IOD Table

Initial Planning and Design Concept
The International One Design (IOD) sloop was created by the legendary American yachtsman, Cornelius Shields as he sought to create a new one design sailboat. The result is a beautiful reminder of yachting's "golden age" with the traditional long overhangs, graceful sheer, deep, narrow hull and lofty rig. I wanted to capture this image of the IOD in a furniture piece. During my lifetime, I always admired the wooden hulls and tall slender IOD masts. Inspired to create, I sought broken mast sections for use as table legs. Finding the mast sections was easy, at a local boat yard on Mount Desert Island, ME; they were rotting next to the dumpster. I gathered mast sections and developed a trestle table design using the mast as table legs. A glass insert in the table top reveals the cross section of the mast and wire rigging table support.

Formal Design
Four view scale drawings are created from the preliminary design detailing the specifications and dimensions for final review.

Wood Selection and Layout
Salvaged IOD Sitka spruce mast sections for the legs. To compliment the Sitka spruce and nautical theme, sapele, a wood species similar to mahogany, was selected for the top, stretcher, rails and feet.

Milling, Shaping, Joinery and Gluing
Challenging handwork cutting joints into mast sections for attaching the feet and rails. The shaped feet are made with many thin strips bent on a form and glued, creating a bent laminate.

Assembly
The individual components come together for a tight fit and wire rigging with spreader supports the middle of table top.

Finishing
The tung oil adds depth and rich color to the sapele top and the original mast sections are finished with spars varnish.

See the completed IOD Table and other fine works by WWS Woodworks in our Gallery section.