Live Edge Coffee Tables

[David Coburn]

Hi again friends,

Second posting is of two live edge walnut coffee tables I did earlier this year. I'm in McKinney Texas (North Dallas suburb) and watch the Craigslist adds all the time for good wood buys, tools, etc... A guy that does live edge work up in Wisconsin was coming down to Dallas to see his son. He posted an add on Craigslist about some live edge walnut that he had prior to making the trip. He said that if anyone in Dallas wanted any he would bring it with him. I bought a bunch... These tables and the one in the next post are all from those slabs.

This is the first live edge work that I've done. I looked around on the internet for some ideas and found a few that I tried to incorporate. I made all the tables have similar legs so they would work as a set. Also, the idea of the stacked coffee table came to me when I had two smaller pieces of a slab which I was actually going to make into end tables. I decided to do something a bit different and I'm real happy with how it turned out. I saw a few split designs for large dining tables and incorporated that into the other cofffee table. The first picture is of the slab that I used to build both of these tables. I hope you like them.

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Thanks for viewing,

david
DRCWoodWorks
Dallas, Tx

[Jebediah Eckert]

Beautiful tables, wow on the grain and colors. Are they any pictures that show the base better? Like the full design and maybe how the tops are attached and supported.

I thought it strange in some areas you can grocery shop and they will bring it to you in an hour or two. Now you can pick out some beautiful live edge slabs and have them dropped at your house, fantastic! :D

[David Coburn]

Hi Jebediah,

I wack'd most of the pictures off my phone but I found this one in a text I had. I think it shows pretty clearly what I did. I would not construct it this way if I felt it would get much lateral force, but I think it's ok for what it's usage is.

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thanks,

david
DRCWoodWorks
Dallas, Tx

[William Fretwell]

Lovely unique tables. The legs have a great look. Non mainstream wood scources are the way to go, and delivered!

[Jim Becker]

This is really interesting to me as I've been considering a dining table build that echoes that joinery you did down the middle...very nice!!

[David Coburn]

Hi William. thanks for the kind words. Yes, on the wood sources. About the only time I buy from a retailer is after I have a project booked and need something specific that I don't already have or can't find. I have a ton of domestics (both slabs and standard cut lumber - all rough) and I'm always looking for exotics as well. I've got quite a bit but ever so often I'll need to make a run over to Central Hardwoods.

Hi Jim. Yes, I saw a bunch of split design tables... Many would have glass over the split or some kind of filling that gave it a bit of a creek look... a lot of very cool stuff. I went pretty simply and mostly let the wood do the aesthetic. Also, as simple or strange as it might seem, I believe the non-concentric cuts of the bowties and their actual placement angles make a huge difference in the feel you get when viewing. thanks for the kind words.

david

[Mike Null]

I need a coffee table for my den and yours would fit the bill. Now all I have to do is motivate myself.

Great work.

[David Utterback]

Love your designs and work, especially the asymmetric ties. The legs are also great. I have a couple of similar slabs that have been air drying for two years. Need to get to them shortly. Thanks for sharing!

[David Coburn]

Hi Mike,
Yes, sometimes just standing up is the hardest thing to do... I tell ya though, I love being in the shop.. I don't even have to be doing anything, I just love sitting there... funny..

Hi David,
Thank you and yes, I think the asymmetric ties are the way to go. My take on slabs is that they provide a lot (if not all) of the aesthetic that you try and capture when you build something. That makes them a lot easier to work IMO. If you're doing pure flatwork then you have to come up with little things that set it apart from other similar pieces, which can be hard sometimes. With slabs you just need to find a good slab and be able to mill it correctly. That's not to say that you don't still do things to set it apart but the slab itself puts you way ahead in the game from the start.

My only complaint about slab work is that what I've found is everybody loves them, but has nowhere to put them. Either because they simply don't fit or they don't work with the other pieces in the room. Of course, that's if you're doing them like spec pieces (build it and then try to sell it)... but boy oh boy, everybody loves them. They often think about them more like art than a piece of furniture.

thanks again,
david