Not everyone can make a 400-pound table, but when one of my favorite builders introduced me to his clients who needed a particularly large dining table for their home in the mountains, I had to jump on the opportunity. I truly enjoy working on these huge one-of-a-kind projects because of the sheer size and weight.
On top of getting to create custom legs and work with a beautiful bookmatch that was so fun to build, one of the best parts of this project was that my daughters got to join in!
Here’s what went into building this custom large dining table for the client’s home in the mountains.
Sourcing the Wood for a Large Dining Table
Naturally, a big project like this requires big slabs to work with. My friend had harvested a walnut tree from a local farmer’s yard in Idaho. Showing signs of disease, the tree had to be taken down and given a second life before it could damage the house and barn it was next to.
We shipped the tree down to our local sawyer and immortalized Mother Nature’s beauty in the form of this and other tables.
Once the slabs were cut, we stacked and air dried them for three years — since these were big slabs, they took awhile to dry. According to Cutting Edge Firewood, ”most types of wood […] take about one year per inch of thickness to dry out.” Then, we kiln dried the slabs for a few more months.
Adding the Details
Working with these huge 14-foot slabs was incredible. I love the look of bookmatches and the mirror image they create. They came together perfectly without any gaps or flaws thanks to the right tools, my experience working with massive 250-pound slabs, and my daughters’ keen eyes when it came to scraping off the glue line.
Once the large dining table top was bookmatched, it finished off at 12’x 48”x56” and over 400 pounds. Because of its size and weight, a crane was essential for moving the top as we worked — especially for flipping it over and moving the finished piece into the delivery trailer.
The clients have an outdoor railing that features a nature scene with elk, deer, and their surroundings. We envisioned a tree scene for the large dining table’s heavy decorative legs to match the outdoor railing. My favorite fabricator was able to bring the client’s vision to life thanks to a computer numerical control (CNC) machine.
A CNC cuts a precise, preprogrammed design into the wood, so we don’t have to worry about mistakes that can happen when cutting a design manually. Once the decorative legs were done, all that was left to do was put it all together.
Unveiling the Final Project
Placing this beautiful walnut large dining table in his mountain home was so much fun. The clients watched as the table was lifted in to unwrap and reveal his bookmatch top. They walked around it, admiring the figure and feel of the smooth satin feeling finish.
The best part about unveiling the final piece is sharing stories behind both the making of the project and the wood we used to make it. I was able to tell the clients about how we removed nails and bullets from over 50 years ago, which left behind the black iron staining.
They loved the purples and reds in the walnut and how the table complimented the wood floor and ceiling. They talked about how excited they were to have their family — especially their grandkids — come over to gather around their new centerpiece.
The clients watched as we mounted the legs and were so excited that we were able to match their wrap-around porch railing — making it the perfect large dining table for their cabin in the mountains and the perfect spot to make memories with their family for years to come.
Are you dreaming of your own one-of-a-kind custom piece? Contact me today to bring your vision to life.
