Photo: Paul Wesley
Crafts
One-of-aKind Tables
John Duffy and his staff of skilled workers make beautiful tables and benches from reclaimed wood -by Lew Larason
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MONTCO MAG . COM
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John Duffy, owner of Stable Tables, says, “I worked for several years in telecommunications. I traveled the world and was responsible for a lot of people, but got burned out. So, I left.” Since he had grown up in Chestnut Hill, he returned to the Philadelphia area in 2001. “I partnered with my friend Chris English, a carpenter by trade. We went into the real estate business—buying, fixing up and selling houses.” When John first returned, he noticed some friends had neat farm tables made from reclaimed wood. He found out they had bought them on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Because he liked the tables, he made a trip there to purchase one. It took over three months before he could pick it up. He suddenly realized that if he and his friends would drive to Maryland to buy tables, then wait that long to have their orders filled, maybe there was an opportunity here. He asked Chris to show him how to make a farm table, saying, “I didn’t do much with the tables while