Thread: Unusual Silky Oak table and chairs

"Unusual" is the right word for that table, Ironbark! The chairs look pretty mainstream for late teens to early 50s last C, but it's hard to ascribe a precise style to the table, though it has art deco leanings, perhaps, which could point towards some time in the 30s as a date of manufacture. Silky oak is a Qld wood, but was so widely used, it could have been made anywhere in the country. If you scoured old local newspapers of the time, you might get lucky & strike an advertisement for something similar, but it would be a tedious job with a slim chance of striking gold.

It has a 'provincial' look to it, so I wonder if it's a local joinery's attempt to satisfy a customer's request? While the design looks pretty clunky to my eye, it appears to have been executed with some skill, & not just done that way because the maker didn't know how to make a table.

It would be interesting to know its history & origins, so I hope someone who can tell us about it comes along...

Cheers,

Have to agree with your comments Ian.

I actually find the setting reasonably attractive despite its odd uniqueness.

Disagree about silky being a Queensland timber, The northern variety,cardwellia subliminus, is
but grevillia robusta, often called southern so is not unique to Queensland. I think this setting,
particularly the table, is grev. rob.

My guess would be Art Deco (not Art Me ) from the period when there were no rules except that everything had to have at least one step in it, and Coca Cola was called that for a reason. Consumption of same before design was compulsory.

I like it (the table)!

Originally Posted by artme

...Disagree about silky being a Queensland timber, The northern variety,cardwellia subliminus, is but grevillia robusta, often called southern so is not unique to Queensland. I think this setting, particularly the table, is grev. rob.

True, Artme, G. robusta does extend into northern NSW naturally, & all over the country thanks to European man. I should have said a predominantly Qld species. However, my point was that various 'silky oaks' have been used to make furniture in most states of the country, so it doesn't help pinpoint where it might have been made.

You could well be correct with your diagnosis that the table is southern S.O., but I wouldn't lay bets on any id based on a picture, myself. There are at least 5 species that go by the name 'Silky oak', & they can sometimes be very difficult to tell apart, by looks alone.

Each to his/her own, FF, as it should be. I see the whimsy in those legs, but they just don't do it, for me...

Cheers,