One of my massive furniture pieces. I needed a coffee table for my flat, and just be a happy coincidence there was a large truck motor hanging around at my shared studio space “Footscray Maker Lab” or FML; as so often happens in such places some tenant had acquired an item and then left, usually owing rent, so their abandoned items just hung around taking up space. It was mounted on a heavy trolley so that it could be moved with difficulty as it weighed half a ton at least. The trolley had 4 lovely industrial wheels, so I offered to take it to the scrapyard, if I could have the wheels.

The top was an ironbark sleeper that I found on hard rubbish. Ironbark is a timber that it very resistant to rot; like redgum it grows in swamps so is often used for outdoor uses like retaining walls or similar. The sleeper had quite a lot of sapwood (soft wood that rots very quickly) so I just removed the crumbly bits with a wire brush then stabilised it with dilute poyurethane varnish. I chopped the sleeper into 4 pieces then fixed them all side by side, using threaded rods to tie them together: no fine woodworking skills here. Truing the top was a real chore, ironbark is hard as nails and like redgum the grain seems to go in random directions. Historically it was used green (unseasoned) as it was too much like hard work to cut it dry. I ended up using a planer with a carbide blade and then a large belt sander.

I cut up the trolley and rewelded it to suit the top. One day I should replace the bent bits of fencing wire that hold on the wheels with proper split pins.

The finish is my favourite universal finish: beeswax & turpentine. It goes just as well on steel or wood, polishes up a treat and it very easy to refinish if it gets marks. Despite taking very little care with it I have never had to refinish it.

Of course it it very heavy, probably 100Kg or so. But since it is on wheels it is easy to move around. It will last forever.