Custom Oak Dining Table in Wayland
Custom Oak Dining Table in Wayland
We’re proud of our proprietary table extension system here at Cannon Hill. A way of extending our custom tables as much as two-and-a-half feet on each end, our technique is rock-solid, tool-free, and extraordinarily reliable. It’s not applicable, however, to round or “racetrack” tables like this one, that need to extend from the middle. In the case of this table, a single two-foot extension drops into the center of the table to grow it from six feet to eight; we’ll often do something similar on circular tables that extend into racetracks.
In order to build the base you see here we had to work in a slightly different way than we normally do. “Solid hardwood furniture” is our design and production universe, and it’s our method of construction in virtually every case, for reasons both obvious and not. Much of the commercially-available furniture on the market is made from veneers applied to composite substrates; there’s nothing wrong with this sort of material, per se, so long as it’s used in ways that remain aware of its strengths and limits.
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Our preference for custom solid-hardwood furniture has to do with strength, durability, and beauty. Hardwoods are extraordinarily strong, and solid wood can be sanded and refinished countless times to repair dings and scratches and the like. In order to create the “half-dowel” look of this base, though, we needed to source a sort of profiled veneer from a third party, and wrap it around a custom-made table base, designed and produced right here in our shop. We carefully applied sheets of that veneer to the curved “skeleton” we built, carefully clamping and pulling tight. A mahogany stain finished off this oak table in a way that fits beautifully with the rest of the home. Custom finishes are one of the many advantages of building furniture in the Cannon Hill way.
Like just about anyone, there are certain things – in this case, materials and techniques – that we’re comfortable and experienced with, and others we’re not. We like to think that where we set ourselves apart, though, is in our willingness to explore and experiment in order to achieve the looks and functionalities that our clients seek. If we’re to make truly custom furniture, then we need to be willing and able to find solutions that make a given design possible. In some cases, physics and Mother Nature put their feet down, and set clear limits that don’t allow bending. In all others, we’re here to find a way to build clients the beautiful wood table they see in their minds.
In building this custom oval dining table for a client in Wayland, MA, we explored construction techniques that are both traditional and innovative, which is just the way we like it. A wood dining table can and should be an expression of the client, their life, and their home. We’re here to realize that expression.
