Hopefully some of you may remember my previous "mutt" table post and now it looks like we might have round 2 on our hands. After some exhaustive research, I'm still trying to piece this together and would love some more feedback (year, authenticity, talking points, etc.) Here's what I have so far...
1) The base is exactly 27 1/2" inches across and it has no black enamel like the production aluminum group models and it even feels somehow unfinished. The height is 22 1/2," well above the 16"-17" standard I have seen everywhere else. Then I found something at the Eames Office. Check the associated Web Link at the bottom or copy this...
http://www.eamesoffice.com/vintage/worksheet_detail.php?id=113
It appears it's this base (sans casting holes) but a coffee table version because of the height. The glides are something I've never seen either.
2) The top has got me intrigued. It's 34" in diameter and attached in a rudimentary way. It has metal mounts that seem to have been moved or adjusted to fit the base. This base was small for it or so it seems...There are noticeable pencil lines on the wood indicating some work/pattern but the spider mount seems to fit on them well.
3) Finally, I noticed a tag but had to remove the base and discovered an old Nucraft Grand Rapids sticker and order/use number. Strange too is that Nucraft is literally right next to Grand Rapids and has a reputable history and mid-century roots since founding in 1944. Perhaps some weird connection...If it's a false top, what an unusual and ackward coincidence.
Appreciate any feedback. Thanks guys and gals.
http://www.eamesoffice.com/vintage/worksheet_detail.php?id=113
Ha ha ha. Probably right.
Perfect tktoo. Yeah, I kind of felt that from the way it's pieced together. I'm still new to the game...
I'm sure I was stretching. I do find the pairing of the two companies interesting though and the base is still unique to me and something I'd like to get identified a little further as it seems rather unique.
And yeah, I've been privy to seeing a few marriages fall apart in my day. Thankfully, I've yet to go down that path.
Thanks for the input!
That doesn't mean you couldn't
tart it up a bit and end up with a perfectly nice, if oddball, little table, however. A bit of elbow grease, varnish, paint, new glides, and voila! I'd get rid of the angled screw-in leg brackets, though. Their shadows are testament enough.
I never liked those rubber-edged Formica tops that came standard on thousands of ET109 contract tables anyway. The bevelled edge of your Nucraft top is more pleasing to my eye.
Great pix, BTW.
The base
The contract base was made in several finishes over the years: Black enamel,white enamel,filing cabinet beige, and polished aluminum.
The polished aluminum will, over time, oxidize, which gives the beautiful lead color that you have there. Some aluminum polish and a LOT of elbow grease will buff it back into a bit of a shine.
The sizing isn't that unusual. HM manufactured a couple of different sized bases for the different sized tops. The holes in the one you linked to are unusual - your base is the standard production model. On the underside those little bridges in the hollow secion are the remainders of the castings.
The marriage of the top and bottom isn't that much of a coincidence. Prolly someone in Grand Rapids found an Eames base - no shortage of them there - and then found a nice wooden top to throw on it.
I found an old contract base on CL for $25 and then found an as-is Ikea round top for another $25....whammo bammo. And mine doesn't look half as nice as yours.
I like your top
I like your top - I've always thought that bevelled edges on a round table were nicer than the bull-nose rubber or the square edge veneered offered on "official" tops.
I'd give yours a light sanding and then refinsih with a polyurethane. I've had decent luck with Poly-shades, a poly with a tint in it. It does a good job of hiding and evening out the existing finish.
Or, if your finish isn't terrpible try Johnson's Restor-A-Finish which will also even out the exising finish.
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