White Oak Dining
In 2018 I designed and fabricated a dining table after finding a set of cast iron machine legs at a local flea market. I decided to create a table top for the set of legs and incorperate small details from other pieces of furniture I love. My personal style can be distilled to two main sources of inspiration, mid-century modern and vintage industrial. This Dining table represents a fusion of these two iconic eras of design.
My main source of inspiration came from a classic tanker desk that I purchased from a theater company yard sale for 15 dollars. I took the rounded corners from the old desk, shrunk the radii and sharpened the edges to bring a more modern aesthetic to the mid century design style.
Details Matter
There is a 15 degree bevel that wraps the edge of the table that is taken from Mid Century Modern designs such as the table below, done by Dutch design firm DK3. Many Mid Century tables designed in the Netherlands had severe bevel under cuts. I chose to mimic the feature, but in a much more subtle application. The angle is barely perceptible by eye, but the bevel can be felt when sitting at the table.
The edge of the table top floats directly above the outermost edge of each foot so that the perimeter of the table acts a boundary that protects the user from stubbing their toe on the leg of the table.
Construction
After conducting strength tests on threaded inserts I found that oversizing the holes and potting the inserts into thickened epoxy was the strongest method. The epoxy's bond to the wood is stronger than the thread's would be. Then, the epoxy when cured, keys into the threads and provides an ultra permanent bond.
I also took inspiration from the overall aspect ratio of the desk top. This ratio is then scaled up to accommodate six place settings with plenty of elbow room at a dining room table.
