Outdoor Table (2012 - by JLS, for JLS). As with my dining table, the legs are
standard “Parsons” flavor (this time in an aluminum tube-stock as the
fabricator recommended a rust proof material for outdoor use). The top was created using re-milled bourbon
barrel staves, which are white oak. One
side, the old barrel exterior, has a nice patina from 40+ yrs of untreated
exposure to the elements. The other
side, the old barrel interior, was charred, as required for bourbon aging, and
maintains a dark hue and charred texture.
The top is treated with multiple coats of high-linseed content exterior
oil (clear color). Between this
treatment and white oak’s natural properties, this piece should be good to go
for a number of years.
Unlike other projects where I
find myself in need of a purpose for an object, this project began with the end
in mind and I needed to find the inputs.
It is easier to find wine barrels in Minneapolis as a number of businesses
sell them to people for use as rain barrels.
Actual bourbon barrels are much harder to find. Luckily I have my ways and I was able to
locate a few for sale about an hour west of Minneapolis.
Transport was the next
hurdle. Outside of getting lost without
cell service for a bit, the barrels are huge (or larger than expected). Where I had hoped to take three so as to have
more than enough materials (my production method was very much in flux), I was
only able to cram two into the back of the Landy. This is probably reason enough to think
about stepping up to the 110, but that’s another story.
Production required some
thought (it always does, but this project more-so). The table top I had in mind required 1” “square”
pieces. The issue is that the staves
are not uniform in size, and the sides are angled in order to allow them to
come together to form a barrel that is wider in the middle than on the ends. After considering a few methods ranging from
complex and precise measurements to purchasing a new band-saw to some likely
serious post milling sanding, I returned to a core axiom (brought by an old
friend): if you cannot make something
that is perfect (or if you believe, to a high degree of confidence, that trying
to create perfection will fail), then you should design and build with
imperfection as part of the end goal. With
this in mind, I decided to use masking tape as a guide and milled each stave by
hand, freestyle (without guides or jigs).
I also left the ends of the stave (the ridges that were milled to allow
the barrel top and bottom to fit securely) in place as they complement the lack
of surface uniformity. The result is a surface that is slightly uneven and not
uniform as well as an overall surface dimension that is not uniform or square,
but by design. I think this adds to the
flavor of the piece.
This is the first piece that I
have designed where I contracted the fabrication and finish of elements with
another party. This is not entirely
true as the frame for my dining table was outsourced, but in this case, I went
to a welding firm and a powder coating firm (not a furniture business that
sells things a la carte in certain cases).
While this required a few extra trips to the contractors’ offices, I was
also able to design to the exact dimensions I needed and to the exact specs…and
for ~75% less than the quote I received from the same supplier I used for the
dining table.
I have said this before, but
being a mensch gets you points. In
this case, this was the second job I sent to the powder coating firm. The proprietor was happy to refer me to a
welder, and was excited to see the final finished project. The proprietor printed the photo I sent to
him and has it on the shop board so the crew can see where the often plain
things they make end up…pretty cool.
I am into this table for
around $500 and a few hours of work. As
with other projects, this is time and money well spent as the generic tables I
found of similar size retail for at least $1000 (and often 2x that level). It is also interesting to note that most of
the tables I found for sale at retail only come with steel legs, which seems
like a “designed to fail” strategy.
This table is not for sale,
but I would entertain interest in reproductions. I also have four barrel tops that could
become interesting side tables (perhaps another post).
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