This is the numero uno question asked by customers everywhere. Online, phone, and in person. People have gottsa'know (are ya gonna go my way) how much do your legs hold? Kinda funny because let's first discuss the fact that we list the weight on the website and it states each dining table leg weighs in at... 54 lbs for a grand total of... 108 lbs! That's kinda a heavy piece of iron, and it makes me wonder "what the heck are you planning to put on these damn legs?" 

Far be it from me to deny you the material of your dreams to be placed upon those two wondrous pieces of iron!

So we could say that, but we didn't really know how much they could hold. Christian has thrown some giant slabs on those things in his day, but really, where will it max out? Will they crumble back into the iron ores they once were? Should we go back to the redwoods and find that 3,000 year old tree and give it a whirl? 


Or I know, just take a drive up to Ontario (California, not Canada as Neil Young sings) and get your friend whose been mentioned before in this 'ol blog. MAN, BIG SHOUT OUTS FOR JOHN MAHONEY ERR'WHUR. This guy, as previously mentioned, works with wood all day long and helps supply Christian.

They went ahead and stacked, upon stacked, upon stacked slabs of wicked heavy wood on a pair of Classic Drake dining table legs.



Let's take a guess at how much this weighed! I'm a horrible guesser of weights so luckily I already know the answer. 

via GIPHY

Whoops, jk, I watched 20 minutes of Austin Powers and got nostalgic there. What happened to all those FUNNY movies? Not just Austin Powers, which I believe should have stopped after the second one, but all of them. So many funny comedians back in the day with really dumb movies for me to laugh at. I miss them. Or maybe they do still come out but I'm old and adult like and am not even aware of them anymore. 

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT I WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH IT WEIGHED. GET OFF MY BACK!

5,000 POUNDS!

 

That is funny! It's awesome, AND funny. I mean, yeah they're huge pieces of cast iron and so WELL designed that you can lay 5,000 LBs on them if you feel so inclined. Two and a half tons, if you will. And maybe you will. Maybe you HAVE for all I know. But it's still funny too because what kinda dining table do you need? I'm just imagining answering that question now and following it up with, "do you think that'll be substantial for you and your 12 guests at Thanksgiving?" 

 PS It's National Sarcasm Awareness Month

Let me get serious for a minute here

Christian gets feedback all the time about the size, dimension and general style being the perfect blend. I shouldn't mention this, but there are competitors out there.
 WHAT? I know. It's true.
The most similar to him are not as substantial and you can tell just by looking at them. You couldn't have that guy over there--> sitting on them along with 21 slabs of wood. On the contrary, you may have seen the crazy industrial repurposed furniture with like a bank vault door as the table base. I made that up but you get the idea--it's a LOT happening. Drake Casting Co. legs end up being in between the two. Don't get me wrong, I think the repurposed stuff is awesome, it's just totally different from these legs and I feel these guys right here do such a good job of being timeless, yet retro. Just throw a different paint color on them and it changes them completely.

Back to the absurd amount of weight

I feel like cars weigh less than this? I know a lot (nothing) about cars and I think Christian should build me a ramp and I will park the Subie on top of his legs. Maybe I'll build a dream tiny house on these legs. Why not? Why don't you leave your comment below for something WICKED heavy that you would like to put on your Drake Casting Dining Table legs. Because, you know, we haven't even tried the bar height legs!

We went MIA for two reasons and one happens to be the inspiration for this blog post. The second is because I had some weirdo virus that I somehow caught from the east coast?
 

I Would Walk 500 Miles

But instead we drove 1,800 miles in four days! SoCal-->SoO. That's probably not a real thing and also looks stupid. Southern Cal to Southern Oregon. We camped, we drove, we hiked, we drove more. Let me tell you, I LOVE a good road trip, especially when Christian drives the whole time! I remember being a kid and feeling like i was being dragged to various states against my will. Forced to see Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Niagra Falls, or empty beaches of Nova Scotia. However as an adult, I appreciated those trips. What is better than an empty beach?

Those Redwoods

Christian and I had never seen real, live redwoods. DAMN. ARE THEY BIG. Pictures will never do it justice, nor will these words. You just stare. Have you seen the Grand Canyon? I got teary when I saw it years ago. What's that about? These sights strike a different emotion. We've seen, touched, and utilized these mammoth slabs of wood. But that redwood while it's still alive in all its glory... with the surrounding canopy of moss... the mysterious lighting caused by their massive size. #fahgettaboutit

And That Coastline

All I wanted to do was link arms with Data in our rubber raincoats and skip our way down the rocks in our last chance to see if there really is any rich stuff. The rocks, the beaches, the driftwood. In my opinion, it's the prettiest coastline so far. I'll give Nova Scotia a close second because I haven't seen it in twenty years. #old The Pacific northwest has trees right up to the water's edge. I'm not used to such massive trees directly on the edge of the ocean. Thus, I'm not used to sandy ocean beaches covered in washed up trees. Christian argues that Lake Michigan in Wisconsin was covered with trees along its edge and so he felt this was no different. I'm sticking to my guns here. It feels weird to know you're on the ocean and the beach is covered in trees and washed up logs.

