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This all started with my grandpa caring for little tree that sprouted in his garden, he moved it to a safe place and took care of it. My dad at the time asked him what he was doing and he replied "someone is going to build something out of this some day".

Fast forward 50 years and he has passed. We harvested and milled the tree before the house was sold. The result was over 700 bf of veneer quality black walnut. I tried to do this wood justice, here is the first project.

I chose the design because it appears that the table top is sitting on a large tree trunk. The table is comfortable and everybody sitting at it has ample leg room 360 degrees around the table. It's a little over 7 foot long and 43 inches wide.

Cross lap joinery which was pretty simple using flush trim bit and some guides pushed up against the supports so the joint was just the right size. Painters tape was used to snug the joint up a few thousandths, this worked great. The base was jointed using a 6" jointer but the top was too big. MDF straight edge and a flush trim bit was used that resulted in a perfect joint. During sanding I actually couldn't tell what was grain pattern or the glue joint.

The top was sanded to 180, everything else was to 150. 3 full strength coats of Arm-R-Seal and one diluted with Naptha for the final coat. The finish turned out flawless, I am pretty happy. I hope to pass this down to my son some day, if he has a big enough house!

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Great story, and great craftsmanship.
 

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i agree with JimYoung! gorgeous and fantastic!

Why the naptha for the final coat? I've never heard that
 

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4:1 naphtha to varnish finish. Naphtha flashes off faster than mineral spirits so it becomes tack free faster so less crap falls I to it. According to the wood whisperer.

Thanks for the Compliments!
 

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awfully nice design and finish

btw - just curious, how many bdft are used in the table
 

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The bottom support and top supports alone were cut from a single 26 bd ft piece. 32 bd ft in the base and about 50 for the top.

Here's a picture of the book matched 12/4 slabs before cutting them down, it hurt a little!

 

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grandpa would be proud that is a beautiful table and will make a nice heirloom for future generations.
 

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Could I ask how you applied the arm-r-seal? I see a foam brush in one of your pics. Any trouble with bubbles? The finish looks great, I hope to recreate it on my table.

The table looks amazing, and the base is a clever design. Must have been a bear to move to the sawmill unless you were able to mill it on site. How long did it take to dry?
 

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Foam brush caused no problems and was very easy. Make sure you have a raking light handy. I would use it again for sure.

We had a guy mill and kiln dry. The tree was cut down in April last year. We brought the 8/4 home in November and the 12/4 home in January.

This thing has to weigh over 200#
 

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Absolutely beautiful dining table! That walnut slab is just beyond beautiful.

Thanks for sharing the story of this table-something that Grand dad began that will live on through future generations!
 

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Wow! Love stories about heritage trees, and this is one of the best..
 

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i really like the design. it's simple, gorgeous, and really accents the beauty of the wood as opposed to the artistry of the carpenter who made it. i have one question, from a technical point of view, does the top rock to either side, or are the supports on the bottom wide/strong enough to hold the weight of children hanging on it and what not? do you foresee any issues with that? also, i noticed that the short ends are cut to chevrons, any reason why?

really and awesome piece. i hope in the fullness of time your son buys a house that is large enough, if for no other reason, just to be able to get this table.
 

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I was nervous about the base also. I can put my whole weight on one support of the base and there's no budge, the table is solid.

After I glued up the top I was trying to decide how long and what angle to give the top. I became attached to their original shape from the felling cut and the subsequent cut to length with the chainsaw. I also used the two widest boards from the heart of the tree so the live edge didn't have much angle to it so I liked leaving a few angles in the top.

I told me wife the same thing, he better buy a house with a decent sized dining room! It's 7 1/2 feet long
 

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You knocked it out of the park with this one. And the story of it takes it to another level. Amazing work
 

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That is one beautiful table!
I like the design but I was wondering how that effects the stability?
 

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Excellent result Ropelie! Looks similar to a Nakashima minguren base, love it! I'm currently in the process of making one myself. Any info you could give me in how you accurately cut the dados into the base and mated the supports would be appreciated. Mounting a 100lb live edge slab to the top of the base.
 
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