About The Project
I first built a version of this outdoor trestle base dining table for a customer’s Arizona home. They liked it so much that they asked me to make another one for the Wisconsin lakeside cabin. When I asked them what size the table should be, they said they had to first measure the patio. I followed up with an email letting them know that I had secured the lumber and that the planks for 14’ long. The table size question was then answered, “make it 14’ long.” The five boards bring the width to 48.” Delivering the table required renting a dual axel trailer, and four stout lifters on the customers’ end.
The top and trestles are made from iroko wood. Iroko grows in Africa, and is known as African teak. The wood contains high concentrations of calcium carbonate, which makes the wood very hard and resilient. As such, iroko is used for outdoor decking, furniture and boat building.
The top is made from five planks that were consecutively cut from the same log. This results in the beautiful ribbon grain pattern repeating across the surface of the table. The grain has a particularly iridescent shimmer when the sun illuminates the top.
Narrow spacing between the planks allows for seasonal wood movement. Sets of decorative splines join the planks.
The four legs are made of anodized aluminum. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal's surface into a durable, corrosion-resistant, and decorative oxide layer, making it harder and longer-lasting. Unlike paint, which sits on the surface, anodizing works by growing a uniform oxide layer integrated with the metal, preventing chipping and peeling.
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