‘Til now I’ve been fairly proud of my self-taught woodworking skills. But I have to admit this project made me realize how much more there is to learn about construction. Amanda and her husband Ben decided to try something different: building a dining table with steel. Their weld-it-yourself table transformed the dining area—here’s how they did it.
They recently updated their dining room with new trim, paint, and a replaced light fixture, and wanted a table to match the refreshed space. This is the room they started with:
At first they considered building a painted wooden table, but Ben worried about achieving enough rigidity. His solution was to build the base from steel. Steel is affordable, durable, and very rigid. He visited the local steel supply yard and picked up three-inch square tubing for the legs and three-inch L-shaped pieces for the rails—materials that cost just $58 in total. The yard also cut all the pieces to length, which simplified the build.
For the tabletop they found a remnant of dark greenish-black marble with white veining at a local granite and marble yard. Ben arranged for the slab to be cut at the granite shop and then finished the edges at home using granite-specific polishing pads on a right-angle grinder. The result is a beautiful, heavy top that complements the sleek metal base.
You can read more about their process on their blog, Our Humble A{Bow}d. They’re thrilled with the final result—the clean, modern parsons-style steel legs pair elegantly with the traditional marble top.
They posted additional after photos on their blog. Amanda and Ben are clearly proud of the transformation—well deserved for taking on a project that combines metalworking and stone finishing.
Seeing their work is truly inspiring. Their project shows that with careful planning, a modest budget, and willingness to learn new skills, homeowners can achieve professional-looking results. If you’ve been thinking about trying metalwork or welding for furniture, Amanda and Ben’s table is a great example of what’s possible. Who’s ready to tackle a weld-it-yourself table next?