Live edge dining tables, cut from one slab.
A live edge table keeps the edge of the tree. John Streater makes them by hand in Yallingup from Western Australian jarrah and marri, and the slab usually decides the design. You can see them in the gallery, choose a slab in the timber shed, or commission one shipped to wherever you live.
Live edge tables from the workshop
[How it's made]
The slab decides.
With a live edge slab the edge of the table is the edge of the tree, so John takes what the tree gives him. Some slabs in the timber shed have been air-drying for years, waiting for the right job; one marri slab sat there for four years until the right person put her hand on it.
The table is drawn first, in pencil and then watercolour, so you can see how the timber will read once it is oiled. The top sits on sliding battens so it can move with the seasons without cracking, and every table carries a gum leaf inlaid on the underside.
The gallery at 105 Blythe Road, Yallingup Siding is open every day, 10am to 4pm, free to walk in. For round, long and trestle tables, see all solid jarrah dining tables; for the timber itself, see jarrah furniture made in WA.
[Questions]
Live edge tables, answered.
- What is a live edge dining table?
- A table whose edge is the natural edge of the tree: the slab keeps the outline of the trunk instead of being cut square. No two are the same, so the slab usually decides the design.
- Which timbers do you use for live edge tables?
- Western Australian jarrah and marri. Some slabs sit air-drying in the timber shed for years before the right table comes along.
- Can I choose my own slab?
- Yes. Slabs are chosen with you in the timber shed, not from a catalogue. Come to the gallery and you can see the slabs in person.
- Will a solid slab top crack or move?
- Solid timber moves with the seasons, up to 8 to 12mm per metre of width. Every dining table John makes sits on sliding battens so the top can move without cracking.
- How long does a live edge table take?
- Three to six months from the day the drawing is agreed, sometimes longer. The timber has to be at the right moisture before it is cut.
- Do you ship live edge tables overseas?
- Yes. Furniture from the workshop has been shipped to clients on every continent. Tables leave in a custom crate and are insured door to door. Within WA, delivery is included.