Scavenger Chic

Flea Market Flip – Upcycled Butter Churn Coffee Table

• By Joan
• August 31, 2022
• 8 Comments

Flea Market Flip – Upcycled Butter Churn Coffee Table

Before my sisters and I set out on our multi-mile yard sale a couple of weeks ago, my ever supportive husband asks the ultimate question…what would be your ultimate find?  What are you looking for?  

We really had no idea. You see, you always have to keep an eye open for the unique, the one of a kind  (that’s probably the same as unique), that one thing that catches your eye, that one thing that can be upcycled into something a little different.

After 2 days of intense shopping, we found it!  A swing arm butter churn from the late 1800’s.  I didn’t know I needed one, I didn’t even know what it was, but once I found it, I had to have it.

This is a picture of a swing arm butter churn with all it’s legs intact.  Mine didn’t have those.

A brochure from the Vermont Farm Machine Company shows how the butter churn may have operated hooked up to an electric belt…

… or if you didn’t have electricity, puppy power might do the trick.

Mine was in a little sadder shape.  I imagine that it has sat in someone’s barn for the past 100 years or so but it’s not much of a stretch to imagine this neglected old butter churn as an upcycled coffee table. Or is that just me?

It was also a little dirty.  Was this really watertight at one point or was another vessel inserted inside to hold the cream?

While the butter churn was dirty, the graphics were in excellent condition.  This Davis Swing Churn was officially patented in 1877 and 1879!

I gently scrubbed the dirt off the outside of the churn then gave it a coat of clear wax.  The same wax I use for chalk paint.

On the inside, I vacuumed the loose dirt, washed with a wet rag then finished with a coat of polyurethane.

 

My initial thought was that this old farm house butter churn needed a good old fashioned barn door for the top.  An inch overhang on the sides of the churn  and an inch longer than the widest parts of the churn would work out perfectly.

 

My new/old barn door should also be painted black to go with the graphics of the butter churn.

I didn’t even wait for the paint to dry, I hadn’t even aged the black paint, when I tried it on the new coffee table for size, I hated it.  The top was too busy and heavy and took away from the emphasis on that beautiful old butter churn.

I’ll keep the barn door for some future project, but for now, I’m starting over.

This time I’m once again using old reclaimed wood.  With the side pieces the top will be just wide enough to fit exactly to the width of the butter churn  and fit within the side handles.  No overlap this time.

I cut the inside pieces to fit the top of the butter churn, remember to allow for the width of the edge pieces, then used builders adhesive to glue the cut boards to a 1/4″ scrap piece of backing board.

I mitered the side edge pieces to fit around the top making the width of those edge pieces slightly wider than the top pieces with the 1/4″ backing board.  Attach with wood glue and finish nails.

I liked the scale way better for this top than the barn door.

Sand the new top well.

No black paint for me this time, I’m finishing with Watco Danish oil which includes a dark walnut stain.

I had 2 of these small iron shelf brackets from Hobby Lobby on hand and I had to purchase 2 more.  If they are not on sale, wait a week for them to be 1/2 price.

The brackets, along with 2, 2×4’s will make fantastic, low profile feet.

Cut the 2×4’s , the width of your coffee table.

I cut the 2×4’s down, so now they are closer to 2×3’s, slightly wider than the brackets.

The bracket has  reinforcing metal inside of it. In order for the bracket to sit flat, I had to channel out a groove on the 2×4’s with a saw. You could also use a drill bit.

I also had to take a sliver off the end of the 2×4 to make up for the change in thickness on the bracket.

The brackets were finally flush and ready to be attached.

 

 

 

To prevent scratching on the floor, hot glue felt or some other soft piece of material to your feet.

So the inside of the butter churn can be accessed for storage, I attached these old T hinges I stole from my oldest son Keith.  I covered up the white with black spray paint to match the feet.

One more thing before I call this project finished.  I added a chunk a wood in the center of the legs so all the weight of the coffee table is not just on the 4 screws on the brackets.

OK, now I’m finished.

 

 

 

 

 

If you love upcycled coffee tables, make sure you check out all my past projects.  Included in this mix  are a couple dollys, a washstand, chicken coop, chicken incubator,  toolboxes, trunks, wagons, doors and windows, plus a few more.

Have you found your inspiration?  Until next time…