My desk cost me a whopping $1- I found a set of hairpin legs in the basement of the apartment I moved into, a friend who was remodeling gave me a narrow closet door he had removed, and I got a can of warm grey enamel in the 'oops' section at the paint store for $1.

Hairpin legs are a good thing to keep an eye out for a flea markets... often they are attached to an ugly Formica top!

I got some hairpin legs for a desk in my art room a while back when. Still need to make a trip to Ikea for the counter top I want to pair them with, but I'm excited. Hoping to DIY a few sets down the road for other projects.

I got super excited by this post, until I saw the prices on that website. WAY too expensive, unless you really want hairpin legs. I can buy an entire butcher block desk including normal legs for the price of 4 of those hairpin legs...

I love this look, but for some reason I can't manage not to stub my toes on hairpin legs like this....had a table with hairpin legs in college and learned the important lesson that am too klutzy to do it again.

Hmph. I agree, urgan, those are pretty expensive. I was looking forward to a little more from this post too - maybe tricks to attaching the legs, more examples, different uses, different sources... I don't know, just something. It's like this cookbook I have, that told me to get chicken from KFC as a "recipe" for fried chicken.

Yeah, any less-expensive suggestions for people who don't live near awesome flea markets or craigslist markets?

check out ebay for inexpensive sets of hairpin legs. my husband watched ebay for a few weeks and found a set for significantly less than what they're going for on hairpinlegs.com and he transformed two L shaped pieces of slate (the facade from an old fireplace!) into beautiful bedside tables.

hairpinlegs.com is the best online to buy custom hairpin legs. They come in various sizes.
Will work and look great under anything that has flat surface, dressers, too.
I had four 6" legs made on order my first custom credenza bookcase that I finished 2 weeks ago. I'm completely satisfied.
Professionally and truly sturdy.
Cheers!

Salvaging legs from vintage flea finds and ebay is great for projects like coffee tables, no question. And while hairpinlegs.com is expensive, the quality is exceptional. I bought some for a DIY bed I made recently made and they are very sturdy and at the custom height I wanted. Had I been building something with less structural demands or a standard height, I would have definitely gone the ebay/flea route.

http://hairpinlegsforless.com/

just found this with hairpins. i'm trying to sell it, but no one is biting:

http://ragamuffindesign.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/thrifting-thursdays-its-almost-saturday/

I think I might have a very hard time not weaving those legs with something - tape, yarn, crochet looped around the wire. Not because it needs it...but just because I could.

I love hairpin legs.

What was the thickness of the pine that you used? And what was the height of the legs you purchase? Thanks!