Salvaged red gum and woody pear tilt top table

Newly completed tilt top wine table, inspired by an antique table and a salvaged red gum floor bearer. More or less copying the design of the original early 19th century table, I employed river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) instead of mahogany, and cross banded the top using off-cuts of woody pear (Xylomelum occidentale). The salvaged red gum, which had served as a bearer for probably around a hundred years, was quite silvered by the weather, which would largely have occurred at the yard where it had been kept outside for many years. Here it is beside the earlier table, showing tell tale signs of having been used as an underfloor bearer in the spacing of nail holes every half metre:

The fiddle back figure was what struck me and I’d hoped to one day show it to full effect and elevate its status somewhat; red gum has been typically used for railway sleepers, heavy structural purposes, fencing and firewood. I have retained some of the original silvered patina and a nail hole, visible from the underside, in memory of its earlier life. The table is finished in Danish oil, providing a durable surface for any use.

Of the show wood, all but the central board and the cross banding has come from this one bearer.

The density of the red gum makes this table noticeably heavier than the antique.

Having restored many wine tables of this sort, I decided to add metal bracing beneath the base, as most antique tables end up acquiring bracing. The  base can come under considerable strain over the years.

Here are the two tables side by side, the antique mahogany and rosewood on the left, the new table on the right:

The delight of these tables is that, when not in use, they can be tipped up, placed in a corner, and admired for their figure.

Height 72.5cm – depth 54cm – width 43cm

Sold