Heavy solid Elm traditionally made Norman refectory tables.
These tables have been made for centuries at the top of the Normandy peninsula. Norman woodworkers accompanied William the Conqueror to Britain, introducing the mortice and tenon joint and stop chamfered detail seen on the legs. These are what came to characterize british ecclesiastical and domestic joinery. They are near identical to our local west country farm tables (thinner). These tables are made by Georges Regnault in the same way that his father and grandfather made them. The family have been making traditional Norman furniture in the same hamlet since at least the 18thC. Unfortunately Georges son has become a mortician but Georges, now in his late sixties has tried and abandoned retirement and returned to what he was bred to. Most of his work is finely sculpted armoires (we will put some on the site) but the family have always made farm tables for the local market.
The ex-3" tops and other measurements are as they have always been though can be altered on request. The typical size is about 200cm x 85cm with a top weighing in at about 100kg! They will easily bear the weight of a volvo. In contrast to local oak furniture, the timber is elm. It is more rustic, figured and more interesting than oak though less suitable for fine work or carving. Traditional oil and wax finishes slowly penetrate the wood, making it opaque and lustrous with age i.e. you can actually see a little way into the timber as is becomes more translucent. There is nothing else like it, the burs and figuring really become almost 3D with age. Old examples are magnificent and are almost never offered for sale. The trees were bought and planked from 1950 to the mid 1970's as dutch elm disease wiped out stocks. Georges recalls being viewed as a new Noah as he bought huge volumes of elm to stockpile. The last laugh is with him as we work our way through the last couple of stacks of 30-50 year old air dried 3"-5" thick elm boards. Georges confidently expects to carry on to see the last boards made into the last tables before finally laying down his plane.