don't know how to send pictures here butI took one of those bentwood coatracks and cut the tall rack part off down to the round part for umbrellas and put one of those brass round picture things that were popular in the sixties on it for a table top....

Don't know if this one is too big but this is on our patio...treadle sewing machine base with an old grate bolted as a top...stays out all year round...been out a few yrs now.

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DH has made smaller patio tables out of wood with just a small floor grate for table top ...but can't locate a pic right now. Jeanne S.

I turned a big terra cotta pot upside down and put a piece of corian from our torn out kitchen countertop on top for the table. Cut the piece square and routed the edges.

A glass totem with a large flat plate on top works too. You can stack to the desired height.

Concrete birdbath with glass top has been mentioned here. I saw a mailbox today & it had a large pebbletop stepping stone for the top of a brick mailbox. The round pebbletop stepping stones come in 12-14 in. or 20-24 in sizes a good 2 in. thick. A round one on top of square stacked blocks or heavy birdbath would work. I would put rebar inside the 3-4 stacked blocks to stabilize them & if wanted it permanent would pour in some cement. Takes no talent just stacking the square blocks, pounding in several pieces of rebar & could use bag of post hole cement & add water & mix in the hole then just add round top 20 in. size round so just about 3 in. overhang on each side maybe less if using 14 in sq. blocks. Jan

I like to use a small step ladder and you can attach a bigger piece of wood or even a tray to the top to make it bigger.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shabby Garden Creations

Great ideas. I love the sewing machine stand with the grate top.
Kathy

thanks for the ideas

I was at a consignment shop the other day and a woman had come in to see if they were interested in any stuff she had on a list. As I wandered around the store I listened to the conversation. One item she had was an old treadle sewing machine, she said it even still worked. The owner of the store said that she wouldn't be interested in it because no one wanted those. I think if they saw Jeanne's table, then everyone would want one!!! That's a great table. I have 2 sets of "legs" and now I'm on the hunt for an old great grate!!!

Good for you, rafor! Keep lookin' cause those grates are usually too expensive in antique shops but sometimes at the end of flea mrkts you can get one reasonable. Mine has a corner broke off the grate, but that didn't matter...a great table for outside (all yr round)..been out since Aug. 07 here. Jeanne S.

A little late chiming in, but I just finished making a garden table. It could actually be used as a stool, coffee table, or side table. This is what I used for my concrete forms:

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Here's the finished product:

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Cheap, cheap, cheap. All made from supplies I found at Lowes, and now I've got the forms to make more.

Don't know if you like playing with concrete but it's another idea. The top could have simply been stained to match the bottom if you want to avoid mosaic. That would have been nice, too. The base was colored using LastiSeal, which is a water based concrete color/sealer that comes in a zillion beautiful colors. A $10 "sample" bottle of sealer would easily color three of these.

Beautiful Loribee!

I posted a while back about my concrete table I made using a plastic birdbath as a mold. Here it is again. Sometime I'll mosaic the top.

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Kathy

Kathy, I remember that! How did you unmold the base? Does it come in two pieces and you stick them together? I'd love to find a base that's a little more shapely than my bucket. That one is so pretty! I'm looking forward to pics when you mosaic the top.

I found a little side table at the thrift store for a couple dollars and cut a piece of plywood to fit the top and did a mosaic. It makes a nice sized side table.

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Thanks for all the ideas. One question for Kathy, how do you attach the top to the base? I do have one bird bath bottom, but no bath/dish. Intrigued!!