Sam set to work designing not only the base itself, but also a build process that would result in the super-clean moment where the steel beam punches through the 8/4 walnut panel. Everything about a build like this one requires careful thinking and painstaking attention to detail. Happily, that sort of care is exactly what defines the custom tables we make all day after day. It’s the essential quality of the way we build furniture.

We sat down with our steel fabricator and put our heads together to design a steel leg that would counterbalance, and fit perfectly with, the custom walnut one that we built in the shop. Soon enough, we had a totally custom table base sitting in the workshop that managed to be both beefy and light – at least visually – at the same time.

We really like working with dramatic metal bases on live edge tables like this one, because the complement that they provide really elevates the whole piece. This live edge slab, in Claro walnut, has truly stunning figure and grain patterns.

As we worked our way through the design process, it became clear that the slab our clients loved was simply longer than we’d need for the table. It’s not an uncommon situation, and we recommend that clients look at slabs that are larger than initially appears strictly necessary. Sometimes the perfect slab is a little longer than the one you need, and sometimes only a section of the slab is appropriate for a certain project.

But we’re also loath to see wood go to waste. Happily for us, our clients on this project were of the same mindset, and we worked with them to create a custom waterfall coffee table from the section of the slab that we’d cut off from the dining table. Our goal is always to make the most of every piece that comes through our door, and we achieved it on this one. In building custom wood tables, our greatest tools are foresight and planning. They allow us to create the best tables, and they make things like this coffee table possible.