The round table.

There is a point when making a thing where it takes on it’s own spirit. When it ceases to be a collection of parts and truly becomes the thing. This is a feeling that gives me great joy because I know the clients are going to get something special.

And so I present to you, The Round Table and a short story on how it was created.

After being approached about building a table I visited the client’s home to talk over their project and see the room it was intended to go in. On one hand there was a sense of grandeur about the place. On the other was the warmth and friendliness of a family home. The oldest part of the house was a 16th century octagonal folly and this was where the table was to live. It was going to be a big table.

I listened to what they were looking for and put in my own suggestions based on my experience with making tables, sketching out some possible designs. We settled on the details, I sourced the wood and the build began.

The raw timber as it arrived at the workshop.

It was to be a 1.8 meter table to fit the space while still being able to fit through the doors. We chose American White Oak for it’s construction to keep the tone of the piece fairly light. The top would sit on a central turned pedestal that branched four legs. I later reduced this to three legs to ensure it sat perfectly still and simply to look better.

There are so many design considerations in a project like this that it would take this blog far beyond the realms of “short story”. Suffice to say that the creative process does not stop with the printed plans but permeates through the whole build.

Boards were milled flat, pieces glued together, shaping and sanding followed. All of it was gloriously heavy. The top was 30mm thick throughout except the edge which doubled to 60mm. This alone gave it a grand visual weight as well as the actual mass which warranted a two person lift to move it.

Here I am working on shaping the underside of the top now all the pieces have been glued together.

The pedestal presented it’s own challenge as it simply would not fit on my lathe. A solution was at hand. A very good friend of mine and an amazing wood turner offered use of his lathe. Now I had to show my turning skills in front of the master. A humbling yet joyous experience.

The pedestal at the crucial stage of joining the legs.

The final stage before delivery was to send the components to a local professional spray finisher for a hard wearing matt varnish. Then it was the big day and with some extra help for the heavy lifting the table was set up in it’s new home. With the family’s names engraved on the underside, this will truly be an heirloom that will be treasured for generations. The family were immensely pleased with it and I think it looks stunning, taking pride of place in their home.

The finished piece.

I would love to hear what you think about this table or to answer any questions you have. Please leave a comment below.