Extension tables
How a table for six becomes a table for ten.
Our extension tables separate along the centre line and run on rails. You pull the two halves apart, drop a leaf into the gap, and push it back together. It takes only minutes and one other person. And because every table is built to order, the leaf can be any width you need — the sizes below are where most people start, not where we stop.
Try it
Pick a configuration and watch the table open. Every one of our extension tables is built to order, so the leaf size is your choice.
Shown on a 72″ × 40″ table. Room needed allows 36″ of clearance at each end for chairs to pull out.
Seat counts are a guide, not a rule. How many people actually fit depends on the width of your chairs and how much elbow room you like — armchairs take noticeably more space than side chairs. Tell us which chairs you are using and we will tell you what your table will really seat.
Underneath — the equalizer slide in motion
Two toothed racks, one on each half, meshed to a single gear at the centre. Pull one half and the gear turns, which drags the other half out by exactly the same amount. That is why the leaf gap opens evenly and the table stays centred in your room instead of drifting to one side.
Three steps, about ten minutes
Pull the halves apart
The top separates along the centre line and slides on rails built into the frame. Two people, one at each end, walking the halves apart steadily. Nothing needs to be unbolted.
Drop the leaf in
The leaf sits down into the gap and locates on aligning pins, so it can only go in one way and cannot sit proud of the surface. Your leaves are cut from the same boards as your top, taken from the ends, so color and character stay very close.
Push it closed
Walk the halves back together until the seam pulls tight. The join sits flush — you feel a line, you do not catch on an edge.
Leaf options
These are our standard leaves. Because every table is built to order, other sizes are possible — tell us the closed length you want and the open length you need. Seat counts below assume standard side chairs; armchairs or wider seats will reduce them.
| Configuration | Adds | Typical seats | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| No leaf | — | 6 | Everyday use in a smaller room |
| One 12″ leaf | 12″ | 6 to 8 | A little more elbow room, or one extra guest |
| One 18″ leaf | 18″ | 8 | The most common choice |
| Two 18″ leaves | 36″ | 10 | Holidays, and families who host |
| Custom leaf | Any width | You tell us | Rooms and seat counts that do not fit a standard leaf |
These are our standard leaves, not our limits. We cut leaves to any width, and we can build more than two into a single table. If you need to go from a 60″ everyday table to a 132″ table at Christmas, say so and we will engineer the slides for it. Tell us the closed length you want and the open length you need — the rest is our problem.
Two things people forget
Room for the open table
Allow 36″ of clearance around the table so chairs pull out and people walk behind them. A 72″ table opened to 108″ needs about 15 feet of room in that direction.
Measure the open length, not the closed one. It is the single most common sizing mistake, and it is easier to fix before we build than after.
Where the leaves live
It depends on the model. Some of our tables store their leaves inside the frame, so they never leave the table. Others have leaves that live separately — in a closet, under a bed, or on a rack.
If you want self-storing leaves, say so before we build. It changes the base design, so it is not something that can be added later.
Common ones
Is it hard to open?
No. It is about ten minutes with one other person. The halves slide on rails, the leaf drops in on pins, and you push it closed. The difficulty is not the mechanism — it is that a solid hardwood top is heavy, which is why it is a two-person job rather than a one-person one.
Will the seam show, and will the grain match?
You will see a fine line where the halves meet, and you will feel it if you run a hand across. What you will not get is a lip or a catch.
On grain: your leaves are cut from the same boards as your top, taken from the ends of them, so the color and character stay very close. The grain itself is not always a perfect continuation across the join. That is normal for solid hardwood — boards change along their length, and a leaf that lived at the end of the board will not line up exactly with the middle. In practice it reads as one table rather than as a patch, and most people never think about it again after the first week. If a seamless grain run matters a great deal to you, tell us before we build and we will talk through what is realistic.
Does it stay flat over the years?
Solid wood moves with humidity, and an extension table has more edges for that to show at. Keeping your home between 35% and 50% relative humidity is what keeps everything sitting flat — the same advice applies to any solid wood table, extension or not.
Can I add a leaf later?
Yes, if the table was built to take one. We can cut an additional leaf from stock matched as closely as we can and finish it to your table. Be aware that a leaf made years later will not have aged alongside your top, so expect a slight difference until it catches up.
Can I leave it extended all the time?
Yes. Plenty of people run theirs open permanently and only close it when they need the floor space. Nothing about the mechanism minds being left in either position.
What sizes can you build?
Presets run from 5′ × 3′ up to 16′ × 4′, in maple, white oak or walnut, at standard 30″ or counter 36″ height. Outside that range, send us your room dimensions and we will quote it.
The same applies to the leaves. The 12″, 18″ and double-18″ options are what most people choose, but the leaf is just a board we cut — we will make it any width you need, and build more than two into the table if your open length calls for it. There is no standard size we are working around.
Not sure what size you need?
Send us your room dimensions and how many people you want to seat on a normal night and at Christmas. We will tell you what closed and open lengths make sense.