Creating River Table in Live Edge Style

Live edge style in furniture design is becoming increasingly popular today. Its hallmark is the river table.

The unusual name of this object was due to the insertion of epoxy resin in the center of the countertop, thus resembling a raging stream of the river along the curved banks. Amazing table has immediately won people`s hearts.

Such tables can be of different shapes: round, rectangular, oval, square, or you can use any template invented at the discretion of the customer. For the manufacture of river table, natural edge remains untouched, preserving the bark and natural irregularities. The more flaws the wood has, the more effective it will be in the result.

This time I had an order to make a river table top for a desk. It is pleasant to work when a customer fully trusts in choice of river shade, edge processing and full design, from beginning to the end. The size of the countertop is 80/60 cm, 4 cm thick.

I have chosen cap elm slab for the table. The presence of the cap gives an unusually beautiful picture of the living edge and the processing will give a pearl ebb. The wood should be dry, it's important!

Cut into two pieces to fit the pattern for the river to be more sinuous.

I measured out the desired length and sawed off the edges with a parquet.

With marking out, I have highlighted the place of filing the outer edge.

Then, I processed the edge with a jointer.

So I did with the second part of the board.

I align it with a milling cutter.

I smooth minor roughness from fraser with 80 grain belt sander.

Preparing for pouring. I make a sealed box to prevent leaks.

For pouring, I use epoxy resin "Art Massive". I like it because of quality. It is well processed, you can fill a large volume of up to 6cm, the only drawback, it gets dry for a long time, about a week at a temperature of 23 degrees. But I'm used to it and I don't think it's a disadvantage. Customers are warned about time, and they are ready to wait. I use multifunctional "Tex" dye that is used to create rivers. It gives a stunning shade. I mix components accurately according to the instruction. For weighing, I use scales, if you make a mistake in the components at least for a few grams, the epoxy may not harden and will be like plasticine. You can only throw it away as you cannot process it. Be careful, because it is expensive. I took 6 liters of epoxy resin for this table. Stir it thoroughly, the manufacturer recommends to do it for 10 minutes. For large volumes, use a screwdriver or drill and a whisk with plastic blades. It is very convenient. After well mixed, pour the river and fill the small cracks.

Next, you need to remove the bubbles. To do this, the old fashioned way is to use gas burner, it is necessary to be careful not to burn the epoxy or the duct. But I have discovered an amazing concealer "Artcraft". It effectively removes bubbles from the surface of the unapproved composition, it also helps to align the surface. It is very easy and convenient. Shake well and spray at a distance of 15-20 cm. Bubbles disappear. Leave until completely dry.

After everything has dried, I disassemble the box.

Then grind with different abrasives to increase, I reach 2500.

Then, I polish it.

The final coating is oil wax.

Here is a river table which I have made. The customer is very pleased with it!

I use it as a screen picture on phone :)