. Ryan Brown Says:
    April 5th, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    @Matthew: Thanks! The base is attached to the top with screws, but it is heavy enough to be fine without that.

    I think the steel is protected with a simple clear coat, but you should ask Jonathan. The metalwork was all done by his team at Austin Outdoor Studio.

  13. Matthew Says:
    May 7th, 2010 at 11:02 am

    Hey Ryan,
    One more question. What product did you use to seal the wood itself? Your table has a beautiful color.

  14. Ryan Brown Says:
    May 8th, 2010 at 11:13 am

    @Matthew: Thanks! Here again I believe it is a satin clearcoat.

    The company that located the bowling lane for me also refinished the surface and added the maple band around the edge. They did a good job of this, but for other reasons I wouldn’t recommend them.

  15. Steve Says:
    July 17th, 2010 at 5:30 am

    That’s some inspired carpentry! Looks wonderful – keep up the great work.

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