At long last — albeit ten months to the day after it was completed and delivered — I share with you the looong promised “concept-through-construction of a mixed species (ash and elm) ‘bistro table’ built by Ron Bauer…” mentioned in “Tung Oiling Ash & Elm Table” and elsewhere.
I started to compose this reflection on Ron’s most recent project for us last spring, but the hurly-burly-hustle-bustle to finish Rosslyn’s icehouse rehab on schedule produced a parade of posts just barely keeping abreast of carpentry and finishes and hardscsping and sooo many elements of this ambitious scope of work. And the result? Some really important posts slipped between the cracks. I regret to say that today’s post is many, many months overdue. Ron, please know that this was an active omission, not an active commission.
I pitched Ron on the idea of a small bistro table fabricated from our homegrown ash and/or elm that had been milled on site and dried in Rosslyn’s carriage barn. This stump-to-lumber material was going to be used for the first floor flooring in the icehouse, and I was keen on a small, multifunction bistro table that would echo the floor, affording another opportunity to enrich the character of this small small with material that grew 50’ to 100’ from the icehouse.
Ron’s been a willing and skilled collaborator on several similar projects in the past, and I was grateful to find that he was once again interested in designing and fabricating the table that I’d conjured in my imagination. It was an abbreviated miniature of a cherry harvest table that he designed and built for us some years ago out of black cherry that had also been harvested, milled, and cured on-site.
The three drawings above are excerpted from construction plans that Ron submitted for my review. Frankly, I appreciate his drawings as much as his carpentry! Simple, detailed, and precise. His engineering background translates to well thought out, accurate plans that each time help us focus our vision and ensure streamlined collaboration. It’s truly a pleasure and a privilege to work with Ron on these projects.
I’m going to keep you in suspense to see the final-final photographs of this handsome ash (and elm) bistro table for a little longer. Another post focusing on Tony’s hand-oiled finish is in the works, and you’ll be able to witness the finish table when I publish that post. Until then, these final photos show the table on the day it was delivered.
The table is constructed primarily of ash. Maybe even exclusively. The truth is that the ash and elm were commingled during milling and drying, and everyone has found it difficult to distinguish between the two. Sure, sometimes it’s pretty obvious (as in the photographs that Hroth took a year and a half ago to help illustrate the difference in order to simplify sorting out the material.) But it’s often hard to tell. So this table all ash? Some Elm? Feel free to chime in.
One thing’s for certain. That playful butterfly/bowtie joint is black walnut. And it’s a thing of beauty!
(The mini video below captures Ron talking about this project.)
As so often in the past, we’re profoundly grateful to Ron. The process was a pleasure. Always is. And the singularly handsome table, a quintessential example of functional art, reigns over the most exciting work-life flex space to ever exist at Rosslyn!
Thank you, Ron. We hope to work with you again soon.
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