Farm Table

My newest commissioned work is definitely my largest, though the basic trestle design is the same as a lot of my projects, albeit on a larger scale.

The customer was desiring a farm table for large family gatherings with some integrated wrought-iron work, a distressed overall look and a thick top.

We settled on a direction for the design, size and look and so I went about sorting the required reclaimed lumber for the frame.

Snug in its new home

leg post cut-off, hand-hewn beam, and wide boards being used for the project

I recovered sawn beams, and also a beautiful hand-hewn beam (that was re-purposed from its original unknown origin and nailed in place,) in a barn that was being torn down. I'm 80% sure the hewn beam is Beech and the sawn beams are American Chestnut.

A few hours were spent pulling nails and metal bits from the wood, then sawing the individual frame pieces to rough size.

The wood for the table top is going to be made from 3 pieces of Hemlock, reclaimed from a local building that was torn down last year. The beams were the first story floor joists as far as I could tell.

Table pieces out of the weather for good, and a new tool (metal detector) is on its way, good insurance for protecting my hand tool edges.

Squaring frame pieces

Feet rough-cut after settling on a cyma-reversa end

Tenon and mortise markings layed out. The table size requires large draw-bored tenons for strength

Sawing out the tenons with a back-saw. In the background are the mortises in the leg pieces drilled out, ready to be squared up with a mallet and sharp chisel

Leg post and foot joint ready for final fitting

Working with a hewn beam has its own set of issues to overcome. The beam has a twist, with an overall uneven surface (which I wanted to keep) so I couldn't plane it. I didn't want to use a chalk line, so, to make the end tenons co-planer, I built a jig to saw the initial cuts square.

I used my band saw to make the long rip cuts through the sacrificial jig.

Cutting tenon cheeks with a handsaw

Ripping mortises to width with my old Craftsman rip saw


Fitting the most important joint on the table requires careful tweaking and, using a mallet and piece of scrap wood, firm strikes to seat it. When it's assembled for good, it will be glued, draw-bored and wedged. The next few pictures show joinery for the center support being cut into the hewn beam.

Roughed out between the saw lines with a chisel

Using a router plane to clean up the joint flat. I wedged the scrap pieces on the side so they were level, then screwed them down as a guide for the plane

Frame assembled earlier to get the center post measurements and test fit joints

Dry assembling joints tight, marking with the corresponding bit, then finally drilling the tenon offset for the "drawing" affect during final assembly.

Wedge tenon joint chopped out and wedges fitted. Some figured Hard Maple was used.

Unfinished table-top and saw horses make up a good area to rough assemble and store trestle frame while it's being made.

Same process to the through-tenon of the main beam. Drilling almost through one side, then from the other side, assures clean holes.

Center post mortise complete

Some pictures of the nice straight-grained White Oak to fashion trunnels, or peg blanks. Once formed into rough octagons, the scrap piece with holes (seen in the background) will be used to test the pegs.

Creating "Lamb's Tongue" ends to the chamfers

Top glue-up complete. Quite a job, as the boards were wider than my truing plane. The tape was used to mark high spots as I was making the surfaces co planer.