Swedish Trestle Table
PROJECT #2007
Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 4 days
Cost: $500
My home is a 150-year-old farmhouse situated in the middle of Cincinnati, Ohio. When it came time to tackle the renovation of the dining room, we decided on a dining table that fit the period and aesthetic of our home. As I started to research mid-19th-century dining tables, I came across an auction site with a pine Swedish trestle table with a style that was almost exactly what I was searching for.
The table features two strong stretchers with tusk and tenon joinery. This enables the table to be knocked down for transportation and assembled again without tools. I also appreciated that the leg assemblies each have two legs that provide additional support for a huge tabletop (this stands in contrast to some trestle tables that use just one leg per assembly.) The original was made out of pine, which would be the traditional choice for a farmhouse table, but I wanted to use a domestic hardwood. Red oak is a favorite in our house because of its
