The starting point.

A few hours later, it was done.  Bolted it with 1/4" bolts, slightly smaller than the 5/16" bolts it originally used.  Getting it that precise with paw tools was very slow & error prone.  The holes just happened to be close enough.

At 40", it was slightly too tall for a bipedal lion & there wasn't enough room for adding cushioning. It didn't matter that it was for standing only.  There's not enough room in the apartment for a sitting arrangement, anyway.  Making the height adjustable is actually possible, but would take a long time.  The legs have to be cut & holes have to be drilled, all with paw tools.  It probably needs 6" taken out.

Another idea is making it into a trapezoid.  In the X format, the legs had to be nearly vertical to reach lion height, so a trapezoid might work.  It's surprisingly stable.  More material can be bolted on the feet.  

Suspect it would survive the worst earthquake the apartment could.  It represents the same amount of material used in $60 table stands, but building it made it clear that the $60 offerings would neither be high nor stable enough.  It would need more like the $100 KS7350 or the $200 K&M Omega.