Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Evertite Trestle Set




Last week there was some discussion on the ANG email list about a new trestle table stand from the manufacturer of Evertite frames. Of course we all were curious about what it was like and with the help of Vicky of Needlenook of LaJolla and Evan Burroughs, the owner of Evertites, I've gathered photos of the stand into a slide show for you. Emails flew back and forth between Vicky, Evan and myself, and between us we gathered the following information:

First, this is what Evan wrote me about the stand.


"This particular project was displayed at TNNA to show what we can do in the way of custom work for the shop customer with special needs or requests. This one was ordered by a lady that does 18th century reinacting and her requirements were for something that could be period correct, i.e., little or no metal fasteners and it needed to knock down and set up easily (as an aside, the slate frame I made for her has no metal in it at all!). This trestle set knocks down into a 40 inch long by 8 inch wide and 8 inch high package in just a few minutes and assembles rapidly as well. Each trestle is held together with five tapered keys (wedges) and the height adjustable rail is held with two pins.

I have attached an additional photo for you. This one shows the rail 'floating' in the uprights with the pins sitting on the 'shelf' awaiting installation into the height adjustment holes.

Vicky would have a better idea on the retail price than me but I would say your expectation would be reasonable. The trestle set made of pine weighs about 35 pounds, if someone wants maple, oak, beech or some other 'furniture' type wood, the set would be somewhat heavier and a bit more costly as those woods are more expensive. The trestles are not stained or painted, thus allowing the stitcher option to do so if she chooses or not if she is concerned about possible contamination of her projects.

The overall height is 36 inches. The 'rail' can adjust from a low of 26 inches to a high of 36 inches. The slot in the 'rail' allows one end to be in the lowest hole in the upright and the other end in the highest hole or anywhere in between. The 'shelf' is 22 inches above the floor. The distance between the uprights, front to back, is 32 inches. The foot is 18 inches wide. Custom sizing would be available.
Each trestle is independant of the other, they can be placed with the feet touching (18 inches center of rail to center of rail) or as far apart as you need. The project just rests on the rails so it is easy to just pick it up and flip it over. This was designed to be used with slate frames in particular, but any large frame could be used with it. If the frame is too short to span the rails when the trestles are set at a width the stitcher finds comfortable with whatever chair they wish to use, a couple of cross bars can be provided that can be attached to the frame as 'extenders'. I would expect the trestles to be set rather far apart so the stitcher is not bumping into the uprights that are beside them. When I run my wheelchair in between I have them set about 36 inches apart (that is me in the photo with the wheelchair). I would expect, if the rail is sloped, the slate frame or stretcher bars to rest against the uprights at the lower end of the rails or some of that non skid shelf liner could be attached to the rails.

People that would like to purchase a trestle set may contact Vicky or their shop may contact me. Delivery time will depend on order volume as you noted.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions."

Then in discussion with Vicky we worked out additional details. This is a custom item, which means there aren't a pile of them in a warehouse waiting to be shipped to you. You will have to wait until yours can be built, which might be a while if a group of orders for them came in at the same time. Evan says roughly 3-4 weeks for one to be made, but if he has orders for six obviously folks will have to wait until he can build theirs to their specifications. The price will be in the $150-200 range, not including shipping which will add to the cost since these are heavy. Even writes he's thinking about adding a small tack hammer or mallet to the set which would add to the price. And if you want a more expensive, heavier wood than the pine used for the one you see in the photos, that adds to the cost as well. And if you want it stained, that is an additional fee, although I forgot to ask Evan if he'd be willing to stain a trestle table. So you see the price will depend on what you are asking for and how far this has to be shipped. This is truly custom, which means a price and delivery date isn't possible until your exact specifications are figured in.

Evan only sells wholesale, so this must be ordered through your shop. If you don't have a shop, you may email Vicky to get the ball rolling. She's agreed to order for folks who don't have a store they can use as middleman.
You may email Evan to ask questions but he won't take orders directly. To protect their privacy I haven't posted their email addresses here but you can email me for them by writing chillyhollow at hot maildot com. I will gladly forward their email addresses to you.



UPDATE:  Here is the Evertite website with contact information.  You are still going to have to order through a shop.
http://www.evertitestitchery.com/stasbflier.htm

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

3 comments:

MeganH said...

Anything that makes it easier for the disabled to work (or anyone) gets Mega Points from me!! :-)

Cool idea- but it won't go on my wishlist coz I have to curl sideways a lot of the time instead of sitting straight. Found that a problem with a 'sit on' frame as well (I actually destroyed it with my foot. Don't ask!)

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

You are so right, Rose! The right tools are teriffic, disabled or not, old and blind, young and blind, people on foot or people on wheels.

This stand is geared towards folks who like to do very large projects using heavy frames. I've seen some beautiful hand made rug frames which are both lovely and practical for supporting a 8x10 foot rug as it is being worked.

The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure said...

By the way, you probably would like the System Four floor stand or the metal K's floor stand. I have the K stand and it is fabulous. These are expensive but the right tool saves you so much pain and effort!