I have been commissioned to built this Breakfast Room table for a customer that is working with a designer. They picked out this table but it only came with a round top and she wanted square. That is where I came in (not the square part) but the square top. Since they couldn't purchase just the base and make the top I got the job.

So they wanted this made from reclaimed material. As it turned out I have several old church pews and they lady I am working with is a preacher's daughter so she loved the idea of the top being made from the  old oak pews. The other lumber is some I got from an old building that had been torn down and they salvaged as much as possible.

So this is the table they found and liked.

Monday, I was able to get a few pieces cut and had a meeting with the customer to see if she really wanted reclaimed and how much of the old roughness did she want removed from the lumber.

This is just tacked together to give her an idea of what is would look like, nothing is attached yet.

She wanted to see what the top would look like and all I had standing around was a small piece of MDF so I put it up to simulate the the top.

So the project is underway and I have a lot to do yet, but we will get there.

I'll post updates as we work through this table. I have several other projects we will be doing in this house. Stay tuned for updates.

 

John Moody
Site Administratorhttp://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com
“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.†Shaker Saying
 

Almost medieval looking! 

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

It does Lew. Didn't really think about that though.

Lewis Kauffman said:

Almost medieval looking! 

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time Traveler and Purveyor of the Universe's Finest Custom Rolling Pins!

I love the color of that wood you are using John.

Very nice project you got there John!
Be sure to get your boy's help when lifting and attaching things as those are some heavy pieces.

Looks like a clone John.  Nice piece.

Allen, they are quite heavy. Beth and I were out there cutting them and I mashed by little finger turning one of them over. It is a nice purple/black color right now and it is hard to type with it. She put a hot pin through the nail to let the pressure out and that sure helped.

 

 

Very nice project you got there John!
Be sure to get your boy's help when lifting and attaching things as those are some heavy pieces.

Looks like it belongs in a castle, as Lew said, Medieval. It's going to be beautiful.

How thick is the top to be?  

Looks like it belongs in a castle, as Lew said, Medieval. It's going to be beautiful.

How thick is the top to be?  

The top will be about 1" think cut will have an edge around it to give it the appearance of being about 1 1/2"

I got the church pew out last night when I got home to cut into the sections that will become the top for this breakfast room table.

This pew was just under 16' long. It is oak and a full 1" thick.

I am cutting it into sections to make the top 48" square.

I am going to try to match the base with this finish.

I'll update you as I go.

Man John, this is like deja vu.  Watch for broken screws.  Don't ask me how I know this but.............

Man John, this is like deja vu.  Watch for broken screws.  Don't ask me how I know this but.............

 

 

Too Late, we hit a couple of small nails while cutting the panels. I am sure it messed up a new Freud circular saw blade.

Too Late, we hit a couple of small nails while cutting the panels. I am sure it messed up a new Freud circular saw blade.

Ahh, the joys of using salvage lumber.....BUT the results are worth it.

Where do you keep your metal detector?

I use a cheap stud finder and run it along the proposed cut line. 

Gene

Nice idea about a stud finder. Never thought about it. I'll have to try that out. Still have a few 3" thick old oak beams I need to rpurpose from a building that was being rebuilt.

 

Wayne

I use a magnet on lumber i don't trust. I have only ever found 2 pieces of nail