I've bee looking for opportunities to use some copper pipes left behind by our housing remodel, and I finally found a use that required zero modifications. They'd serve as the legs for a small table I could build over our mini-fridge with left-over piece of pine. The trouble was, I couldn't come up with a simple way to attach the copper to the underside of the table.

When all you've got is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, as the old expression goes. When you've got access to a CNC milling machine, every problem suddenly looks like a routing job. I used to avoid using digital fabrication tools unless there was no other way, but for this small table project I went ahead and cut out connection pieces that couldn't be simpler. I would be gluing the two piece to the underside of each corner of the table, then the pipe would simply slot into that hole. Since there was no really attachment to the pipe, I had to make the hole as snug as possible, so there were a few trial & error pieces.

The table top had a front apron that wrapped around most of the perimeter, but stopped short at one of the corners. This back corner, I measured and modified the routed piece to key into and fill, just to avoid an awkward unexplained gap. Once I got the hole fit just right, it was the work of an afternoon to clue all the piece in place. I put in the legs while the glue was drying to ensure alignment between the two holes.

I knew I didn't want to rest the copper pipes on the ground, but I also didn't want to come up with a footing condition. I found the answer in the form of a rubber cork available for about $1 a piece. They plugged nicely into the pipes and eased the transition to the ground. The final piece was a bit uninspiring, and in desperate need of some cross-bracing. Nevertheless, I had fun figuring out the few little details, and was glad to have a little entry table and a place to park the mini-fridge.