Solid Hardwood Table Construction

All of our solid hardwood tables are built with carefully selected, responsibly harvest lumber and using the finest joinery.

Picking out lumber for a table top	Lumber The table top is the most visible part of a table so we carefully select the nicest, widest boards available for the top. The grain pattern and color of the lumber is also considered at this stage.
Arranging for grain & color match prior to gluing up a table top	Grain & Color Matching After picking out the lumber for a table top it is planed to slighly thicker than the finished thickness of the top. Any defects in the lumber (such as knots or sap wood in cherry) are removed. Then we arrange the boards so that the grain and color of each board matches the boards next to it as closely as possible. Once the final arrangement has been decided on the boards are glued up into a single top. Once the glue has dried the top is sanded to its final thickness. This evens out the glue joints as well as removes any chips and scratches.
Mortise and tenon joint	Mortise and Tenon Joint Most of our tables are made with bases that have 4 legs joined together with aprons. The joint between the apron and the leg is a mortise and tenon joint. In addition to being glued this joint is often pinned with either round dowels or square pegs. This is a very strong joint that will not looosen over time. Pegged mortise and tenon joint
Metal expansion slides and brass alignment pins and leaf locks	Extension Table Hardware We use metal table slides for our extension tables because they do not sag or bind over time. The joints between table tops and leaves are aligned with brass table pins and sockets and held together tightly with leaf locks. The table leaves have aprons attached to them to hide the table slides and hold the leaves flat.
"Z" clips allow solid wood table tops to expand and contract with changes in humidity.	Expansion & Contaction of Solid Wood Tops Solid wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. If a table (or any piece of furniture) is not designed to allow this expansion and contraction to take place there will be problems with cracking, cupping and warping. To avoid these problems the table tops are held in place with metal clips that slide in grooves in the apons. This allows the top to expand and contract as needed. In addition, both sides of the table top (as well as all other parts) are finished equally. This helps to prevent cupping and warping.