DIY

This goes out to the coffee shop macgyvers out there. Inspired by some of the cool home made pour over stands I've seen on here, I was thinking making things yourself is probably a lot cheaper, and for a coffee house, having custom made things can also look a lot better than their store bought counterparts.



the other day I made a small cafe table for about 20 bucks (granted the top was free because I used a section of broken futon that someone was throwing away) but after doing some online shopping I found that table bases run at least 40 bucks for cheapo ones. I used a length of steel pipe cut and threaded (hardware stores do this for pretty cheap) screwed into a threaded bracket and bolted to the table top and a flat base. I'll have to post a picture later, I'm at "work" right now.



Anyway, what other stuff have you guys fabricated for your shop? Thinking of making a La Marzocco knockoff out of bamboo and coconut shells, as soon as I can find my swiss army knife.

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Permalink Reply by christopher myers on April 26, 2010 at 6:48pm
This is just a practice one with wood i found lying around. For the cafe I'd use harder wood for the top piece under the table, and a bigger metal piece for the bottom. I also might try doing a broken tile mosaic for the top on the next one.
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Permalink Reply by zack burnett on April 27, 2010 at 4:38am
That table looks pretty good considering it is made of a discarded futon. I have been thinking about making some chairs, tables and shelving from salvaged wood. Anyone have any advice or plans? I'd also like to hear more about these homemade pour over stands. It seems like it would be easy enough to make a wood one but working with metal would be harder. I was thinking of drawing up plans getting a metal shop to make one. I still have not figured out why some of these stands command such a high price.
Permalink Reply by christopher myers on April 27, 2010 at 8:19am
This is the one that inspired me to start the discussion.
http://www.baristaexchange.com/forum2/topic/show?xg_source=activity...
I've seen some other basic wood and lacquer ones but this one wins so far.

I think in general fitted pipe looks great in a caffe, especially with wood. Kind of cool contrast between industrial and artsy. For that look I've also seen people use corrugated metal to cover parts of their walls.
Permalink Reply by Brady on April 27, 2010 at 9:26am
Wow, that pourover stand is amazing. Agreed that this is a great look. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Permalink Reply by christopher myers on April 27, 2010 at 10:08am
Depends where you live. I love urban recycling, and you can often find good stuff to use out on the street. If you're not in the city, I know it sounds gross, but the dump usually has seperate piles for discarded wood pieces, and you could probably find cool stuff that way. Another way to go is to look online for unfinished wood or chair pieces that you just put together. Those are still only a little less expensive than buying them completed though. I don't know about you but I don't have the skill to make a chair from scratch, but you could make stools using the same method as my table. Shelves are easy, and I would definitely use the pipe and bracket method for those. I was also thinking alumium sheet metal would make a good easy to clean shelf covering.

zack burnett said:
That table looks pretty good considering it is made of a discarded futon. I have been thinking about making some chairs, tables and shelving from salvaged wood. Anyone have any advice or plans? I'd also like to hear more about these homemade pour over stands. It seems like it would be easy enough to make a wood one but working with metal would be harder. I was thinking of drawing up plans getting a metal shop to make one. I still have not figured out why some of these stands command such a high price.
Permalink Reply by Phoebe Aceto on April 27, 2010 at 11:58am
I am in love with our pour over stand...a lot of cutting and welding but super worth it. My other favorite part of my cafe (besides my espresso machine) is the ceiling. We have drop ceilings which are never too pretty, but I designed my own stencil and sprayed each tile carefully w/ gold spray paint. It's "Fo Tin" There were tons of fun things to make the cafe our own, from building our own bar to painting the flower pots. Here's a link to my facebook album of our setting up days!!
Permalink Reply by Phoebe Aceto on April 27, 2010 at 12:01pm
Permalink Reply by christopher myers on April 27, 2010 at 12:35pm
Um, can I work at your coffee shop? It looks amazing.
the stencils were really impressive and I liked the cut log benches. Great job, hope your cafe is doing well, but judging by your latte art throwdown and the atmosphere, I'm sure business is great.

Phoebe Aceto said:
Permalink Reply by victoria fallon on April 27, 2010 at 10:14pm
try reposting these images.

christopher myers said:
This is just a practice one with wood i found lying around. For the cafe I'd use harder wood for the top piece under the table, and a bigger metal piece for the bottom. I also might try doing a broken tile mosaic for the top on the next one.

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