This dining table was commissioned along with one a coffee tables. The table is made entirely from old growth red cedar driftwood. To make the tabletop, I took slabs of cedar I had salvaged from the beach to a friend with a portable mill. He milled them into 1-1/2″ planks which allowed me to do some matched colour and patterns. The table top is glued with mortise and tenon joinery.
The client didn’t want any bracing or rails between the legs so I chose to design a custom metal bracket that bolts the legs in place with tabs to attach the frame under the table and the table top. Local metalsmith George Hudson welded the metal brackets up for me. They are one piece of metal spanning between the legs on each end of the table. This design is the first time I have used metal brackets in my furniture, as I usually prefer to use wood joinery.
This design worked out very well and I will consider it again in another situation where strength is needed without the option of traditional designs to accommplish this.
