Aldridge – Multi-function Wood-hinged Table

The Aldridge couple have a unique home office. They have a his and hers workstation situation. They work individually on either side of a pull-out table. The table serves 2 purposes. When it is pulled out it serves as an expanded work surface. When it is extended, it gives them a place to meet with their clients.

They worked with their designer to come up with this plan. The problem was with the custom table the builder’s cabinet maker built. The sad thing was that the original cabinet maker was so prod of his work, but the function was non-existent. The table looked fine but it was hard to pull out and the support mechanism left them with no place for their legs. That’s why they contacted us.

After they explained what was so wrong with the current table, they explained to me exactly how they were hoping for the new table to function. I assured them that we could accomplish what others had failed to do.

They had collected a few photos that were the inspiration for the original concept. They had a picture of a dining table with wood-hinged drop leaves and a steel base. After seeing this one photo I was so excited. This became the inspiration for their new table. The new table would have a 1 ½” thick solid walnut top.

The big challenge on this table would be the wood hinge. Each solid walnut plank would be 6” wide (the width of the hinge knuckle) and the grain would be matched through the hinge. One of the tricks was keeping up with the matched parts. We fabricated a scale mock-up of the hinge to get all of our dimensions exact. We ended up using an indexing dado to get an exact offset on the hinge knuckles. The end result was a beautiful hinge that operated flawlessly.

The base of the table top had to support the drop-leaf with a 26” cantilever. Since the table base would be narrow when closed (only 32 ½”) it had to be extremely heavy. We accomplished this using ½” steel plate for the vertical ends. We designed the end plates to accommodate the ball-bearing wheels and sliding drop-leaf support.

The end result was an easy to operate drop-leaf as well as easy to roll out of the alcove. With the drop-leaf raised and secured, you have no knee obstructions. With the top down, you have a 31 ½” wide knee space on each side.

The solid walnut parts were all finished with ML Campbell Krystal. Krystal is their premium catalyzed conversion varnish. The steel plate was acid washed and finished with the same clear coat. This was a very complex design that accomplished exactly what our client wanted. I must say that the craftsmanship on this table is so, so obvious! I was very pleased with the finished project and so was my client.