Funiture Design: Radially Expanding Tables by David Fletcher

Handcrafted from the United Kingdom (UK), only a few of these innovative tables are created each year.  The concept was developed from the antique Jupe table, a 19th century wooden dining table furniture designed by Robert Jupe, that transforms from a small circular wooden table into a larger diameter by rotating its side and then manually adding the separate extra wooden pieces to complete the larger circular form of the table.


David Fletcher then designed a mechanism, constructed from aluminum and stainless steel, which stores the extra wooden pieces underneath the furniture in its small state and then automatically raises them up and adds them to the whole circular form of the table as you rotate and transform the furniture into a larger piece.

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The image above was in the Boat International Magazine where the Capstan Table, the teak furniture in the middle, was featured in an article as part of the design of a yacht.  Below is an excerpt of the article:

"While the huge hangar door, the helicopter lift and extensive fire-fighting arrangements are impressive, the most awe inspiring piece of equipment on the aft deck is perhaps the circular dining table, which was designed and built by David Fletcher.  Release a lock and twist the teak table top, and a hidden stainless steel mechanism comes into play, expanding a star-shaped portion of the table top and positioning a host of inserts to double its diameter without any hint of a join.  This engineering miracle is sure to be demonstrated repeatedly, just for its pure magic."

Below, you'll see a video of this amazing table in action.



They also have an automated mechanism that automatically expands the table with just a touch of a button.

Go to David Fletcher's website if you are interested to know more.

(images from DB Fletcher)