Black walnut is a beautiful wood that lends itself wonderfully to table making – and to other DIY projects for that matter. What we love in particular is the hue of the wood and its ability to blend so well with our hairpin legs. The metal legs we offer, including our hairpin legs, are made of dark steel. As you know steel is a strong durable material that can last a lifetime; and when it is formed correctly, it looks amazing. Those qualities are also true of black walnut so it makes a naturally partner with steel. Kristen’s table perfectly illustrates our point!
Kristen told us that she sourced the wood from a dead walnut tree…milling and sanding it to her desired dimensions. As you can see in this piece the natural edges of the wood are intentionally included – often referred to as keeping the live edge. This adds a solid look to the wood and creates a strong connection with the tree. The affect is to remind viewers of the tree itself—not just the end product.
One of the nicest features of this table is Kristen’s use of space. When using a specific piece of wood for a piece of furniture one of the best ways to create the perfect finished piece is to work with the wood’s natural features. Kristen’s piece of black walnut is wider at one end than the other. You can see how the use of three legs instead of the traditional four really compliments the piece. The three legs offer more legroom while simultaneously accenting the change in table depth. Kristen chose The Twist hairpin legs for this furniture project; The Twist hairpin legs offer a literal twist on the classic hairpin leg and perfectly complements the soft round features of this piece of black walnut. Great job Kristen, thanks for sharing!
