Ideas

An English Elm Slab Table

Were working on a new table project with a client in Connecticut. We went back and forth on the design a bit and explored various shaped tops and base options ... Yesterday we finalized the shape and size of the top and we glued up the planks today .... The grain matched nicely, and its going to be an interesting looking table ... Its our first time for English elm, but it wont be the last Im sure .... Berkshire Products in Sheffield, Mass. has a good supply of wide, interesting and reasonably priced slabs .... Check them out on the internet, or check them out in person ... Very cool wood source ....
The English elm has a really nice natural brown color, quite different from any of our domestic hardwoods... The table will have a polished steel base similar to a table we finished recently ....
I actually made the trip to Sheffield to meet the client and select the wood ... I thought I might find some other interesting slabs, and they had plenty to choose from. I came home only with the two for this project, an unusual display of restraint for me ...
The client has a built in banquette and we explored various shapes for the top ... Here we were thinking about trying to use the natural edge of the bookmatched slabs
and various shapes for the steel base. Below is an inspiration sketch from the client from which we made a quick model on the cnc ...
It was cool, and I may revisit it later on, but for now, we have moved on ...
We also explored several oval variations, but in the end settled on a regular 42 x 78 oval ...
This was a photoshopped fatted oval, a shape we sometimes use to add width to the ends ... In the end, the real oval shape was the most pleasing ...
Glued up now, ready to cut to shape ...

Update .. Trevor cut the oval shape on the cnc and routed the cut piece to receive the base ...
We had some cracks that we filled with eboxy tinted with aniline dye ...
All together now
The client decided the natural elm was a little too light so we made a board with various color/dye strength options ...