From Tree to Table

This is a kitchen table and set of matching benches that were designed and built to fit a large dining space. The lumber for this project came from Ash trees that had grown less than 25 yards from the house where the finished table and benches now sit.

Starting in the middle of the Michigan winter, the process began by felling the trees. Some of the better looking trees on

the lot were on the edge of a small lake, and cutting in the winter meant the wet, soft ground was rock-solid, and the trees didn't sink into the muck as they hit the ground.

In early summer, a portable sawmill was brought in, and the logs were sawn into rough lumber. The majority of the lumber was stacked and covered, so it would dry over the course of a year or two. A small selection of lumber was sent off to be dried in kiln, so the construction of the table could begin in just a few months. The dried lumber was brought into the shop, where it was planed, sawn, jointed, routed, and chiseled into a table. After what seemed like weeks of sanding, staining, and varnishing, the table was ready for the kitchen.

T

he Finished table is roughly 9 feet long by 4 feet wide. The top is a solid slab of 1 1/2 inch thick ash planks. The posts are solid 4 1/2 inch square blanks, allowed to check naturally, because the top ends sit flush with the top surface of the table. The benches feature 2+ inch thick single-piece slabs, with natural edges, bark removed of course. Mortise and tenon joinery connects the posts to the sides of both the table and the top, with the only mechanical fasteners being a few screws to hold the top to the base.