Table or Tree?
Recently, we’ve been given more opportunities to work on custom projects. We pride ourselves on our ability to repair, refinish and paint existing furniture, but nothing is more exciting and challenging than building furniture from scratch.
The job was fairly unique because the customer wanted to use the tree stump that was protruding from his deck as the table base. This is good because in one respect, the base was already built! However, the positives were overshadowed by trying to figure out the best way to build a table that's going to sit on top of a tree stump!
The customer wanted the table to be made out of African Mahogany and also have the ability to be removed during the winter months. Our first step was enlisting our welder to build a metal skeleton that could support the weight of the table-top. He delivered in a big way with something that looked like a flying saucer. He also a welded a flange-bracket to the skeleton to screw directly into the flange-bracket we would affix to the tree stump. If you picture a merry-go-round, that’s what this table looks like when you spin this table to tighten it and loosen it.
The African Mahogany needed to be planed numerous times before it was flat and smooth. Once smooth and uniform, the table began to take shape. Being an outside table, it needs spaces so water can filter through, unlike a dining room table. We had to use numerous spacers to make sure all the spaces were a consistent size. After the table was glued together it was then stained and clear-coated to stand-up to the elements and then screwed onto the metal skeleton that would support it.
On the day of reckoning, we found the tree stump to be about a foot too big and not level. My partner was forced to become a lumberjack and cut the stump down with a chainsaw for about 30 minutes. From there, we leveled the stump out and affixed the flange that the table would screw into. Once finished, the customer was left with an awesome custom table that can easily be installed or removed at a moment’s notice.
The job was fairly unique because the customer wanted to use the tree stump that was protruding from his deck as the table base. This is good because in one respect, the base was already built! However, the positives were overshadowed by trying to figure out the best way to build a table that's going to sit on top of a tree stump!
The customer wanted the table to be made out of African Mahogany and also have the ability to be removed during the winter months. Our first step was enlisting our welder to build a metal skeleton that could support the weight of the table-top. He delivered in a big way with something that looked like a flying saucer. He also a welded a flange-bracket to the skeleton to screw directly into the flange-bracket we would affix to the tree stump. If you picture a merry-go-round, that’s what this table looks like when you spin this table to tighten it and loosen it.
The African Mahogany needed to be planed numerous times before it was flat and smooth. Once smooth and uniform, the table began to take shape. Being an outside table, it needs spaces so water can filter through, unlike a dining room table. We had to use numerous spacers to make sure all the spaces were a consistent size. After the table was glued together it was then stained and clear-coated to stand-up to the elements and then screwed onto the metal skeleton that would support it.
On the day of reckoning, we found the tree stump to be about a foot too big and not level. My partner was forced to become a lumberjack and cut the stump down with a chainsaw for about 30 minutes. From there, we leveled the stump out and affixed the flange that the table would screw into. Once finished, the customer was left with an awesome custom table that can easily be installed or removed at a moment’s notice.
Country: United States
