In retirement I make furniture, usually finely finished stuff.  Recently I got a commission to make a pair of bar stools out of  wine barrel staves and the metal barrel strapping.  They are still a work in progress as I sculpture the seats and create the barrel stave backs.  Last week was an indoor week here and I was not motivate to spend the days with my chisels and gouges so looking for something to do, I struck on the concept for a rough cocktail (patio) table, made out of the barrel scraps, that used the rustic beauty of the natural wine stain on the inside of the barrel.

Well, the whole project took me less than a day start to finish and I now have two identical tables.  While this photo doesn’t do the coloring justice, they are sturdy functional and a great conversation piece.  I  used a clear exterior water sealer as the finish.  They were super simple if you have a band saw (a hand held jigsaw will do if you are careful), a bottle of exterior wood glue, a couple of  24” clamps, 12 woodscrews and a 9”x 9”scrap of hardwood to make the sub base to support the tables legs.  You can buy all the material you need for this project at Lowes or Home Depot for less than $45.00.  They carry half barrels (good for 0ne table) in the garden department and all the rest is scattered throughout the store.  If anybody is interested, send me an e-mail at rminto@bigsky.net and I’ll provide more detailed instructions and more photos.