How long does a custom dining table take?

6 to 12 weeks from design approval. The clock starts when you approve the drawing, not at the first conversation, and the time after that is set by the work itself: the joinery, the curing, the finishing and the details of the individual piece.

Before the clock starts

A commission begins with a conversation about the room and how the table will be used. Then I draw it to your dimensions. When slabs are used, each slab is cut out of its photograph, sized against the measurements marked on it and laid out in the drawing. The table is modeled in SketchUp, with AI-assisted visualizations of it in a finished space, before anything is cut. A written proposal follows, and for a resin table a sample board is made and shipped so you can see the color and the finish.

How long that part takes depends mostly on how quickly the decisions get made. Nothing is cut until you approve the drawing.

Why it takes the time it takes

Each piece is designed and built individually, and there are parts of fine furniture making that simply cannot be rushed without affecting the result. Glue-ups, resin and finishes all need time to cure before the next step can start, and that time cannot be skipped without it showing in the table.

I also accept a limited number of commissions at a time, so I stay involved in each one from the first conversation to the installation. The full sequence is on the process.

When a faster timeline is possible

Expedited timelines may be available for select projects based on production capacity.

It depends on the piece and on what is already in the shop, so it is never assumed. If you are working to a fixed date, such as an installation or an opening, tell me at the first conversation rather than halfway through.

After the build

Across Chicagoland, I generally handle delivery and installation personally. Farther away, it travels white glove, with inside setup. Either way the commission is not finished until the table is installed and looks the way it is supposed to look in your space.

By Rob Showalter, furniture maker in Geneva, Illinois.