Need custom furniture make recs...

A while back I posted a thread in search of a large double pedestal dining table (12 ft).. I found a table I like by Baker but it only extends to 119". Through a designer we inquired about the cost of customizing the length and they quoted me 30K for 144" and 24 K if we added an additional leaf(142"). The prices are with the designers discount. The lower quote is more than twice the base price of the table! When I inquired about purchasing an additional leaf only and having a local carpenter modify the table to fit it, they replied they don't make leaves alone. So I've now decided to investigate the custom route. I'm in PA, so local would be ideal , but will order from anywhere if the work is top notch.

So any recommendation for good furniture makers? The table is not very ornate, but I would like a great finish and possibly a wood inlay. I'm attaching a picture of the table we are interested in.


Attachment 1271


Thanks in advance!!

nancy

Hi Nancy,

$ 30,000 for that is laughable! They must have seen you coming.....

First lets look at the dynamics of that table. Baker stops at 119" as that's the practical limit for a double pedestal table, If you try to stretch it out with additional leaves you WILL get table sag in the middle as the piece ages. At my store, we don't go beyond 120" unless you absolutely - positively - acknowledge that sag is going to happen and you agree to not write me nasty letters about it or take me off your Christmas Card list in years to follow <g>. What you really want is a Triple Pedestal table at 142". Now you have a sturdy foundation to work with. The center section can be totally removed from the table and set aside when built with a proper 'rail' system of construction.

Its never practical to add a leaf to a table that's already made unless you're prepared to buy a whole new top. Been there, done that.

What wood are you looking to do that in? Mahogany? Closed Pore? Open Pore? Just a quick estimate....probably $7-10K for a 120" double, $ 9-13K for the 142" triple (don't hold me to it, but I'm a pretty good estimator). I have two excellent cabinentmakers (John Buchanan of VA and Mark Emirzian of MA) that can easily make that exactly to your specs in that price range. Add $ 1K for a 'racetrack' wood inlay.

Thanks for the quick reply! Thank you for the explanation of the reason 3 pedestals are needed. That is something to contemplate.

I'm not sure what closed pore and open pore mean. Here is the description of the piece.

"The Regency style Double Pedestal Dining Table is crafted of cherry and comes with two 22-inch fillers.
The figured walnut veneer top is surrounded by a rosewood border detailed with an ebony line and Venetian Gold Leaf accents.
Two columns terminate to footed carved plinth bases decorated with figured walnut veneers and Venetian Gold Leaf accents."

I found a better picture:

Attachment 1272

I'm open to using mahogany as well. We may end up with a custom piece for a dining room cabinet as well (We have high ceilings and most of the furniture out there seems too short for the space).

Do you know what the turnaround time for a project like this is?(i.e. if I ordered soon, would i have a table by Thanksgiving?)

Thanks for your help!

When you're working with woods that have porous grains such as mahogany and walnut, you have the option to fill the grain pores (most do). Closed pore means fully filled, and finished very smoothly. Semi-Open pore means a partial fill which some folks like a lot, and they let wax fill in the pores over time. Fully open is for hard core furniture collectors who like old world looks, and one you should not order unless you've seen it before.

The Baker piece is mostly veneer, where we tend to work out of solids. Veneer is a thin layer (typically 1/64" thick) of beautiful figure wood over a standard wood support. Its glued-on and its been done for hundreds of years (though modern glues are much improved). Some people thing of veneer as cheap - but that's not necessarily correct. It CAN be cheaply done (most modern furniture out of China is veneered) but it can also be on very expensive pieces such as this Baker table. When a mill gets a log that is particularly nice, they mount it in a device that looks like a lathe, and literally peel the wood off the log with a blade rather than sawing it. They get a much higher yield from the log this way of beautiful lumber, and attach it over something common and stable such as poplar, or maple.

The downside of Veneered pieces is they are next to impossible to repair when damaged. If a piece gets a hard hit, the veneer chips off and your option at that point is to live with the chip or glue it back on. If heavily damaged, then all the veneer can be removed and the entire piece re-veneered, but that's a costly enterprise.

With solid wood, you have a piece that can be easily refinished if damaged, sand or plane down the area, work the finish, and done! Good as new. I've probably refinished over two dozen pedestal tables for customers over the years that were heat damaged, or heavily dented, and its a matter of scraping them down and then re-applying the topcoats. When we used solid wood pieces, we use inlay, rather than decorative veneers on the Baker piece. By inlay, it means we cut a channel in the wood and actually place the contrasting wood into that channel rather than gluing up a veneer panel with it already in there. Making large pieces out of solid wood vs veneer requires an understanding of wood movement and joinery, and is not something for the novice or mediocre woodworker to tackle. I only use a few makers for pieces such as these because quite frankly, its above the capability of some of my makers to execute a piece like that and have it come out right. They are good at what they do, but don't work at this level.

Keep an eye on this thread:

http://www.myfurnitureforum.com/show...a-custom-piece

This huge and massive custom wall unit will be complete at John Buchanan's workshop in about 10 more days, and I'll post photos of the completed project. It shows how you take a piece from concept to finished product and you will be able to see the results in a few weeks.

Yes, we can make a custom table like this by Thanksgiving. Right now John could probably build this in August/Sept and Mark Emirzian would be done in October on one.

I have been following your custom thread closely. Looks like it will be an impressive piece!

We would definitely prefer closed pore.

We are definitely interested in going the custom route. So how do we go about getting started? Should I give your shop a call or is it easier to get started over email?

You can give me a call at the store, or we can work off the photo via email or Private Message with the mods you would want to make. Whatever works for you. Solids or veneers? Final size? Wood wanted? That's about all we need to get a quote worked up.