This week marks the beginning of my next project, a farmhouse pedestal dining table. This will be one piece of a complete dining set including a bench, chairs and bar chairs.
The client originally proposed pine for the species, but after some discussion, we landed on using a hardwood instead. I recommended Red Oak, as its relatively inexpensive yet very durable. However, I completely forgot about Ash and when I saw this at the lumber yard I knew this was the right choice for this set. Ash is what many baseball bats are made of. Its extremely durable and has a grain pattern similar to pine and texture similar to oak. The client really wants to see the grain patterns and texture of the wood and this ash is going to work out great for those reasons. The boards vary in color from pale to light brown with a lot character in the grain.
I started out this week by working on the design. While many farmhouse tables are known for their simple design with straight lines, this table has a more European farmhouse feel with ornate details. The two bases will made up of 3 pieces: the foot, pedestal and top support. I cut out 3 templates, one for each component. Using a set of French curves, I laid out the details of the base, cut the templates at the bandsaw and fine tuned them with spokeshaves and a file. To aid in cutting the details into the pedestal, I purchased a vertical raised panel bit that will be used to create the facets in the column. Cutting those tight curves on the bandsaw, especially making all of the cuts consistent, would be very challenging. With this bit, I’ll be able to make the small facets accurate and consistent, and leave the bandsaw work for the larger, sweeping curves in the pedestal.
Whitehurst Custom Woodworking 