Trestle table
Encyclopedia
A trestle table is an item of furniture
comprising two or three trestle supports linked by a longitudinal cross-member over which a board or tabletop is placed. It is the earliest form of table, after the basic pedestal-style table known to be used in ancient times, and was a common structure in ancient Rome, when it was made primarily of stone or marble. By the Middle Ages
the trestle table was often little more than loose boards over trestle
legs for ease of assembly and storage. It remained the most common form of table until the 16th century, when the basic trestle design gave way to stronger frame
-based structures such as gateleg
and refectory
tables. Ease of assembly and storage has made it the ideal occasional table, and it remains a popular form of dining table, as those seated are not so inconvenienced as they might be with the more usual arrangement of a fixed leg at each corner.
style of household furnishings, usually accompanied by spindle
-backed chairs. The trestles in this case are normally of much higher quality, often made of oak and braced with a stretcher beam
using a keyed tenon
through the centre of each trestle. These typically support a high-quality waxed oak tabletop.
adopted by Robert Tressell
, a decorator-turned-author, for his novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
, published in 1910.
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
comprising two or three trestle supports linked by a longitudinal cross-member over which a board or tabletop is placed. It is the earliest form of table, after the basic pedestal-style table known to be used in ancient times, and was a common structure in ancient Rome, when it was made primarily of stone or marble. By the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the trestle table was often little more than loose boards over trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
legs for ease of assembly and storage. It remained the most common form of table until the 16th century, when the basic trestle design gave way to stronger frame
Frame
A frame is a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction.Frame may also refer to:-Engineering & construction:* A-Frame, a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner...
-based structures such as gateleg
Gateleg table
A gateleg table is a type of furniture first introduced in England in the 16th century. The table top has a fixed section and one or two hinged leaves, which, when not in use, folded down below the fixed section to hang vertically....
and refectory
Refectory table
A refectory table is a highly elongated table used originally for dining in monasteries in Medieval times. In the Late Middle Ages the table gradually became a banqueting or feasting table in castles and other noble residences. The original table manufacture was by hand and created of oak or...
tables. Ease of assembly and storage has made it the ideal occasional table, and it remains a popular form of dining table, as those seated are not so inconvenienced as they might be with the more usual arrangement of a fixed leg at each corner.
Construction and uses
Trestle tables figure prominently in the traditional AmericanaAmericana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
style of household furnishings, usually accompanied by spindle
Spindle (furniture)
A Spindle, in furniture, is an cylindrically symmetric shaft, usually made of wood. A spindle is usually made of a single piece of wood and typically has decoration fashioned by hand or with a lathe...
-backed chairs. The trestles in this case are normally of much higher quality, often made of oak and braced with a stretcher beam
Stretcher (furniture)
A stretcher is a horizontal support element of a table, chair or other item of furniture; this structure is normally made of exposed wood and ties vertical elements of the piece together. There are numerous styles of the stretcher including circumferential, double and spindle design. This term is...
using a keyed tenon
Mortise and tenon
The mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at an angle of 90°. In its basic form it is both simple and strong. Although there are many joint variations, the basic mortise and tenon...
through the centre of each trestle. These typically support a high-quality waxed oak tabletop.
Trivia
The decorator's trestle table is acknowledged as the basis of the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
adopted by Robert Tressell
Robert Tressell
Robert Tressell was the nom-de-plume of Robert Croker, latterly Robert Noonan, an Irish writer best known for his novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.-Early life:...
, a decorator-turned-author, for his novel The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists is a novel by Robert Tressell first published in 1914 after his death in 1911. An explicitly political work, it is widely regarded as a classic of working-class literature.-Background:...
, published in 1910.
External links
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Historical reference at Bartleby/Columbia Encyclopedia
- Photos of a trestle table broken down into individual components at RL Goins