How to clean a wane (live) edge?

[Michael Titus]

I'm working on a maple slab that will become a coffee table top. Both edges are live. After I pick the bark off, what's the best way to clean off the remaining inner bark, dirt, spalt, etc? I'm thinking of using my Dremel tool with a nylon brush attachment, but I expect that to be a slow process. Would a brass brush attachment work better/faster, or would it mar the wood?

[Bruce Wrenn]

POWER WASHER. That would remove anything that will be coming loose later. Let it dry for a couple weeks and you will be ready to go

[jason thigpen]

POWER WASHER. That would remove anything that will be coming loose later. Let it dry for a couple weeks and you will be ready to go

+1 on the power washer. it will remove anything that may come loose in the future.

[William Nimmo]

You would be better served with the soft wire wheel. I use a drill and go with the grain and it comes out real nice.

[Larry Edgerton]

power washer

[Frank Drew]

I'd probably go the low-tech route, a bristle scrub brush (not wire).

[Chris Fournier]

If you hade a few weeks between cleaning and starting in on the project I would consider the power washer.

I have always reached for the brass wire brush/wheel and a dental pick. Even on softer cherry the brush leaves a nice non-marred but clean surface.

Where the waned edge is damaged I go at it with gouges to apply a texture that "blends in" the edge.

Below are two cherry waned edge tables, one a sofa table the other and occasional table to match. The keys are imbuya.

[Cody Colston]

Nothing qualifies advice like physical proof. Those are great looking tables, Chris. It's obvious you know what you are talking about.

[Chris Fournier]

Thanks Cody. Mother Nature did all the heavy lifting and I just tried to stay out of the way!

[David Helm]

I generally use a draw knife; it takes off bark and inner bark; then sand with flap sander, then with soft pad sander. I am on a trip so don't have the ability to post pictures.

[Bob Direso]

178504I also use a draw knife followed by a micro-plane followed by hand sanding.178503

[Ken Platt]

+1 on the flap sander. I have two variations on this, one is the wheel with the flaps of sandpaper coming straight out and being supported by little brushes. The other is just a whole lot of little bits of sandpaper mounted on a mandrel. I think I got both of them from Klingspor. I use them in a handheld drill if the piece is large, or on the drill press if it's easier to hold the workpiece. Seems to work well, and leaves a nice burnished surface.

Ken

[Michael Titus]

Power washing was out because I couldn't wait for the slab to dry. I didn't want to use a drawknife because I wanted to preserve the texture of the live edge. I ended up using a Nyalox nylon wheel brush impregnated with fine abrasive. It was less aggressive than a wire wheel but still removed most of the bark without damaging the underlying wood.

[Ken Pywell]

I used a wire wheel chucked in a drill for a redwood slab and it worked fine. I used a dental pick for some of the more stubborn areas.

[Mark Levitski]

We use the brass wire brush wheel w/ the grain. On a lot of pieces we can save the bark. We also use a nyalox brush wheel and flap sanders. Easy does it, and use what you need for the desired effects.

[David Gandy]

I used a wide chisel and a draw knife to remove the bark to a thin cover and finished with a low angle spokeshave which allowed a bit of contouring of the edge that you may or may not want but was pleasing to my eye. This is on an 18" wide highly figured black walnut 12/4 x 60" board for a fireplace mantle.
David G