Not sure if anyone has done this or not, but I have one of the wooden spools that held wire/cable. It is about coffee table size. (Here is my wife sitting on it)

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What I want to do is use it as a coffee table in the "study" I am building in the shed.

Here is the problem... One side has the bolt sticking out, so it is a bit unstable but the other side is able to sit flat as the opposite end of those bolts are inset. It is obvious which side should sit flat on the floor.
I want to take 35 years of saved cigars bands (not all of them, just one from most of the cigars I have smoked - though not of every cigar I have tried, unfortunately) and cover the "top" side with them, and then do a thicker lacquer finish, like on a bar. Unfortunately, the 5 bolts would still be sticking through.

I am wondering if I should simply do something to attach a different material on top, indenting the bottom of that surface for the bolts, and thus producing a flat top? Or, just do it and let the rustic bolts sho through?

I am also thinking of painting the inside green/gold... or, leave it rustic?

What do you all think?

Peace of the Lord be with you.
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Not sure if there are enough of the bolts or they are up to high but you could put the bands around them on the surface and set a glass top or plexiglass top on the bolts themselves so the band are below it.

Alternatively you can cut them off flush and cover it with bands so they did not really exist.

I prefer Silver&Black but I guess you could go with green/gold :-)
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There are 5 bolts that stick up. I am leaning toward putting down a layer of 1x2 to cover the whole top, and then filling in over the bolts, laying/gluing the bands, then covering with the lacquer.

If it is in your house, you can use the Silver and Black... completely your prerogative.
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