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DIY COFFEE TABLE WITH A LIVE EDGE

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What You'll Need

230 grit sandpaper (also used some 80 grit for the table top after planing it) kreg jig screws wood glue danish oil clear wood finish wooster brush

Step 1

Before we cut the table top we decided to cut out as much of the legs as possible while it was still one whole slab.  Photo below shows the marked legs and how Tony cut each leg in with the circular saw.  I can’t imagine him making nice cuts if he would of pre-cut out each leg and than tried making the angled cuts.

Step 2

Than he cut all the legs into pieces and we were left with long blocks of wood. ( photo below)

Step 3

Next he used our sawzall to cut the remaining rounded areas of the legs. 🙈 Not the most professional way of doing it but, it’s we had and it worked!  One day I dream of getting a jig saw for reasons like this!

Step 4

We were left with 4 legs that looked very very rough! I wasn’t freaking out about it though because, I knew I’d be doing A TON of sanding to smooth them out! I just needed the approximate shape and size.

Step 5

And finally he cut the bad end off to make the coffee table top.

Step 6

Okay now that all our pieces were cut I was ready to start defining the look a bit more. I had this idea of rounding off as much of the edges as possible.

Step 7

I used this tool called a flap sander wheel that was attached to an angle grinder. This helped me round off the corners for the legs.  This tool is amazing!

Step 8

To shape out the rest of the legs I used my angle grinder with some rough sand paper. This process was a lot quicker than I expected!! I seriously love this tool! Before rounding off the sides of the legs I marked how rounded I would like them at the very bottom this helped keep each leg uniform.

Step 9

Since the angle grinder had rough sand paper it left behind a pretty rough texture.  So I used some 230 grit sandpaper and my dual action sander to help smooth it out. It helped a lot if I turned the leg slightly while sanding to keep the rounded edges.

Step 10

Here’s an example of how the legs looked before and after shaping and sanding! I was so impressed with the completed look. Honestly wasn’t expecting them to look that neat!

Step 11

Here’s a rough idea of how I wanted the legs to look. I really wanted to create a v in the middle between the two legs. I ended up using whatever was left after we cut the legs to create the v.

Step 12

I love the way they angled down towards the center. I also made sure the edges of the v angled a bit to match the way the legs lay because I cut the legs at a 10 degree angle ( confusing?! Here’s the video link to clarify ) .  The 10 degree angle made the legs slightly angle out when they’d be attached to the table.

Step 13

If you’re not familiar with a kreg jig it’s a tool that makes pocket holes that help hide your screw a bit more and gives you more options to attach screws from different angles.

Step 14

Here’s a pocket hole example and the photo below shows the kreg jig set I used. I got it at my local homedepot. It was only $15.

Step 15

HOW TO USE A KREG JIG! You simply adjust the metal ring on your drill bit. This determines the depth of your pocket hole. Than you secure your kreg jig onto the wood with a clamp make sure the edge of the wood and kreg jig line up. All that’s left to do is drill a hole through the kreg jig! Remove the clamp and viola!

Step 16

We made some pocket holes at the top and bottom of the V. Than we secured it to the leg with some wood glue and screws.

Step 17

Here’s what the legs looked like before being attached to the table top.

Step 18

FIXING THE BOWED WOOD! To fix the bowed wood we used this hand planner and it did an amazing job.

Step 19

We first did the side the was bowed. Focusing on the middle of the wood. We did not touch the edges much at all.

Step 20

Here’s what it looked like after we planned this side down with a ruler against it! Not bad! 😀

Step 21

Than to finish it we flipped it over and focused only on the sides not touching the center at all.

Step 21

ATTACHING THE LEGS TO THE TABLE! I measured and marked were we would like each leg. Than we pre-drilled holes in the v and secured the legs to the table.

Step 22

We also made sure to make pocket holes on at least one side of the legs to secure that area to the table. This made a huge difference in durability!

Step 23

To fill our holes with resin we started out with blowing out all the dirt. Than we flipped it over and taped off all the holes on the bottom. It helps if your table is propped up higher to do this. Also make sure it’s level so your resin fills the holes evenly.  I used leftover art resin from a previous project. I honestly don’t think it really matters what type of resin you use as long as it’s clear. This resin is on the pricier side I know the casting resin sold in stores is a lot cheaper.

Step 24

I can’t say I’m a pro with wood and resin however I’ve done my fair share of research before jumping into this DIY.  In order to avoid major bubbling when filling holes in the wood you need to coat the whole area with a thin coat of resin first. Especially if the area has bark or lots of texture. By applying a thin coat of resin you pretty much seal in all the dirt and air bubbles that would otherwise rise to the top if you didn’t seal it.

Step 25

After letting my first thin coat of resin set for about 5-6 hours the holes were ready to be filled with resin completely.  Keep in mind resin will not set completely in 5 hours it will still be tacky. Even tough it’s tacky it won’t mix with the fresh resin you pour on top.

Step 26

Now it’s a waiting game! I wish there was a way to speed up the process of setting resin. It took about 36 hours before I could sand it down. I used some 230 grit sand paper and sanded it down until it was smooth and flush with the wood.

Step 27

Okay as much as I wanted to stain the wood darker I was so scared to ruin it. I decided to use something that would bring out the natural grains in the wood so I went to our local wood shop for some advice. They introduced to me this danish oil.  I was in love at first! This stuff really made the wood grain pop and I thought WOW! There’s a downside to it though! It’s not like wood stain that takes a lot quicker to set ( about 12 hours) .

Step 28

This Danish oil takes 72 hours to set if you plan on applying any clear protection on top.  LET ME just say I learned the HARD way😑! Whatever you do don’t apply clear finish before the 72 hour mark. 😫 BOY did I wanna cry when I saw my clear coat bubbling up!

Step 29

Just use stain it does the same thing and they have different colors to pick from too. I don’t know why I bothered to try something new on a table that took me so long to make!

Step 30

 I always used minwax lacquer before with any of my wood projects and loved it but, I was at home depot and they stopped carrying minwax (now only sold at lowes). So I quickly googled reviews and was convinced this stuff was amazing! Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad.

Step 30

It doesn’t leave spots and dries clear. Compared to minwax lacquer I feel like this stuff is a joke. Minwax goes on silky smooth and feels thicker and even somehow seems to level itself out while drying. Every time I use it looks like I applied it with a spray gun. It looks so smooth. This deft stuff applied like regular water based clear finish even though it says it lacquer.  Maybe the oil had something to do with the finish of this clear finish. I’ll have to try it again on another project with regular wood stain.

Step 31

Doesn’t this stuff look so milky. I don’t remember the minwax lacquer being this milky. It was clear and silky. I think that’s because this one is water based and lacquer finishes are usually clear.

That’s it! Here’s how the table looks! I’m in love! Those wood holes look amazing!

Tilted Brush Stroke

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LILY ARDOR

A DIY BLOG, SHARING STORIES OF DESIGN BY LILY ARDOR