Woodworker: Petter Southall

With its arched base made entirely of thin oak slats clinched by copper rivets, Petter Southall’s dining table interweaves fine cabinetmaking, traditional boatbuilding, and sustainable forestry. There is virtually no glue in the table—just a bit in the upper crosspieces where spacers between the slats create the impression of solid wood. But the rivets alone create a rock-solid structure. In another nod to boatbuilding, Southall steam-bends the slats that make up the arch. The boards in the top are dry-fit with loose tenons; bolts attaching them to the base also serve to hold them together.

From Fine Woodworking #200

Photos: Mike Murless, Petter Southall

Launch Gallery