“How do you eat an elephant?”
“One bite at a time”
When I was first asked to build this dining table I realized the only way I was going to get it done was by tackling it “one bite at a time”. I’m nearing the end of the project and that has proven to be true as the project has been a sequence of solving one problem after another.
Eight feet is a pretty standard, although not small, dimension in woodworking. At 13′ 6″ x 42″ this dining table exceeds that by a lot. It’s amazing how things get exponentially more complicated and difficult the bigger the project. Further complicating things, my client did not want any legs in the center of the table, so there would be a span of 10 feet between the supports.
I’ve had to build the table in three different workshops. The bases I’ve built in my workshop. A friend and fellow woodworker, Andrei Zborovski of Avrora Inc. helped me build the 10-foot support beam using his veneer press. Finally, the good folks next door Furniture Medic very kindly lent me some space in their workshop to build and assemble the tabletop. I could not have done this project without the help of these two businesses and feel very fortunate to have had their help.
As so often seems to happen, my client is truly wonderful and his enthusiasm and can-do attitude have been a huge help with this project. I’ve said it before and it still holds true, I’ve been so fortunate with all the amazing clients I’ve had over the years.
The picture shows the stain being applied to the tabletop. (Woodworker is shown for scale.) I’m hoping to deliver the dining table towards the end of next week. Which raises another problem. The room it goes into is on the second floor and the only way to get the table into the room is through the window. As I said earlier, it’s a case of solving one problem after another. Wish me luck!
