Cedar Slab Exotic Wood Game Tables Over Marbilized Concrete Bases

Some of you have been following this project from its inception when I happened upon a pile of cedar slabs in a stack at our local lumber yard. I purchased the stack (nine round slices) with the intention of making some unique gaming tables. More of these will be posted as we finish the projects, hopefully they start to catch on and we sell a few!

My goal was to find something simple, a subtle backdrop to the exotic wood game boards we had been crafting. I actually ended up with a little more ornamentation than I had planned with these slabs but I think it actually worked out perfectly.

The game boards are Swiss Pear, Leopard Wood, and Ebony secured to a 3/4” plywood substrate which is inset into the slab. The game board surface is at least 1/8” thick remaining so it’s a solid surface NOT a cheap laminate. It should last generations and be able to be refinished and withstand a good solid 100 years of play. The plywood stabilized the slab in addition to the insertion of a few walnut chunks in various large cracks. Why walnut – well cause I had the scraps no real other reason.

The undercarriage is a 12”x12” 1/8” steel plate bolted to the concrete pyramid and lag bolted into the cedar slab. We cast studs into the concrete to allow easy fixing of the mounting plate. The pyramid style was chosen for stability, to match the shape of the game boards, and because it is easy to cast and provides four distinct visual displays of the unique concrete medium. It’s also a heavy base providing a very solid foundation for the table.

My partner (Mike Pietras shown below in his fashionable plastic parka) is into the concrete concept. We decided last year to combine our ideas and create some entirely new furniture. This whole heavy furniture concept is great as far as being green, durable, unique, stable, etc … but it’s KILLING my back moving this stuff around! Next life – DOLL HOUSE FURNITURE! ... or perhaps foam.

The base (there are actually two table tops shown) is concrete. The green one is a marbleized look using black and green concrete to create a unique gaining pattern. Mike also put in quite a bit of granite stones which have created a unique speckled look as the polish takes hold.

We’re probably going to polish this a bit more and skim over it with one more layer of color just to add a little depth. Then polish more, and more and more.

The chess set shown with this table is our “druken chess set” – it will be featured in another project shortly. My father hand carved it just for fun to match up with a chess board we kinda messed up!

More cedar slab tables to follow – some gaming some not. More concrete bases to follow – some plain, some marbleized, some IDK we’ll see what comes out!

-- Eric M. Saperstein, Master Craftsman www.artisansofthevalley.com