Nicholas Bailey, Fortitude Valley, Qld

Cherry and Ancient Redgum Art Deco Table
2100 x 1150 x 750mm

Concept
The Art Deco movement created a high volume of completely original designs in decorative arts including architecture, furniture and interior design. The elegant, functional and ultra modern designs produced in this period are at home in either a traditional or modern architectural environment. This piece drew inspiration from the legendary French Art Deco designer Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann.
The idea was to create a classic piece which is unique in comparison to the majority of current dining table designs. The piece has simple lines and elegant curves and functionality of design. The table has clear leg space for flexibility in chair configuration. I want the piece to inspire conversation about furniture design.
I have aimed to create depth in the piece through using contrasting timbers and even though the table has a simple outward appearance, it challenged my design and making skills as a studio furniture maker. Most importantly I wanted to design a piece to last for hundreds of years which can be passed on to future generations.

Materials
The predominant timber used in this piece was American cherry. I chose cherry as it is sustainably harvested and has a lovely light pink golden colour. The density is appropriate for a dining table application as the grain is not overpowering and does not take away from the simple lines of the design. The cherry was sourced from Moxons, a Brisbane timber merchant. Moxons allows me to look through packs of timber to hand select specific boards for each piece I make.
The ancient redgum was selected for its rarity and colour contrast to enhance the design aesthetic of the piece. The ancient redgum is uniquely Australian as these trees grew on the banks of the Murray River until they were felled by erosion between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. The river waters deposited fine grained material deposits onto the wood, which have preserved the tree and given it the ebonised/black colouration. The ancient redgum is sourced from Australian ancient redgum in Melbourne. This supplier certifies the authenticity that the timber is ancient Murray River redgum.
Woblyply hoop pine (6.5mm) was chosen for its flexibility and ultimate stiffness when laminated to form the base. It is a high quality product made from sustainably harvested plantation hoop pine. The Woblyply was sourced from Brims Wood Panels in Brisbane.

Joinery
Each piece of timber was laid out and each board identified for the component it was to be used for. Great care was taken to ensure the grain direction and figure in each board created the most pleasing and balanced look for the finished piece.
The plank top was constructed using biscuit aligned butt joins. The boards were machined to width and thickness and then the edges were hand planed before being butt joined.
The u-shaped base was connected to the foot using four steel bolts hidden within the u-section and secured from the underneath of the foot. The top of the u-shaped base has hand cut dovetailed bearers for attaching the top to the base.
The ancient redgum was sliced using a bandsaw to 1.5–2mm thick veneers and veneered onto the solid cherry substrate. These veneered rails were attached to the tabletop using slot screws which allow for natural movement in the top.
The u-shape is formed up over a purpose made jig constructed from MDF. A series of ratchet straps were used to pull the seven layers of 6.5mm Woblyply together over the jig. Each surface of the Woblyply was freshly sanded before the glue was applied to enhance the adhesion of the glue to each surface therefore minimising the potential of glue failure.
The two 50mm thick boards that make up the foot were machined to the required thickness then hand planed to create perfectly flat surfaces before laminating. The ends of the foot was bandsawn to achieve the s-shape. The sides then had the bulk of their waste removed by electric hand plane before being sculpted to the s-shape by hand using a 32mm round 19th century timber plane, curved cabinet scraper and then hand sanding.

Glues
The top and feet laminations were glued with Titebond Premium PVA glue. The ancient redgum was hand veneered using hot Hide Glue.
The Woblyply was laminated with epoxy glue bought from Wood’N’You.
The cherry veneer on the u-shaped base was glued using hot hide glue with a veneer hammer. The hot hide glue requires more skill in application but is reversible and results in a far superior bond that has been proven over thousands of years. The hot hide glue was purchased from Good and Chattels in Woolloongabba.

Finishes
The table was finished with Colour Rite Nitro cellulous lacquer. One seal coat and three top coats 60% gloss were applied and it was completed with a hand rubbing to fill the grain. The Colour Rite product is a very clear product which enhances the natural colour and grain of the timber.

Photos: Matt Howland