Rusty Saw Table

Salvaged and Upcycled to make a unique garden vignette...

Who would have thought to use the old rusty saw blade as a table top?  It sits perfectly on the three legs made of cast iron salvaged from a bar table. 

The two combined are more than the sum of their parts.

The saw blade was one of several that someone took to the recycle center.  Unfortunately, I was too short sighted to grab all of them, probably because they were painted. 

This one was mid sized to the others; one was over three feet across, this one is around two feet, and the third was around 16" or so.  Since then, I grab saw blades wherever I find them - the star or sun shapes are perfect for lots of different garden art.

That was dumb not to just grab them - of course, that was back in the day when I was more polite.

The legs were donated by a friend who owned a bar - these are typically seen with a plywood circle covered in a terry towel cover with elastic on it - not something to put in the garden!

They are metal, and quite heavy, just the base you need for a saw table top.

I've learned since that it's easy to remove unwanted paint and finishes off metal - just stick it into the bonfire for a while!

Have a look at the page on making metal look old for more tips.

As if the saw blade and the legs together wasn't enough, the vintage garden tools accent and play off the colors in the table, and each other.

The base of the chafing dish is actually the lid, which is upside down and jammed into the bottom of the metal dish holder.  Over time, the rust will hold it in place - no need for wire or glue here!

Just goes to show, if something isn't working any more, redesign it into a funky garden accent - you'll be so glad you did.

The plants are Jovibarba species, which make a nice low growing filling for the chafing dish, and they're just starting to bubble over the side.

These are tough hardy succulents, requiring little more than a few teaspoons of soil, making them ideal candidates for shallow dish plantings. 

Other plants that do well in this type of container are mosses.

In a garden that tends to show it's stress at the end of a long summer without any water, it's nice to have little vignettes that are fresh and charming.

Throughout the year I change things around, sometimes displaying collections of found objects, or giving pride of place to a container full of succulents. 

Whether the items are just funky pieces salvaged from the junk pile, or coveted treasures, or just natural driftwood or pebbles, they all combine into unique vignettes. 

I enjoy the textures and colors of the mix of nature and steam punk displayed together.