what goes into
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Soné’s craftsmen, Mark and Stan, obtain wood from native species—red & white oaks, cherry, maple, black walnut, and ash—from local sawmills. They come as 1 1/2 inch thick boards in lengths of 12 feet. They are cut down to be one inch longer than the table being produced, then ripped on a table saw into 1in x1in strips. The strips are cut into shorter lengths for legs, depending on the depth of the table.
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These 1x1 strips are stacked into unique arrangements, then glued, clamped, and allowed to set. Once glued together, the surfaces are uneven and each cut is a little different. Therefore, the subsequent step is to plane the surfaces smooth and the ends are also cut to be even.
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Next, half of the legs (plus any ordered with personalizations of pets’ names, breeds, or a logo) go to the laser engraver to have the Soné info engraved for the inside of one leg of each table. Meanwhile, the holes for the bowls are cut in the table surface by a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) router. A software program allows Mark and Stan to instruct the router exactly what to cut. The router carves the hole out in layers. In the last layer, the instructions tell the router to leave three small tabs intact. Doing so prevents damage to the router bit by keeping the inner circle from being propelled freely, which could damage the bit. A jig has been created so that each table fits into its assigned spot and the machine does not have to be reset each time a different sized table is being cut. The process of cutting the two holes in each table takes a little over 4 minutes.
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The next step is to remove the inner circle, held by the tabs, and this is done with a small hand saw. The insides of the two holes are then smoothed using a vertically mounted cylindrical sander (oscillating spindle sander). Then the table top moves to the drill press, set to cut holes for the attachment screws that will be counter-sunk (the screws will not be flush with the table surface; rather, they will be sunk lower than the surface). A jig has been created for this as well so that the table tops can be set into their spots and the drill press will drill holes in the right spot each time. The burs created by the drill press are sanded out with the disc sander, a disk also mounted vertically.
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At this point, the legs are glued and screwed onto the table top piece. The holes left by the counter-sunk screws are filled with glued in oak plugs and the glue is allowed to set. Once dried, the assembled Feeding Table goes back to the disc sander to smooth everything one more time. It then goes to another router that will round both horizontal edges of the table surface and the vertical edges of the legs. The bowls for the small tables vary slightly in dimensions. Therefore, the router must also be used to put a taper on the top edge of the holes so that each bowl fits securely.
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The Feeding Tables are now ready for the finishing touches, or “Finish” to be exact. The tables are soaked in mineral oil for about 15 minutes, then allowed to drip “dry.” The oil is rubbed into the grain, then coated with a mixture of melted beeswax and mineral oil. This mixture is rubbed in and then the table is polished with a clean towel. Not only does this finish add water-proofing, but it brings out the richness of the natural colors of the wood, resulting in a beautiful and functional accent to your home.
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