subject: Trestle Table Feasting In Medieval Design [print this page] Early trestle table design was practical in construction and desirable because it was easy to disassemble and transport. It was and still is the perfect occasional table. With it's simple design, those seated do not have the inconvenience of four fixed legs at each corner of the table getting in one's way much like the design of a pedestal table.
During the Middle Ages the dormant table was a stationary trestle table covered with a carpet or a runner. In Medieval times monasteries had very long trestle tables in their refectory or group dining room and they later became known as refectory tables. In late Middle Ages this type of table was the preference for banquets and feasts held in castles and large estates. These tables were crafted from solid wood for royalty and noblemen. What a fine commission for a woodworker in those times.
Designs ranged from plain and very utilitarian to very regal and ornately decorated. Sawbuck, melon-turn and slab-side were the popular choices of style. Sawbuck is an X-shape support system, a sawbuck device used in holding the wood is where the named derives from. Melon-turned was spherical and very ornate rounded post ends, a predecessor to the pedestal design. The slab-sided design is slabs of wood possibly decorated and placed vertically holding the ends up between the trestles.
The sawbuck design was a popular Gothic choice but usually found in New England tables because of its rustic and functional style. Another American version of this came from the Delaware Valley of Philadelphia where German-Swedish craftsman created highly decorated pieces.
Imagine the great halls of Europe, Henry the XVIII ripping into a leg of wild boar served at his massive trestle table. In castles of kings, in great halls of the wealthy between the 12th and 15th centuries these great tables served feasts. Diners would be seated on long benches or stools on one side of the table while the other was used for serving. This may be why earlier tables were narrower. After the feast the table could be dismantled and stored to one side of the great hall. Free standing pillars with cruciform feet for stability were used for support.
Modern finishes are much different than those of the Middle Ages as sandpaper didn't exist. Back then craftsmen had to scrape the pieces of wood together to get a smooth surface. Trestle tables took a lot of abuse in the old days and to achieve that look today you could take a chain and beat the finished piece to give it a distressed look. Years and years of feasts with kings and their courts resting their elbows on the tables wearing out the edges to give them their character.
The predecessor to the trestle table was called the table board and frame style, being a long plank of wood resting on a frame of several trestles also called horizontal beams. The legs were designed to be easily dismantled for storage and were very practical for travelling. The bridges of wood were pegged and braced to he tabletop.
With its two pedestals fastened to a horizontal stretcher with stout tenons and locked into place with wedges the trestle table is born. For a little Gothic twist, add an arched stretcher with cut stopped champhers in the legs and the stretcher.
by: Francis Steeds
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