What Makes a White Pine Farm Table So Special?

The White Pine Table Discussed Here

When most people think about a “classic farm table” they usually picture it made with white pine.  White pine was used to build most of the kitchen tables found in farmhouses during the 1800s.

The pine boards you see on our website come from floor and wall boards taken from barns that are often nearly 200 years old.  Traditionally speaking, when it comes to farm tables, white pine is favored by the majority of our customers.

The pine used to build our farm tables is very different from modern pine wood used in furniture.  It offers significant benefits in both beauty and durability.

The wood was already 200+ years old when it was used to build barns back in the late 1700s to 1800s.  It’s known as “old growth” wood in the industry.

Because of their old age, the trunks from which this wood was originally harvested were often large.  As a result, the wood planks created from them can be 16 to 18 inches wide.  (It’s very, very unusual to find planks this wide today).  Modern trees being sliced into planks, as a general rule, just aren’t very big.

This means our table tops often feature very wide planks.  Such a thing is rarely seen in modern tables.

Another aspect of old-growth pine is that it can get a little darker in some areas, resulting in lots of variations of color.  You can understand why this is the case by imagining all the rain, sun, crops and animals that passed through the life of a centuries-old barn.

Sometimes we get to handle certain pieces of wood and can see where a tractor has left marks, with its metal studs, on some floor boards. At other times, we clearly see old saw marks, from where a mill saw sliced the original board.  Those markings look so wonderful that we take care not to sand or plane those out, as much as possible anyway.  We always try to leave historical markings like those.

Another interesting feature of our pine farm tables is that their surface is typically harder and more durable than modern ones.  Pine has always been regarded as soft wood, but tree farms today almost always use artificial chemicals, which results in even softer pine.  Those old-growth pine forests, on the other hand, never experienced artificial pesticides or fertilizers; their wood is noticeably harder. 

We treat old barn wood pine boards as “diamonds-in-the-rough.”  Our guys puts them through the planer, sand them a bit, and when the dirt and dust come off, the wood just comes to life.  Its natural color and beauty is immediately evident as soon as we begin cleaning the boards.

These are the kinds of unique benefits our customers treasure in our farmhouse tables.

Another View of the White Pine Farm Table

We recently finished a very long table -- this biggest one we’ve ever done -- for a family living in Bucks County.  They live inside a historic house built during the 1800s. 

Most of our tables have removable legs so they can ship more easily.  But our customer in Bucks County specifically requested the legs not be removable.  The husband really wanted his table to be completely built the old-fashioned way.

The table we custom-crafted for this family was a Federal style farmhouse table with tapered legs.  As soon as we got it from the delivery truck into its new residence, the table looked as if it was always meant to be a part of that beautiful home.

As things turned out, this husband and wife wanted their entire family, including grown children, to be present for our delivery.   They knew we’re a small family business and invited us to join them for their first home-cooked meal on this brand new (yet very old-looking) kitchen table.

It was such a memorable dinner! 

That family is the sort of company we often get to keep by doing what we do.  They’re now having us build other pieces of furniture for them too.  But sharing that first meal with them, on their new farm table, is an evening we’ll never forget.

Please visit the following pages for even more information:

Furniture Gallery Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-barnwood-furniture-gallery.php
 
Farmhouse Tables Page: http://www.furniturefromthebarn.com/reclaimed-farmhouse-tables.php

Customer Showcase Page: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/customer-showcase.php

Have any questions?  Contact us anytime: http://furniturefromthebarn.com/contact-us.php