Martin’s Redwood

Local furniture maker Martin Conserva took this salvaged redwood slab table to the next level with glass beads, epoxy, and accompanying custom chairs.

After picking a slab from our Cambridge warehouse, he set straight to work preserving the live edges by cleaning up the scruff with a stiff brush. Martin removed the loose bark and flakey wood fibers, being careful not to damage or adjust the original nooks and crannies of the piece. After cleaning up the edges for finish, Martin sanded the top and bottom of the slab.

This particular piece featured incredible natural figure in the grain and a large void at one end. Because Martin wanted to purpose it as a dining table, he needed to balance the somewhat awkward form with function. To this end, he decided to fill the void with two different colors of glass beads. After tightly packing the glass, he poured multiple layers of epoxy resin into the void, creating a solid, functional space.

“I decided to fill the void with two different color glass beads to match the tone and brilliance of the natural redwood.”

To accompany the brilliantly styled epoxy-finished table, Martin designed a crossed base of compound tapered legs, along with custom high-backed chairs. The exaggerated height of the chair backs is intended to match and represent the beauty of what Martin calls “a perfect piece of nature.” Below is his original digital sketch-up of the project.

Below the poured and settled epoxy/glass bead mixture, Martin routed in an acrylic plate to allow light to travel and reflect throughout the void, creating a “lake of fire” effect at one end of the table. He sent us these photos of the finished product, and has promised more pictures of the chairs after he has finished backing and upholstering them.

We don’t often see the salvaged redwood slabs after they leave our warehouse, so it was a treat to receive these pictures. The craftsmanship of this table is fantastic, and the time and effort that went into preserving the figure and shape of the piece does thousands of years of growth true justice.