A 10-seater, double ‘D’ ended dining table with chairs to match. Given a free hand to invent the brief, I chose to design the work in a mildly contemporary style which would not disturb the eclectic mix of furniture in the living room. Fortuitously, I had a chance to purchase a quantity of superb English walnut at the same time – The stage was set. The table top I constructed in sawcut veneer, laminated on a Latvian birch substrate. The leading edge was then crossbanded to match the crossbanding of the main support rail. It had been agreed that the table should extend to accommodate 10 people, therefore a sliding mechanism and a secreted folding leaf had to be invented. Shaping the legs was mostly done by bandsaw and spokeshave.
The construction of this table took a great deal of time and patience but I was very pleased with the result. Little did I know that the chairs would be more difficult and take longer! Ambitious in my pursuit to design a chair which would suit the table, I made three models in beech, experimenting with the angularity of the legs and shaping of the yoke. Jointing this assembly became the mother of invention. The yoke had to be swept and curved to match the sweep of the back legs; included in this mix were the arms to the carvers – another difficult exercise, but in my opinion, successfully overcome. I’m obliged to admit an enormous sense of relief having completed the commission. Amen.