The commission
The clients wanted one table that would seat the whole family through three generations of holidays without a leaf. We sourced a single 6/4 walnut flitch wide enough to bookmatch the top from two consecutive leaves, so the grain runs continuously across the centerline seam. The trestle base uses wedged through-tenons at both feet — no metal fasteners anywhere in the base — and the top is fixed to the aprons with figure-eight buttons let into slots, so the full 42-inch width is free to move across the seasons without splitting.
Breadboard ends were fitted with a single fixed center pin and slotted, unglued pins toward the outer edges, sized to accommodate roughly a quarter inch of seasonal width change without ever showing a gap at the show face.
Finished with three coats of hand-rubbed hardwax oil, re-coatable by the client without stripping.
