Jacob May founder Dave Ball lives and works in Oakland, a city he loves for its rich and thriving design community. It was the natural place to devote himself full-time to woodworking after leaving a corporate career.
Stacks on stacks
A stack of finished walnut butcher blocks sits in his studio. Dave carefully reads the grain of the wood to create beautiful patterns. On average, each piece takes about 5 hours to make from start to finish.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Stenger
Lumber support
Dave splits his time in his workshop making new designs for custom buildouts, furniture, and retail clients as well as developing ideas for his product line.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Stenger
Slicing and dicing
Jacob May uses only domestically sourced lumber, working closely with his local lumberyard.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Stenger
The Nomad Table
Made with constantly moving city dwellers in mind, Dave developed the Nomad table (shown here in Natural Walnut) which conveniently packs down for easy travel.
Photo courtesy of Jacob May Design
All in the details
Expert craftsmanship is evident in the details of this patchwork tabletop, shown here in Oxidized Oak. With a sleek, simple shape, it’s designed to let the beauty and variety available from a single wood species take center stage.
Photo courtesy of Jacob May Design
Built to break down
The Nomad design utilizes both antique joinery techniques and modern hardware to create a classic yet simple table that can be broken-down, flat-packed and moved very efficiently. Only "metal-to-metal" hardware is employed so that the table can be broken down and re-assembled hundreds of times without the risk of stripping screw holes.
Photo courtesy of Jacob May Design
Forget your toolbox
The single tool required for assembly is contained beneath a leather flap under the table.
Photo courtesy of Jacob May Design
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