At Mike McElhiney's shop and MakerPlace, Mike and a group of SDFWA members and neighborhood volunteers constructed a table for San Diego Fire Station #27. They had an old institutional dining table, and Mike decided they needed a nice wooden table. People who helped Mike include Carlos González Velez, Clare Pister, Anna Martin, Dale Stauffer, Don Spangler, Lou Adzima, Jeff Bratt, Dan Heck and Mike's neighbors Jim Thompson, Kim Sands, and George and Rosaline Mazzara – whose house the firefighters saved from a fire in 2014. The presentation and pizza party took place on February 8th, 2015. Here is a link to the UT article which ran in Diane Bell's column.
Here is a video clip from KUSI – shot and edited by Taylor Schuss – of the presentation and pizza party
This page documents the build process and the presentation...
The design is a trestle table, and there will also be a laser-carved logo for Fire Station #27.
The wood was donated by Dale Stauffer. It's iron bark eucalyptus, a local, urban wood – very heavy and dense. Mike turned a small platter to see how the eucalyptus works, and how it finishes. It looks amazing!
Surfacing of the rough planks was done using the large-bed CNC router with a carbide insert bit at MakerPlace.
The table top being glued-up.
The robust legs and stretcher being fitted – it's really starting to look like a table!
Don Spangler and Jeff Bratt working on the base and skirt.
Anna Martin sanding and turning pegs.
Mike McElhiney showing off the mostly finished table at the SDFWA January meeting
On February 8th – Mike and Patti hosted a pizza party, and the table was presented to the firefighters of Station 27…
Mike presenting the table with all the extras, and the firefighters with George and Rosaline Mazzara (and family)
To go with the table – a lazy susan, turned wooden pens from Dan Heck with laser engraved names, and a cribbage board from Jeff Bratt
Pizza – and cake!
Loading the table on the truck, then installing it at the fire station
and a laser-engraved plaque with the names of all the people that worked on this project
A big congratulations to Mike McElhiney for doing a lot of the building work, organizing all this, and, of course to all the firefighters – our everyday heros!