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A Reclaimed Wood & Hi-Tech Coffee Table

The Stardust reuse center in Mesa is mainly filled with salvaged cabinetry, appliances, and light fixtures but part of the space is also home to AZ Strut, a nonprofit organization that provides quality refurbished computers to schools and non-profits around the state. So, what happens when you combine reclaimed building materials with recycled computers? A feat in creative reuse!

When Tom, Executive Director of AZ Strut, had a couple of computers that were unable to be refurbished he decided to let Stardust’s REpurpose Team take a crack at upcycling them. After a couple months of brainstorming and engineering, Bill and Bob came up with a clever design to creatively repurpose the computers into a base for a coffee table – and of course it was going to include reclaimed wood.

In Bill’s words, here are the steps they took to create the upcycled coffee table!

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MATERIALS:

  • 2 Tower Computers
  • Dual Pane Glass
  • Reclaimed Wood for Shelf
  • Angle Bolts for Shelf Attachment
  • Molding for Glass Top
  • Caulking for Molding Attachment

HOW-TO:

  1. Spend months thinking/engineering
  2. Spend weeks gathering materials
  3. Drill holes in molding and shelf. Sand lightly before finishing.
  4. Cut molding to size before finishing
  5. Stain wood. Mix 1 part oil base black paint with 10 parts turpentine.
  6. While the wood dries, drill the holes in computer case.
  7. Still drying? Well add the hardware.
  8. Once wood is dry use a light bead of caulk to attach to glass. Tape to hold in place.
  9. Once everything is dry. Assemble.
  10. Wipe your messy fingerprint off the glass.
  11. Enjoy!