Peter Trumbull Crellin’s biggest piece is a cylindrical cabinet made out of figured walnut veneer.

Peter Trumbull Crellin had an interest in restoring antique furniture. And the best advice he got to prepare for that trade was learning how to build his own tables and chairs. Funny thing is, they don’t look anything like the Chippendale pieces he admired.

Crellin, who works out of a 1,300-square-foot shop near the Pawtucket post office, has come up with his own line of contemporary studio furniture that looks like something out of a Salvadore Dali canvas.

He uses layers of veneer shaped over a form in a vacuum press to make whimsical table tops and chair seats that look like they were draped over their bases. Some use checkerboard designs made from light and dark woods, such as exotic pommele sapele.

Crellin is one of about 150 artisans taking part in this year’s Fine Furnishings and Fine Craft Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center next weekend. He represents the modern, sculptural look, while someone like Corey Martin, a newcomer to the show, is at the more traditional end of the spectrum. Martin is entering about a half-dozen pieces, including a couple of Queen Anne tea tables he recently whipped up out of curly maple in his Peace Dale shop. He is also entering a stunning chest made from a single slab of South American mahogany, and wing chair with hand-sewn upholstery.

Martin, 28, grew up building houses with his stepfather, custom-home builder Stephen Sullivan. About six years ago, he got drawn into furniture making. Now he and Sullivan share a single-story building that once housed a flooring company. Sullivan uses the front office for his business, and Martin occupies about 600 square feet at the rear of the building, which is not a lot of space for a shop but big enough for his needs. He has opened up the ceiling to make storage space for wood and to maneuver sheets of plywood when he does the occasional cabinet job.

“My hips are always sore from bumping into machines,” he said.

Martin, who grew up in Warwick and now lives in Narragansett, did a two-year apprenticeship with Philip C. Lowe in Beverly, Mass., where he picked up traditional building skills, along with some tips on marketing himself. But he is not slavish about his craft. He’s just as likely to shape a table leg with a router as he is with a spoke shave. He will use glue made out of animal hides, which has been the stock in trade of builders for centuries. But he is also at home with modern glues and contemporary finishes, all of which are hand-applied.

The other day he spent the morning cutting two sets of cabriole table legs on the band saw then smoothing out the rough edges with a wood rasp. Martin said it will take him about a week to build the tables.

Martin, like Crellin, still supplements his work with custom cabinet work, but he is finding he is getting more and bigger commissions for furniture, largely through word of mouth and designers and architects he has met through Sullivan.

“I haven’t dropped a dime on advertising,” he said.

He started out building furniture in his mother’s basement, using the washer outlet to plug in his vintage machines. Eventually his mother had enough, and he moved to his present location a couple of years ago.

Now he is hoping his participation in this year’s Fine Furnishings show will pay off.

“A lot of talented people do this show,” he said, “and it gives me a chance to see where my stuff stacks up against theirs.”

This year’s show is quite a bit smaller than last, at least when it comes to the number of exhibitors. Karla Little, the show’s owner, estimated there are about 50 fewer participants this year. She said a couple who has shown in the past both contracted Lyme Disease, and another longtime participant is out this year with a bad back.

But there is still a wide selection of furniture styles to choose from, from contemporary pieces like Crellin’s tables to the simple elegance of Thomas Moser’s Shaker-inspired bedroom and dining sets.

Little is bracing this year for fallout from the stuggling economy. She runs a similar show in Milwaukee that took place last month, and she said that exhibitors there were off 30 percent and attendance was down 10 percent. But those who did show did well, she said. One builder, David Stine, sold a $10,000 natural-edge table during the opening hours of the Milwaukee show, she said.

About 60 percent of the show is made up of furniture makers, and the rest is devoted to people who make accessories such as cutting boards and mirrors. And there is a craft component to the show, where wearables and jewelry are for sale.

The hallmark of the show is handcrafter work, however, whether from a production shop or a one-man operation like Martin’s and Crellin’s. You won’t find any pieces with Masonite backs, said Little. Look instead for exotic woods, inlay and hand-cut dovetails on drawers.

Elaborate pieces can be pricey, like that $10,000 table in Milwaukee. But most of Crellin’s barstools and table are in the $800 to $1,200 range, with some larger pieces commanding upward of $2,000.

Crellin’s biggest piece is a cylindrical cabinet made out of figured walnut veneer and a crown of hand-turned mahogany balls that encircle the top.

The Fine Furnishings and Fine Craft show opens Friday, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 26. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $10 and $15 for any two days. Children under 12 are free. Call (401) 816-0963.

cgray@projo.com