Cast iron bench legs (help rebuilding bench)

[kamlung]

when I moved into my old house, the previous owner left these in the garage...

I haven't been able to find any pictures online of what a bench with these legs used to look like to possibly rebuild... I'm sure its just 2"x pieces of wood cut to length and bolted into the holes...

any help?

 

[classicJackets]

If you havent checked out "The Making Of a Table" thread, you need to scroll through it. He makes some really amazing things and you should be able to gain some inspiration from that thread! I think that's over in the fabrication section.

 

[Bob-B]

You'll get an idea or 2 from here:

www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antiq...orage-shamelessly-decorating-iron-chic-270490

 

[bluebolt]

Cool legs!

 

[rsanter]

Cool score. Those type of legs are very popular right now. Someone would pay crazy money for those

Bob

 

[Kevin54]

Cool score. Those type of legs are very popular right now. Someone would pay crazy money for thoseBob

American Pickers would.

If it were me, I'd have the legs flour blasted (finer finish), then either have a real decent paint with a gloss and a hardener put in it, or get them powdercoated. You don't run across legs like that every day.

Kamlung.....those could have been from a bench, or they could have been from a machine. But nonetheless, they ARE antique and well worth hanging on to.

 

[kamlung]

If you havent checked out "The Making Of a Table" thread, you need to scroll through it. He makes some really amazing things and you should be able to gain some inspiration from that thread! I think that's over in the fabrication section.

im only on page 5 of that thread and the OP has some really nice builds... I wish I was that good with metalwork... I feel like I won't do these legs justice...

You'll get an idea or 2 from here:

www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/antiq...orage-shamelessly-decorating-iron-chic-270490

thanks, will check that out next...

Cool score. Those type of legs are very popular right now. Someone would pay crazy money for those

Bob

American Pickers would.

If it were me, I'd have the legs flour blasted (finer finish), then either have a real decent paint with a gloss and a hardener put in it, or get them powdercoated. You don't run across legs like that every day.

Kamlung.....those could have been from a bench, or they could have been from a machine. But nonetheless, they ARE antique and well worth hanging on to.

I thought about selling them as I saw the exact legs going on ebay for a few hundred dollars, but I wouldn't even know how to ship something this heavy...

I was thinking about getting them powdercoated maybe a hammertone color... its just kinda a shame i'll be sticking them in the back workshop and not able to display them in my garage...

thanks for the direction so far... if anyone else finds anything else, please feel free to add!!!

cheers

 

[ViseSquad]

Because they have no provision for diagonal and low level bracing, whatever you put in that back slot will need to be very rigid. If you want to make a long table or bench you might want to use something very strong like an LVL.

The industrial look is in right now and you could get over $1000 easily for something well done like a two level breakfast bar with a recycled lumber top. Would also work for a two level table for flower pots etc. outside.

 

[R.Anderson]

I like your idea of having em hammer tone color. Far as "I feel like I won't do these legs justice" just reusing them into something useful is justice enough in my opinion.

Before this stuff became a frickin fad for people that have way too much money, stuff like this was trashed/scraped or in good cases reused by common folk in shops and garages. It makes me sick to see how much vintage stuff like this goes for now.