U-frame desk base, cast iron and varnished steel Ø 42 mm

The most massive desk base in the range: Ø 42 mm

In 1¼ inch — 42 mm outside diameter — with 100 mm floor flanges drilled with four holes, this U-frame weighs 15 to 22 kg. It is the base for large desks and heavy tops: a solid worktop, an old door, a 4 cm oak slab. The design remains that of the U — four legs, two side rails, one rear bar up high — and the underside stays free. Base height 70.5 cm, i.e. 73 cm with a 25 mm top, 74.5 cm with 40 mm of solid wood.

Top not included. This base is sold on its own: you fit the top of your choice (wood, glass, worktop).

Big pipe, four-hole flanges, screwed assembly

The skeleton is four malleable cast iron fittings: two tees at the head of the front legs, two 4-way distributors at the head of the rear legs, which take the tie bar. The black steel pipes screw into the threads, no welding. At the top, a four-hole flange; at the bottom, a socket with a black plastic insert. Hand-assembled in Annecy, fully demountable.

Choosing your size

The size is the footprint on the floor. Allow 8 to 15 cm of top overhang in width and 4 to 8 cm in depth: the 116 × 56 cm carries a desk from 120 × 60 to 130 × 70, the 136 × 66 cm a top from 140 × 70 to 150 × 80, the 166 × 76 cm a worktop of 180 × 80 and more. On long spans, the thickness of the top becomes the limiting factor (see the dimensions table).

The height is fixed: 70.5 cm for the base alone. Add the thickness of your top to get the final height — 70.5 + 2.5 cm = 73 cm, 70.5 + 4 cm = 74.5 cm. The office desk standard (EN 527-1) sets a fixed worktop at 74 cm, give or take 2 cm: a 2 to 4 cm top puts you right in that range.

The rail sits high. The two side rails and the rear bar run 55.7 cm above the floor, 14.8 cm below the top: nothing at foot level, the vacuum cleaner passes and the chair rolls freely. The rear bar, against the wall, doubles as a rail for the power strip and cables.

Tabletop thickness depends on the span between the legs. Up to the 106 × 76 cm size, 18 mm plywood is enough; from 116 × 56 cm upwards, allow 27 mm solid wood or the equivalent. These figures correspond to a deflection below 1/300 of the span under a 100 kg/m² load — the dimensions table gives the detail for every size.

Key features

Available in 15 versions, to be chosen above: footprint from 86 × 56 cm to 166 × 76 cm, base height 70 cm.

The same base, other pipe diameters

This desk frame comes in three pipe diameters: Ø 27 mm, Ø 34 mm and Ø 42 mm (this page). The thicker the pipe, the heavier, steadier and bolder the base; the thinner it is, the more discreet the silhouette. For a dining table or a console, look instead at the H-frame base at table height.

Details and features

The finish is a clear varnish: it protects the metal without colouring it. A soft, dry cloth is all it takes — no water, no detergent, no abrasives. For indoor use only.

In the lifestyle shots the tabletop is there for illustration: it is not supplied with the base.

Cast iron and drawn steel are never exactly identical from one piece to the next. These small differences from the photographs are the signature of the industrial, authentic character of every Home Invasion base.

Every base is assembled to order in Annecy, France.

Detailed dimensions

The letters refer to the drawings below. All dimensions in centimetres; dimension A is measured from the outer edge of one flange to the opposite flange. Centre distances (B, D) are measured between flange centres — useful for drilling the top.

Tolerance: these are nominal dimensions. How far each fitting is tightened, together with casting tolerances, gives about ± 5 mm of variation on each dimension. Measure the base once assembled before drilling your tabletop or having it cut.

Side view, along the length — indicative drawing, dimensions in the table

Top view — indicative drawing, dimensions in the table

Weight of the packed base:

For cutting the tabletop and fixing it to the flanges, our tutorial building an industrial-style desk from plumbing pipe takes you through it step by step.

Would you rather build it yourself?

Nothing here is welded: two tees, two distributors, four flanges, four sockets and eleven threaded pipes, screwed into one another. Every part can be ordered individually from our catalogue, and the pipe lengths are standard references, not special cuts.

The parts of one base:

Pipe lengths, cart and 3D view by size:

The assembled base, for its part, arrives varnished, checked and fitted with its floor-protection inserts, which are not sold separately.