Kitchen tables play an important role in our culture. Children do homework and grownups pay bills at them, families gather around them to share meals. Politicians woo voters by discussing “kitchen table” issues. An article in The Counter, an online newsletter about food and culture in the US, explored the history of the politicization of the kitchen table. They come to the conclusion that the table is “not just furniture, it’s a forum.” As I sit here writing this post at a kitchen table, I am thinking about how kitchen tables are not just spaces where we discuss politics and manage our lives. They can be also be a space of growth and change as artist Carrie Mae Weems explored in her Kitchen Table Series.

Many years ago, my dad made me a kitchen table. He knew that I appreciated Shaker style furniture and, when some design instructions for Shaker furniture showed up in his woodworking magazine, he decided to build it for me. He selected yellow birch for the table top and walnut as the base. He made matching benches so that we could gather together around the table. I love that table. I love that my dad, who was of a generation that did not freely share his emotions, recognized my interests and put the time and effort into making an heirloom for me to use daily. It was a silent way for him to show his love. That table hosted many meals. It also served as a cookie decorating center at the holidays and as an art space for my daughter to explore drawing, collaging, and painting. Recently, on the bottom side of the table top, I discovered a layer of smeared tempera paint from messy fingers.

For a variety of reasons, that table was taken apart and stored for several years. When I took it out to use it again, I found that the base had split and was not repairable. I decided to order new legs and refinish the table top. My brother and sisters (and some good DIY instructional websites —baileylineroad.com and Heritage School of Woodworking) helped me strip off the polyurethane, sand, and then refinish the surface with Danish oil to bring out the luster of the wood. The Danish oil soaks into the wood and bonds with it making a durable and natural finish. Unlike polyurethane, the use of oil as a finish allows you to feel the wood.

Much like cooking, refinishing this table takes thought and time. I am learning about wood, furniture preservation, and a bit about how furniture is made. And it gives me the opportunity to reminisce about my life, family, and remember stories that happened around this space. I am looking forward to hosting friends and family once we are allowed to socialize in doors again. We can sit at the table my dad made and share stories, talk about politics, and consider how we might move forward into a (hopefully) pandemic-free world.