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Building a Round Swamp Kauri Dining Table
round Swamp Kauri table custom dining table Auckland Kauri table build bespoke timber furniture

Building a Round Swamp Kauri Dining Table

A detailed workshop story following a round Swamp Kauri dining table from raw slab and resin-filled voids through routing, polishing and pedestal assembly.

Building a Round Swamp Kauri Dining Table

Some projects are best understood backwards. Start with the finished round table, then look through the workshop photographs until the polished surface gives way to open voids, routing dust and an irregular raw slab. Suddenly the clean final silhouette feels much more earned.

This Swamp Kauri dining table gallery contains 23 images, giving a detailed record of shaping, resin work, surface finishing and pedestal construction.

Reading the raw slab

The early top has large natural openings and strong changes in grain direction. Those features determine where resin is used, how the circle can be positioned and what will remain visible in the finished table.

Several images show both faces of the slab before the surface is complete. That is valuable because it reveals the material decisions behind the result, not only the most flattering final angle.

Finished round Swamp Kauri tabletop with dark resin features

Raw circular Kauri slab with large natural openings

Round Swamp Kauri slab before filling and finishing

Reverse side of the raw Kauri tabletop

Glossy resin stage across the round timber surface

Unfinished slab showing the natural edge and void pattern

Round Kauri top displayed on a temporary base

Polished tabletop catching reflections across the resin

Intermediate surface preparation on the circular slab

Kauri tabletop with dark-filled feature areas

Lightly finished round top showing broad grain movement

Detailed figured grain across the Kauri surface

Router cutting the circular tabletop perimeter

Second routing view during the shaping process

Dark resin feature after surface levelling

Round tabletop wrapped for workshop handling

Polished Kauri surface after final finishing stages

Faceted timber components for the pedestal base

Pedestal base taking shape in the workshop

Dark finished pedestal beside the completed tabletop

Faceted light timber pedestal before final assembly

Completed round Kauri dining table viewed from the side

Final table showing the circular top and central pedestal

Routing, filling and finishing

A router establishes and refines the circular perimeter. Dark infill then turns open areas into deliberate features within the top. As the surface is levelled and polished, the Kauri figure becomes clearer and the contrast deepens.

The sequence also catches different finish stages. Some photographs show a pale, freshly worked surface; others show strong reflections and richer colour. Together they explain how much the finishing process changes the timber's appearance.

Building the central pedestal

The pedestal is made as a faceted timber form, visible first in separate components and later beneath the completed top. A central base keeps the seating edge open and gives the large circular surface one clear point of support.

Its geometry is deliberately quieter than the tabletop. The top carries the irregular grain and resin features; the pedestal provides order underneath.

A documented custom furniture process

For clients considering a feature dining table, this gallery is a useful reminder that slab selection and design happen together. The natural openings, grain and available shape all influence the final piece.

Explore all 23 stages in the Swamp Kauri Dining Table project gallery.

To discuss a round Kauri table, send your room dimensions, seating needs and preferred style through the INWOOD Furniture custom table enquiry.

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