Farm stands have come a long way from the early days of laying food out on the ground and haggling over prices. But markets that were once full of welcoming wooden stands are being replaced by collapsible plastic tables. Dragging heavy wooden tables to and from farmer markets might be a hassle, but plastic tables look cheap. Jonathan Bancroft Colon noticed this transformation happening at his neighborhood and designed a stand to save markets from the plastic takeover. He calls it the Bancroft Market Stand. Colon's design debulks the bulky wooden stand and still provides six feet of tabletop space.

Aside from being portable, a big plus for the five-piece stand is that it can be assembled quickly without any tools thanks to its slim profile and the hand-carved mortise and tenon joinery. Bancroft Market Stand brings integrity back to the architecture of farmer markets. Similar themes continue in Colon's tables, chairs, end tables and frames. Check out his website to see more examples of glowing wood held together with handcrafted joinery.

Continue to the next page to see how it's assembled.