Bellows Table

Criteria	Score
Aesthetics and visual appeal	7/10
Suitability and usefulness	4/10
Sustainability and recycling	7/10
Problem solving and brief	6/10
Overall	6/10

The dining room is a narrow space which has limited opportunities for standard sized tables. The client needed to seat up to eight people in the space and maintain access to the patio doors at the rear.

Working with recycled scaffolding planks and reclaimed machine parts, the Bellows table was created. Measuring approximately 7ft, the table has two pedestal bases with fabricated steel round bar uprights and a full width flat T bar that is morticed into the wooden top. The top consists of three planks which have been half lapped with opposing grain to minimise twist.

Prior to commencement, reclaimed school benches were purchased to work with the table, so the measurements of these benches were used to inform the dimensions of the table. As the benches are slightly undersized from a standard adult seat height, the height of the table has been adjusted accordingly. The positioning of the pedestal bases also needed careful planning so that the bench seats could be stowed underneath the table to maintain access to the patio doors when the table was not in use.

The bases were purchased at auction. These were very rusted and required burnishing using a wire brush and angle grinder. To maintain this appearance and to give the steel the required patina, vegetable oil was applied after burnishing to give the steel an aged, black appearance. The bases also required drilling to accommodate the 1″ steel bar for the pedestal uprights. The uprights were subsequently welded to the T bar, but these are not fixed into the base as the fit is accurate enough for this to maintain rigidity in normal use.

The table top was further distressed and finished with a wax polish to seal.