Friday, September 26, 2014

Reclaimed Coffee Table {First in a Series}

Sometimes we run across some junk that is beyond unique and packed with character. When this happens, I usually jump up and down, squeal with excitement and completely annoy my husband with all my elaborate ideas and brainstorming.

Well this find, certainly takes the cake! Let me explain...

My husband was out running errands one afternoon and noticed a old abandoned farm not far from our house. As luck would have it, there was a pickup truck in the driveway, so P pulled in and sparked up a conversation. As it turned out, the gentleman had just sold the property and needed to have a few things removed before the closing. He told my husband to go ahead and look through the old train cars and make him an offer if there was anything we wanted. In one of those train cars was so much historical significance...I was out of my mind with excitement.

You see, back in the 1950s Scott County tore down the original Sheriff's Residence and Jail (which was original constructed in 1882) so that they could build a new jail. The county auctioned off all the wood, doors, fixtures etc to the public. Well, this gentleman's father bought a large amount of that material and had it stored in a train car on this property for all these years.

The Sheriff's Residence and Jail are off to the left in this picture. We have been researching like crazy to find a image of the inside of the buildings, but haven't been successful just yet. We'll keep trying!!

We've been waiting for the right idea to hit us before we did anything with the pieces we salvaged that day. Then it hit us, we could make a series of tables with the floor boards. And since my husband is a pretty good (really quite awesome) metal fabricator, he could craft the table bases in various ways so each creation is one of a kind.

Here' a look at the first one we've created. This one is made from reclaimed, tongue and groove floor boards from the Sheriff's Residence and Jail. All those beautiful layers of white and green chippy paint are sealed with several layers of poly. The frame is 1.5"steel tubing...making for a perfect balance of rustic and industrial. 

Dimensions: 53"l x 24"w x 18"h

 Most certainly a unique, handcrafted conversation starter or statement piece! And the stories that those boards could tell if only they could talk...




1 comment:

  1. Hi
    just found your blog via MRL! My hubby retired from metal work... did it all of his working life.
    So naturally, I love this table. I really...really love the story behind it. It never hurts to wip in and spark some conversation does it? You never know what it will get you.
    I hope to see some more of your great creations.
    nice to meet you!

    ReplyDelete