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Slab Rant 2012

Posted on by Andrew Roy Woodworking

Way back in my youth, in 2011, I had some reservations to the idea of the wood slab table. "That isn't woodworking," I thought. It's just screwing a plank of wood to a base. Lazy sunday. You see, I spent 6 years learning woodworking way over in Boston and although George Nakashima's (arguably the forefather of slab designed furniture) workshop is also in New England (New Hope Pennsylvania) I had yet to build any slab furniture.

A couple of years ago, upon my move to Northern California I read Nakashima's book, The Soul of a Tree. It was interesting, romantic even, but I didn't get it. Nakashima seemed a little overdone, spent a little too much time listening to the trees ala Ferngully.

Then I got a slab of my very own. 

La Crema Barn Doors

Posted on by Andrew Roy Woodworking

Barn-style doors, designed by Von Saal Design Build in Napa, CA for La Crema Winery. Salvaged 17 foot redwood wine staves were scraped of crystallized wine residue, milled down, re-sawn and rebuilt. Great care was taken to retain as much of the burgundy wine tint as possible. Doors were built with generous mortice and tenon joinery and a true through crossbar (most are just nailed on across the panels) adding torsion strength to the door. Doors were finished with a rubbed-effect lacquer, bringing out the warmth of the burgundy and ambers in the wood. These giant doors - each one comes in at 8' 10" tall and 54" across - will be hung from an industrial steel track and serve as the entryway from the main tasting room to the VIP tasting area.