AUGUST OAK WOODWORKS

MEDIA SECTION

BUILDING A FARM TABLE

Here are some answers to some frequently asked questions regarding this table.

All together it is about 650lbs. The top slab is around 400 and the base is somewhere in the ballpark of 250.

The top is one solid slab that is 3″ thick by 40″ wide and cut down to 15′ 6″ long. Originally it was a full 17′ long but there were some checks that needed to be cut off. The table was designed around the slab top dimensions.

Manpower. The top was separate from the base and there were four of us. After getting it into place the top was bolted to the base.

No. The top is pine which is pretty light-colored naturally. I colored the sealant and finish to match the existing chairs. All the grain is perfectly visible though. The color was all translucent.

First I applied multiple coats of colored epoxy on the top and bottom of the slab to completely seal the wood from moisture. Then a stain was applied to the top of that followed by 4 or 5 coats of tinted waterborne lacquer and another 5 coats of clear on top of that. Then it was sanded up to 1500 grit and buffed out with polishing compound and wax to give it the desired sheen.

Yes and no. I’ve had a few inquiries regarding whether or not I would build one for someone else. The short answer is yes I would love to but there are some serious considerations first. 1st – If you aren’t local, how do we get it to you? Shipping something this large could easily add $1,000 or more to the cost and you would have to have a team of people there to help unload it and bring it into your house. 2nd – No two slabs are even close to the same and slabs like this are not something that you can just say you want and presto it’s there at the mill. Every piece of this type has to be individually picked which basically requires visiting the mill personally.  3rd – No two bases would be the same. The base for this table was made using reclaimed wood. It would not have the same look or feel if you went to a local big box store and picked up some new lumber. (That and you would most likely not find these sizes locally.)  There are other things to consider as well, but you get the point. I can and would love to build another table like this, it just wouldn’t be exactly like this. (But who wants a copycat piece anyway?)