TLDR: I'm friends with firefighters now. Also they have a swanky new table.
If there's anyone I know who could use a great lunch table, it's got to be firefighters. And who better to get a great table than our local firehall. So when they reached out about getting a great table, we were so very excited.
I know it's hard to believe but we were actually excited for more reasons than that. We also planned on putting their local crest in the middle of the table in epoxy. I'll be honest, I had never done something quite this large and complicated before. But I was excited to try, and very excited for it to be in a firehall.
DESIGNING
The design for this table went back and forth a few times, but one thing was always consistent. We wanted a Parker base. The table is meant to be there for years, and for meals to be eaten there everyday. It has to stand up to anything and everything. A Parker base was the perfect solution to this. It's solid, easy to use, and it's pretty.
Figuring out how the top should look took a bit of time. We went back and forth on different finishes, and even different woods. We even bounced around on which colors the epoxy should be. We got there in the end with an 8/4 solid rock maple top, with a natural finish. Not only does it stay bright in the space, but it also let the epoxy colors shine.
THE EPOXY
So next we built the table, but we do that all the time so that's less exciting. Let's talk about the epoxy.
We got a new tool! We got a shaper origin, so now we can do this for anyone. It took a couple tests, but we figured it out pretty quick. A little computer work and then we had the files ready to go, and then the first pass. We started with the shield, and poured it all in red. This went so well! Once that cured, we started carving out the letters. They went well too, but took a lot more time. Some of them got filled black, some white, and then we were done! It took a long while, a bunch of sanding, routering, and some careful mixing to keep colors consistent, but I think it came out amazing.
FINISHING
I don't have much to say about this, I just wanted to share this video.
DELIVERY
This is the big moment. It was a huge, heavy table. Thankfully when we pulled up to the firehall there were some strong people to help us carry it in. We had it all wrapped up so they couldn't see the table until it was all ready. We flipped the table over and all the work was worth it to see their faces. They were so happy with the table!
As we were taking some more pictures more firefighters kept coming by to take a look. We definitely did well. And now they have a table that can sit in their hall for years to come. We were so glad to be a part of the hall, and so glad they loved the table!
