This project was commissioned by a family who spends much of their time in England, where they have developed a taste for fine English antique furniture.
One hundred year old wood from a local barn.
- Kiln-dried Oak for tabletop
- Tenons cut for end spanners. Top cross-beams cut to size.
With pencil lead all over the back of this pattern, we can trace the image from the front…
…like this.
- The background of the quatrefoil gets removed.
After relieving the background, the “thumbprints” are carved.
To make the finished product look authentic, wood was selected with strategically placed cracks and signs of age.
- These joints will allow the tabletop to expand and contract with changes in humidity.
The underside of the tabletop shows that it was assembled using wood pins instead of hardware.
The legs were rough-cut, kiln dried for two months and hand-turned. Again, we were careful to preserve any signs of aging.
Lots of hand planing and sanding for the tabletop.
Fitting the spanner and legs with mortice and tenon joints. They get locked into place with wooden pins.
This little deception makes us think that the table originally had runners on both sides, but they were cut off and replaced with a single runner down the middle when chairs came into fashion.
Matching the color of the different pieces of wood.
Polyurethane is not original equipment, but it will make the table easier to clean and preserve