Table nouveau...

New tables today are mostly made in factories. Occasionally, however, one gets created with a bit more history behind it. Take the table in the photo for example. The table and the story have many parts but hang it there and, just like the table, it will eventually come together.

Years and years (and, ok, years) ago, we met friend Terry (that's a looooong story in itself...).

Many years later we replaced some of the studs in our house with a bay window. The house was built in the early 1800's so these were manly studs (4"x7"x9.5'). Too good to throw away, they have been used here and there for various purposes and the rest moved hither and yon.

Then came the building of our grape arbor (a.k.a. Temple of Cynthia) when we found 6 old porch columns in a salvage yard. Some of the circular "bits" couldn't be used so, of course, got stored and moved hither and yon.

Several years later a BIG storm came through central NY. Friend Bruce, then director of the Oneida Community Mansion House, let us know one of the historic pines had come down in the storm. As a fundraiser they were selling the planks from it and thought we might be interested. Is the Pope Polish? (He was then...) At any rate we ended up with a couple a planks which, since then, have been moved hither and yon.

Along comes this spring and the "restoring" of the croquet court at TI Park. After a hard day of rototilling and raking, what's left but an evening of good food and drink around a table? And since we were all friends it was only natural that we discuss how absolutely pathetic Terry's table was. Hydrologist Fred (the chief waterer of the court) decreed that 33" was the correct width for a porch table. (Fred is also now known in some circles as 33" Fred.) John remembers "the plank" and a table project is born.

Friends visit in June who like to go antiquing and what did we find but a set of old pool table legs. Who knows what stories they might have to tell and of course they met the chief criteria of being sort of funky and having been moved hither and yon.

Here the project may have stalled but, thanks to the boys (Win, Maverick, Dillon & Peyton) who spent last week with us, it found new life. John suddenly "had" to spend many hours in the workshop working on the table. Wonder why? Of course, Oletta was also there and was able to add a bit of design element to the legs deciding on the proper curve to be cut out of stud and where to place the round column bit.

Our local lumberyard planed the plank and added on some local black walnut to make the top Fred's required 33". John rounded the edges and varnished it within an inch of its life. The rest (with a few modifications on site and perhaps a couple more to come) is now history. If only tables could talk, or perhaps it's best they don't...

If you've made it this far, any suggestions for chairs????