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Like so many of my projects, this started off with my wife wanting to buy a piece of furniture. She'd been bugging me that we needed a new kitchen table and started sending me pics of tables from stores…I told her that there was no way I was going to pay money for something that I could make.
I've admired the slab furniture on LJ's and really wanted to try making a slab trestle table. I've used elm before and I really admire its rich grain figure; as well I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba which unlike most of the cities in N. America still retains most of its elm forest, so I have a certain nostalgia for elm.
When planning this table, I thought it would be relatively simple to make; a couple of weeks of casual work to throw it together. As I started the work though I realized that this was a huge undertaking. The joinery is simple; basic mortise and tenon construction for the base and only one glue joint for the top, but it presented several serious difficulties due to the size of the pieces. The bookmatched slabs for the top came "planed on on side and jointed on one edge" but in reality the top was not flat and the edge was not at 90 deg. After several very awkward attempts to feed the 80lb slabs through my 6" jointer I gave up and used a #7 plane which was still awkward given that the top is almost 3" thick. After I got the edge jointed as best as I thought possible I glued the top together; which ended up with an almost 1" cup from edge to edge. Time for more hand planing. And more hand planing. And hours of sanding. Then filling most of the cracks with epoxy which I dyed black. Finally, almost 3 months after I started the "two week" project is done!
Finish is 8 coats of Minwax "Tung oil" aka wiping varnish progressively sanded up to 1000 grit. The bowties are walnut. Now comes the fun of making benches and chairs….

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Comments

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The first thing that came to mind as I saw your table was, "Wow, that looks heavy!" That top is beautiful. Nice work!
 

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Beautiful job! My wife is standing next to me and she says "OOhhh, THAT'S nice!"

Which in "wifespeak" means… "Why couldnt you have built ME one like that?" LOL
 

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Your second pic certainly got my attention, love the joinery!!
What are the small "blocks" on the horizontals under the slab??
Nice all around.
G Vavra
 

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beautiful table!great job,a lot nicer than you'd buy in a store.
 

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joein10asee; yep, you might as well buy the wood and start…
kimosawboy; the blocks are screwed into the slab and fit into slots on the trestles; it attaches the top to the trestles but still allows for wood movement in the top.
 

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Well it was worth the wait. Its beautiful for sure.
 

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what a beauty! elm is some tough wood, that'll look as great 200 years from now; great butterflys
 

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Super table ,great job.
 

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That is one great table
Elm being my favorite timber
well worth the extra ten weeks
jamie
 

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thanks guys! I see all its flaws but my wife is happy so I guess it turned out ok…
 

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I hope your wife has since mentioned that it's so much nicer than anything store bought! Great work, very stout.
 

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Anything worth having is worth waiting for …...point proven by this beautiful table : )
Looking forward to your chairs and benches !
 

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Rob…Love the dovetail keys; Nakashima would be proud. Funny how the "small" projects become much more huh. One of these days I'm going to get to get good at estimating time and scope with the "Mission Control"...ha ha ha.

Have fun making the benches and chairs! Great project…well done!
 

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You did a wonderful job on this table. The black dyed epoxy and the bowties really look great. Elm is not easy but the end result justifies the headaches. How did you dye your epoxy?
 

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gfadvm; I used a black ink/paint that I found at the craft store where I bought the epoxy. I initially tried dying the epoxy with an aniline dye but it gave the epoxy a gritty not quite black colour. The ink was perfect; just a drop gave the epoxy a smooth black tint.
 

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Great job, beautiful piece
 

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Gorgeous table. Hope your wife likes it better than what she was seeing in stores.
 
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