Fred Savage – Harvest Tables & Hand Crafted Furniture
The Craftsman
Every so often, a craftsman emerges whose furniture is as unique as the wood with which he works. Over 20 years ago, Fred Savage set up a studio shop in Ontario where he began designing and creating his rare, antique harvest tables and hand-crafted furniture. What makes his furniture extraordinary is that it is produced from nineteenth century reclaimed lumber.
Fred’s personal collection of hand-selected reclaimed wood is comprised mainly of old-growth pine salvaged from agricultural barns and farm houses in eastern Canada. Since his relocation to Cortes Island, British Columbia, beach-salvaged old-growth cedar and fir has been added to his collection.
Two things for which Fred’s furniture is known are its solid traditional joinery and his mastery with proportions. His sliding dove tails and mortise and tenon joints fit so seamlessly that they give with seasonal and climatic changes. With an intuitive ability to produce accurate physical and visual proportions, Fred’s furniture is, and will continue to be, the antiques and heirlooms of the next generation.
The Craft
Fred’s beautiful, hand-crafted harvest dining tables are made from reclaimed ancient pine using long, wide and thick planks salvaged during the dismantling of approximately 200 year-old barns and farm houses in Ontario. Along with pine, Fred also incorporates several other species of reclaimed wood such as elm, cherry, walnut, ash, maple, white oak and fruit wood as well as indigenous wild cherry, old-growth fir and cedar from Canada’s west coast. He has also begun to bring more organic shapes into his designs, using salvaged driftwood.
A trained eye can see that Fred’s antique harvest tables are of a traditional, high-quality craftsmanship. Less visible is the way in which he works with the spiritual energy of the wood, the character of the lumber and how he not only takes deliberate care with each board, but also with the energy of the past still contained within the wood.
While combining all of this into finely-crafted harvest dining tables, Fred also takes into consideration the joinery, the quality of construction and the finishing. Mortise and tenon, spline joints, as well as tenons, wedges and peg joints, which shrink and expand to accommodate natural weather and seasonal changes in wood, are all incorporated into these unique tables. As well, some of his farm table designs also have draw leaf extensions and/or drawers. The wood is sanded, corners are softened and then the tables are oiled, or in some cases, multiple layers of oil, varnish and wax are applied.
Preferring environmentally-safe finishing products, Fred may use a Canadian-produced, odourless oil made from a combination of tung and linseed oil with a citrus thinner to bring back the vitality and warm colouring to dry and aged wood. For more commercial finishes, after oiling and sanding, he may also apply a low VOC poly-urethane coating.
In addition to harvest dining tables, Fred also produces custom armoire and kitchen doors, sofa tables, coffee tables and hutches with floating panels.
The Craftsmanship
For over 20 years, Fred Savage has continued to build a name and reputation with his antique harvest tables and traditional style of craftsmanship. With the attention to detail he brings to each piece and an intuitive capability to masterfully design physical and eye-pleasing proportions, his farm tables and furniture speaks volumes about Fred’s love for his craft. Due to his sensitivity about the lineage, the age and the character of the lumber, he has amassed a incredibly rare and unique collection of reclaimed and salvaged wood. Owning a harvest dining table built by Fred is one of those truly rare finds.
Fred’s antique harvest tables can be custom-ordered and are deliverable, as they have been designed in a convenient knock-down, craftsman style. The farm tables can be easily disassembled before transport and reassembled in your home. Fred, himself, is able to make deliveries to the Vancouver and Victoria areas.