This trestle table is made of quartersawn white oak. The 7/8″ thick top was glued up and then trued with handplanes and a furniture scraper. The 3-inch-square legs are glued up and laminated to show quartersawn grain on all four faces. The main stretcher under the top is 2″ thick, including grain-matched 3/8″ laminations on each side of the center board. (A touch of OCD there, but still nice.)

The cross braces are made of 1-inch stock. The central cross brace is slip-jointed into the long stretcher and screwed. The end cross braces are let into the tops of the legs with full-depth mortises. They are glued and pegged. The top is mounted to the cross braces with figure-eight fasteners to allow for seasonal movement.

The feet are fitted to the leg bottoms with wedged through-mortise and tenon joints. These joints are also glued and pegged. All edges are chamfered.

Unlike some traditional trestle tables, the main stretcher fits into mortises at the top of the legs, rather than near the center. To add stength to this design, the main stretcher is fastened with four bed bolts, as shown in the detail photos. (The bolts were soaked in Jasco Prep and Primer to remove the zinc coating and to yield a nearly black, almost Parkerized, finish when rubbed with Camelia oil.)

The weight of the white oak, the scale of the parts, and the bed-bolt joinery combine to make this a rock-solid table. The design seems a cross between American Shaker and Danish modern styles.

Finish: Bartley’s American Oak Gel Stain, rubbed in and wiped off; two coats of amber shellac; two coats of Behlen’s Rock Hard Urethane Varnish. All finishes were hand applied; the final coat of varnish was rubbed out to a satin finish. A third coat of varnish was applied to the table feet for added durability.

Dimensions: 34″ wide, 72″ long, 31″ high.

Next project: Chairs to match.

PROJECT NOTE:  Jasco Prep and Primer will remove zinc plating and darken the exposed steel after a 2-3 hour soaking.

I just came across another product that removes the zinc and really does a better job of blackening the steel — and it works very quickly. The product is Ospho Blue, a gun bluing compound used to touch up the finish of the blued steel on firearms. It is relatively inexpensive, readily available at Cabela’s or online, and works like a charm. It is great for blackening zinc-plated steel, especially small pieces that can be fully submerged in the liquid.  Be sure to thoroughly clean and degrease the metal before using this product.

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