A dining table for the next forty years

Size, height, leg position and finish: the decisions that are hard to undo later. We wrote this for the questions we hear most often at the workshop door.

Start with the edges

Look at where a surface ends. On solid timber the grain runs over the edge and continues down the side. On veneer it stops, and a different pattern begins.

Trust your hands

Good furniture is quiet. Drawers close without a rattle, a chair does not rack when you lean, and a tabletop feels the same temperature all the way across.

Ask how it will be repaired

Every piece will be damaged eventually. The useful question is what happens next, and whether the maker will still answer the phone.