MATERIALS TH I NGS MADE H ER E
› The first Ernest coffee table was built nine years ago
› Christian Thomas Designs sees its business model as a way to enrich the community by recirculating revenue and materials back into local homes and businesses
THE STORY: Helping his father take materials from old homes and reuse them showed Christian T. Descoteaux the path to his own business, Christian Thomas Designs, which uses reclaimed materials to build tables, vanities and other furniture.
The Ernest Table
Injection Molded Terminal Block
› The Ernest is made in Providence from reclaimed heart pine (although it can be fabricated from other wood depending on the client’s wishes) and it retails for $2,600 to $3,600, depending on the type of wood and finish › It takes 60 hours to build each table › The process starts with milling the wood with a chainsaw, denailing it, then filling cracks and holes with epoxy; the wood is then milled again with a planer, jointer and table saw; pieces are then glued together, sanded and finished; the steel legs are separately cut, shaped, welded and finished
THE STORY: In its four decades, Tri-Mack has designed, selected materials, manufactured and assembled parts for the aerospace, chemical processing, electronics, industrial equipment and medical markets, with a specialty in engineered thermoplastics. Tri-Mack has been making mission-critical parts since its founding in 1974. Today it operates out of its Bristol location, which was built in 1986, with 160 employees › Tri-Mack makes more than 1.5 million pieces per year, all of them components for OEMs › Aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers use Tri-Mack products in air management, electrical systems, engines and fluid handling › Tri-Mack has grown along with the aerospace industry, especially in its desire to reduce manufacturing costs while improving fuel economy through lighter thermoplastic components › Product design can take 12 weeks, while the manufacturing time depends on the complexity of the part
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A Guide to
designed, made and built in Rhode Island 2019