# slab live edge table



## jkupcha (Mar 28, 2009)

Hello All
Used my Haddon CSM to slab a cherry log I found. Planning on making it into a long Sofa table. 7'x10". Wondering if anyone has pics of live edge tables they made? I'm looking for ideas to finish the legs/tressel. Thanks - Joe


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## arbadacarba (Mar 28, 2009)

10" is probably a little narrow for a sofa table, If you have two sequential slabs try flipping one the other way around and tying them together with inlaid butterflies on the top and inlaid straps on the bottom for the main tie. The straps should be lined up with your legs for added strength. For legs, try to splay them a little bit (no more than 7-8 degrees) in two directions so that you are mimicking the branch growth. I tried it a couple of times with the legs straight up and down on smaller tables and it just didn't look right. A little extra work to splay, but well worth the effort. The other thing with live edge stuff is not to go too glossy on the finish. Polymerised Tung Oil is a great finish that will allow you to bring up the level of shine you personally like simply by burnishing with 000 steel wool after application. You are then accentuating the naturalness of the table rather than fighting it.

Theres a lot of really nice work out there. Google "live edge tables" up or go through "Fine Woodworking" and you'll find what you are looking for.

Good luck!


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## jkupcha (Mar 28, 2009)

Thanks!
Do you have experience cutting the "bowties" If you have any tips or a pic of your work that would be great!


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## arbadacarba (Mar 28, 2009)

All the bowties are is bowtie shaped pieces of stock that are 1/4 to 3/8" thick and let into the table. You'll need a good mortising chisel at least 3/4" wide and a mallet so your edges are crisp where you let them in. A small plunging edging edging router with a spiral upcut bit would help speed things up, but is certainly not needed. Contrasting wood for the ties helps to accentuate your craftsmanship. Have a look at these two sites

www.louqart.com/mesquite_tables.html

and

www.jeffrey greene.com

for examples of the use of bowties (the first site) and some natural looking leg designs (the second site)


I'll post some pictures of my own work if I can figure out how to get past my antivirus system, but I can tell you that I have what is probably the worlds only beeswing, curly spalted pear sofa table and end tables ( in theory, beeswing curly pear doesn't exist, but it did on this windfall ), and the worlds only salmonberry knot pen ( I hate those friggin things ) 

Playing around with our woodmizer gives me spalted curly bigleaf maple until the cows come home ( I did my entire kitchen in it - worth about $50,000 on the market ), crotchwood galore, mineral stained madrone that looks like marble, quilted bigleaf maple, 1/8" highly figured veneers etc. etc.

This isn't said to boast, but rather to encourage. You will have the time of your life If you go slow on the mill and teach yourself to cut for grade . Keep a little power plane and some tung oil handy at firstso you can quickly see what you are getting from your cuts and remember that wood abnormalities are your friend when making fine pieces. (To me, there is nothing more boring than a perfect oak floor. I'd chuck out all the straight stuff and go straight to the stuff the other guys are throwing away - but thats just me!)


Oh, by the way, congratulations! You are now entering the world of zen!opcorn:


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## arbadacarba (Mar 28, 2009)

Heres another picture that will show you not only bowties, but also how they originally came into being ( Controlling splits )

www.custommade.com/gallery/IL/lamb-table.jpg


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## Brmorgan (Mar 29, 2009)

Here's a beautiful Oak slab table that member aggiewoodbutcher made, followed by the link to the related thread:







http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=70075&highlight=oak+slab+table

It should give you a few ideas to chew on for a while. I haven't done one myself yet, but I have my eye on a few huge Douglas Fir trees that would do the job nicely.


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## arbadacarba (Mar 29, 2009)

Now *that's* my kind of oak!


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## jkupcha (Mar 29, 2009)

Thanks! Great ideas and tips


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## jkupcha (Mar 29, 2009)

I just ordered the Whitehead router kit and templates for bowties


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## English Oak (Apr 7, 2009)

*live edged coffee table*

Fantastic post by the way. I'm currently making a live edge coffee table from a slab of sweet chestnut with inlayed spalted beech butterfly 'keys'.I agree with what ' abradacabra' said, It quite good fun seeing what intresting cuts you can get with a woodmizer. I'll see if I can post some pics, 

Tom


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## English Oak (Apr 7, 2009)

*live edged coffee table*

I hope these's work. I haven't final sanded it yet but if anyone interested I can up load photo's of it construction. Tom


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## Adkpk (Apr 7, 2009)

Sorry no bowties. White pine slab, maple legs.


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## big daddio (Apr 7, 2009)

Yeah, i like that rustic look too, no live edge on this stool but beveled like one. what you usin to cut the tenons?


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## Adkpk (Apr 7, 2009)

big daddio said:


> what you usin to cut the tenons?



Logman tenon maker.


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## BlueRider (Apr 8, 2009)

I prefer to make my butterflies a bit different in shape than the traditional bow tie shape. I make mine asymetrical and with sublte curves "S" curves on the end to look a bit more mike a real butterfly flying through the air. I also make mine the full thickness of the board. I suppose I do this in part because the first time I needed to use a butterfly I didn't have any template routing bushings so I cut it by hand with a coping saw and chsiel. doing it that way it didn;t seem to make a difference what shape it was so I made it asymetrical and people love then that way so I keep doing it. Just a different way to skin the proverbial cat.

I make the sides tapered a few degrees and I make the insert a bit thicker so that as I refine the fit with rasps and files it drops further into the hole. I trim the thickens of the insert with chisels and a hand plane once the glue sets. they generaly take me 1-2 hours depending on how acurate I am with the scrol saw and how mich fitting of the insert needs to be done.

The bench is made of monterey cypress and the butterfly is curly claro walnut. It sits in the tasting room of a local winery and a second one is for sale at a local gallerey.


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## arbadacarba (Apr 8, 2009)

Nice stuff! I like the shift on the rails as well.


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## Adkpk (Apr 8, 2009)

BlueRider said:


>



 Nice.


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## BobL (Apr 8, 2009)

adkpk said:


> Nice.



+1


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## excess650 (Apr 8, 2009)

Adkpk said:


> Nice.



Yeah man!:agree2::yourock:


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Apr 10, 2009)

BlueRider said:


> I prefer to make my butterflies a bit different in shape than the traditional bow tie shape. I make mine asymetrical and with sublte curves "S" curves on the end to look a bit more mike a real butterfly flying through the air. I also make mine the full thickness of the board. I suppose I do this in part because the first time I needed to use a butterfly I didn't have any template routing bushings so I cut it by hand with a coping saw and chsiel. doing it that way it didn;t seem to make a difference what shape it was so I made it asymetrical and people love then that way so I keep doing it. Just a different way to skin the proverbial cat.
> 
> I make the sides tapered a few degrees and I make the insert a bit thicker so that as I refine the fit with rasps and files it drops further into the hole. I trim the thickens of the insert with chisels and a hand plane once the glue sets. they generaly take me 1-2 hours depending on how acurate I am with the scrol saw and how mich fitting of the insert needs to be done.
> 
> The bench is made of monterey cypress and the butterfly is curly claro walnut. It sits in the tasting room of a local winery and a second one is for sale at a local gallerey.



Nice details!


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