Trestle tables are similar to a farmhouse dining table in regards to form and function. They differ just enough to have their own unique look, yet they certainly don’t “hide” the fact that they are related. A trestle table is the oldest form of an American table and gets its name from the two, sometimes three, trestles that support a single plank of wood. Typically made out of pine and oak, the ease of assembly and structure that consists of trestle tables make it an ideal occasional or dining table. They are particularly popular as dinging tables as there aren’t four fixed legs at each corner to hinder or obstruct any type of seating arrangements.
Pedestal tables were the earliest type of table known in history, and they typically had a vertical support beam and a very wide base for multiple “branching” legs. The trestle table evolved from the pedestal style table and is by far a more durable and soundly constructed piece of furniture. They are built for simplistic function, and they are built to last. Traditionally, trestle tables are thick, dense and durable thanks to the pine and oak they are typically constructed out of. Used as breakfast tables, hallway nook tables, desks, dining tables and occasional tables, the different ways in which you can use your trestle table are practically endless.
For centuries, the trestle table has remained the same in form and function featuring the iconic rectangular plank supported by pedestals, and of course, the trestles. The single, rectangular plank over the trestle supports makes it simplistic in form but versatile in function. The actual trestle is usually a single beam attached to the underside of the plank, or table top, and the beam will attach anywhere from half way down, to all the way at the bottom of the U-shaped or horizontal leg.
In addition to being showcased proudly in kitchens and dining rooms in sometimes a very formal manner, trestle tables can also be designed as a much more casual and, if you will, more disposable piece of furniture. Folding trestle tables are typically “temporary” tables you “unfold” to use at parties, casual group gatherings (or they can be dressed up with a table cloth for events such as wedding receptions), flea markets, fairs,
garage sales, carnivals, etcetera. They are usually made of plastic and metal or composite wood and metal, and are built and designed to be very portable, lightweight and easy to store. These convenient variations are only similar in form and function to the more traditional trestle tables, as they differ in material as well as in structure.