# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  Fixing Metal Legs to Marble?

## MostlyAccurate

We got a new 'tundra blue' marble bench top put into the kitchen and the installers left behind two 90x50 cut outs from where they took out the stovetop and sink. Given I've got some perfectly good stone, I'm hoping to turn these pieces into a coffee table with some nice black accented metal legs. Wondering what the best methods are for affixing the legs to the marble bottom? Should I just be using an adhesive silicon? And if so, any suggestions for brand and/or how much surface area I should be aiming for with the metal bracket I'm connecting to the underside?

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## SilentButDeadly

Fit the legs to a substrate like MDF or hardboard...even sheet metal. Then use an adhesive like Soudal T-Rex or similar (even tile glue) to attach the stone to the substrate.

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## cyclic

For a short period in my life I made coffee tables using 20 mm square tube full frame around the top, 20mm legs, and magazine rack 100 or so above the base.
I would prefer a full frame to single legs but if you want single legs I believe you would need a plate on top at least 100 mm square.
For fixing I would use T-Rex Power Fast Grab 
Sika also has adhesives but the Soudal is much cheaper and better imo 
LOL stopped typing to talk to the cook and we now have 2 recommendations for T Rex

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## MostlyAccurate

> Fit the legs to a substrate like MDF or hardboard...even sheet metal. Then use an adhesive like Soudal T-Rex or similar (even tile glue) to attach the stone to the substrate.

  Thanks for the suggestion. Regarding the substrate, are you suggesting cutting some MDF to the size of the marble, or just cutting smaller 'plates' that can then be glued? If you did the full size you'd see the MDF below the marble which would detract a bit I think? Cheers for the T-Rex recommendation!   

> For a short period in my life I made coffee tables using 20 mm square tube full frame around the top, 20mm legs, and magazine rack 100 or so above the base.
> I would prefer a full frame to single legs but if you want single legs I believe you would need a plate on top at least 100 mm square.
> For fixing I would use T-Rex Power Fast Grab 
> Sika also has adhesives but the Soudal is much cheaper and better imo 
> LOL stopped typing to talk to the cook and we now have 2 recommendations for T Rex

  Thanks cyclic - when you say full frame, do you mean making a rectangle metal frame that affixes to the marble? Agreed this sounds like it would be more stable/durable than doing each leg individually. Haven't even decided how I'll do the legs yet to be honest.  Don't have any metal working experience so was probably going to peruse what I could get off the shelf at Bunnings to sit under it.

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## Marc

Yes ... the allure of the coffee table. 
A marble top makes for a good coffee table.
If you want to make a steel frame and legs for it, (forget chipboard substrate in my opinion) You can do so if you have a good 5" grinder and cutting disk, and a friend that knows how to make a few small welds _properly._  :Smilie:  
Frame is 50x5 flat bar, welded into a rectangular flat frame, about 50 mm from the edge (increase or reduce margin ad libitum)
Allow for bevels and full penetration because you want this welds to be ground flat.  
Legs are angle, 50x50x5, and try to find cold rolled. Now this is a loose term and there is no point arguing over its validity. The idea is to find something that is not commonly seen. Cold rolled is a flat bar bent cold and so the outside edge is round and not sharp.
For the base of your legs, you can buy round offcuts, square or whatever else you fancy, including a block of wood charred and then the coal removed with steel wool. a big hole half deep to lodge the leg.
Cold rolled angle, no point going to bunnings, find your local steel merchant, Metaland ... steel solutions etc.   https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=...PR3G8K8yQmtWM:  
So far so good, now this is way too easy and non challenging so lets add a little bit of finesse.
If you have a decent vice, a face mask, hearing protection and a steady hand, clamp the angle before you cut to length, and mark a bevel on the two wings of the angle, from 50 wide (top of the leg that is ? long) down to 30. 
Use Pferd cutting discs 1mm from your steel merchant, and keep the grinder steady and don't push and don't put any lateral force whatsoever, just let it cut slowly. It is easier than it seems. If you find it easier, follow the line you marked with a ruler and a Sharpie with an initial shallow cut and then follow with full cut.  
When you have the 4 legs cut in a sort of wedge, cut top and bottom at 15 degrees more or less according to taste, dress the cuts with flap disk 40  and get your friend to weld it to the frame.
How much will your legs stick under the edge of the marble will depend from where you weld them, just make sure they are all the same.  
Finish can be a lot of things. From hot wax, linseed oil, graphite (Plumbago) all the way to blueing if you have a tub for it.  
Let us know how you go  :Smilie:

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## cyclic

> Thanks cyclic - when you say full frame, do you mean making a rectangle metal frame that affixes to the marble? Agreed this sounds like it would be more stable/durable than doing each leg individually. Haven't even decided how I'll do the legs yet to be honest.  Don't have any metal working experience so was probably going to peruse what I could get off the shelf at Bunnings to sit under it.

  Yes, full frame from 20 or 25 x 2mm box tube.
The magazine rack could be done with box tube around the outside and flat bar maybe 15x3mm as cross bars.
And you can buy plastic inserts for the legs so they don't mark the floor.
Easy for me as I can weld, which is not all that difficult really.
Why don't you make this a good time to learn to weld.  
edit..The idea from Marc of cold rolled angle has merits for the legs but I would still use box tube for the frame, depending of course on where the table will be sited and what other furniture is in the room.

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