An English Elm Slab Table

Friday, July 2, 2010

An English Elm Slab Table

We're working on a new table project with a client in Connecticut. We went back and forth on the design a bit and explored various shaped tops and base options ... Yesterday we finalized the shape and size of the top and we glued up the planks today .... The grain matched nicely, and it's going to be an interesting looking table ... It's our first time for English elm, but it won't be the last I'm sure .... Berkshire Products in Sheffield, Mass. has a good supply of wide, interesting and reasonably priced slabs .... Check them out on the internet, or check them out in person ... Very cool wood source ....

The English elm has a really nice natural brown color, quite different from any of our domestic hardwoods... The table will have a polished steel base similar to a table we finished recently ....

I actually made the trip to Sheffield to meet the client and select the wood ... I thought I might find some other interesting slabs, and they had plenty to choose from. I came home only with the two for this project, an unusual display of restraint for me ...

The client has a built in banquette and we explored various shapes for the top ... Here we were thinking about trying to use the natural edge of the bookmatched slabs

and various shapes for the steel base. Below is an inspiration sketch from the client from which we made a quick model on the cnc ...

It was cool, and I may revisit it later on, but for now, we have moved on ...

We also explored several oval variations, but in the end settled on a 'regular' 42 x 78 oval ...

This was a photoshopped 'fatted' oval, a shape we sometimes use to add width to the ends ... In the end, the 'real' oval shape was the most pleasing ...