We recently had a gorgeous table sent in by a customer, John, who had made it as a very special Christmas present.
The rustic trestle table was made from a Pennsylvania Black Cherry tree. The wood was dried to 7% MC over about 6 months with the help of a non-air conditioned shop and two 24-hour fans. The impressive table measures 88″long and 38″wide in the closed position, and opens to 124″long when fully extended with it’s four leaves. 12 people can be seated comfortably! The frame of the table was made so that the storage of the four leaves is inside the frame tucked next to the sliding mechanism. It is also made so it can be assembled and disassembled- the long horizontal pieces are mortised into the end frames and 4″ lag bolts are holding everything in place. The black plates are made from 1/4″ thick aluminum and are decorative to hide most of the lag bolts, but he made sure to leave a few exposed for the more rustic effect he was going for!
An integral part of the massive table was the slides- they needed to be very strong to support the heavy top he built! He decided to use Osborne’s 50″ Equalizer Slide with a 49″ opening (Part #9052) for his project. Equalizer slides are designed to be made with table bases that don’t move out with the table top when it expands, such as pedestal bases or stationary trestles. For support, the slide needs to be at least half the length of the top when closed, so at 50″ this slide overs plenty of strength for the 88″ top!
About his table, John had this to say: “It is safe to say the success of how this table slides and operates is due to the fantastic mechanism you guys manufacture. I can’t tell you how happy I am with the overall finished product because of it!”
We can definitely say that this table will make a Christmas to remember, not only as a gift this year but as a table to make many family memories around for all the holidays to come!
Check out all of our table slides and pick the perfect one for your project. For help choosing the right slide for you today, call 800-849-8876 to speak with a friendly and knowledgeable representative!