#Inspo

How do you take in all of these new landscapes and not be inspired? Christian is feeling inspired to make some cool new table designs. I on the other hand only needed enough inspiration to write about it, right here. JK. 

Seriously though, take a trip. And take a trip outside of a city. Clearly I'm biased, as I cry over canyons, but the world is so big and we're so small. Maybe I hated being driven around the great Northeast in a caravan listening to Crowded House and Last of the Mohicans when I was 12... But what are my best memories from childhood? What's my favorite vacation as an adult? What do I still listen to on Spotify? (hint: it's not Last of the Mohicans) Point is, I remember the landscapes we drove through, I remember the people I was with, and I remember the music we listened to... that super dramatic soundtrack. Are you with me yet? I REMEMBER THE EXPERIENCE! Those events shaped me and provided me with an appreciation of our land. Mohican land or not.

Christian is slightly less of a talker than me, so I will tell you he loves a good landscape. He loves an experience that doesn't require words. Lucky for him I get quiet when we travel and am busy looking at things--or tearing up trying to figure out the meaning of life. 

Y'all Better Recognize

We see a building and think about how impressive are the architects and engineers. How creative that person is for dreaming up that flying buttress! (Holler Professor Denny) You see a painting, read a book, watch a movie... it's all about their creator. The Earth has no one creator. (Sorry, i'm a fan of facts and science and whatnot. But even if you wanna get all religious, fine, no human created it.) This shiznit is f'real y'all. Nobody dreamt it. Nobody will ever outdo a 3,000 year old redwood tree that has fallen over and their roots STILL AREN'T DEAD. In their "tenacity for life", redwoods will find that dang sun and they will go ON with their bad selves. They will take a 90 degree turn if necessary. They just don't quit. They are the O.G.s of Mutha Earth and y'all better learn to respect. I better take my inspiration elsewhere. 

Just go out and look, and appreciate, and if so inclined ... get inspired. 

 

Allow myself to introduce, myself.
My name is Richie Cunningham. 
Okay no.
Allow us both, to introduce you to the Enchanted Forest table base.

When Christian shared his new idea with me, my first thought was, "GREAT, HOW HEAVY WILL THIS BE!?" My second thought was, this is quite the departure from the usual beach vibe. Would he care to share these thoughts with me, you, anyone who cares?

Did you take it all in? It's pretty cool. Let's talk about Christian's inspiration for it. Turns out it has nothing to do with me, a trip he took with me, or anything about me. So there's that. However he was inspired by my favorite state, so things are looking up. 

Back in March I believe it was, he took a trip out to Park City, Utah with his bro Ben and their friends Colin and Michelle. They were skiing at Brighton and he came across an old Bristlecone pine. He claims it could have been about 5,000 years old. Now after a quick and highly reputable google search on Wikipedia (har har) turns out the OLDEST of these trees are 5,000 years old. So chances are, it wasn't that old. Maybe it was. Who cares, it was old. And he was inspired. Let's throw some images in here to get inspired ourselves.



This reminds me of a fellow Sawdust Artist, Ulrike Scheuchl. Check out her website.

After having some convos regarding the new piece and understanding where Christian is coming from, turns out he still has a soft spot in his heart for trees and things not covered in sand or ocean water. Christian grew up in Wisconsin and then spent 15 more cold years in Massachusetts. Despite his strong dislike for snow and cold climates, he loves the woods. And might I add, I hear ya barkin.

I believe we both have an even stronger appreciation for vast land covered in trees after living in Orange County for almost two years now. We're lucky we live in this weird lil canyon with it's own weird lil climate and a quick 800' foot climb up the canyon wall and down the other side will bring you to wooded areas. But even that you know on the other side is a sea of cement and people. So many people! We both enjoy an escape out to Rancho Santa Margarita and this hidden teeny tiny town of Silverado which is in the woods and so secluded, there is only one way in and out.
I digress.

Christian loves the woods. He loves trees. We've seen his table designs with the heaviest slabs of burl. Now he's making the entire piece more organic. Or maybe not. Maybe a huge slab of iron will sit on top of this tree trunk? Or glass and you light up the bottom? Cast in point (at right). The great thing about this new piece is that it can be anything. I am excited to use one as a planter. Love me a good planter!!! It could also be a floor lamp base, a lamp post, end table or dining table. Sky's the limit. And don't even get me started on the custom etching possibilities and patinas. Whew... you're welcome. 

I'm sure you'll see a whole lot more about this enchanted lil guy on Drake Casting Co's Instagram and FB. Til then...

History Lessons by Katie

Art, Music, and Booze

But What Else?

Sawdust Art Festival Winterfest from Sparkle Films on Vimeo.