Hi all,
I've been shopping around for a slab coffee table and haven't been able to find any reasonably priced items, so I've decided to have a go at building one myself. That said, I have absolutely no woodworking experience. Besides sourcing the wood (I've found some mills in my area and am thinking of using walnut for the slab), I'm not sure where to start.
I'm thinking of a design similar to the following, but with a second tier/shelf at the bottom: http://www.custommade.com/slab-coffe...sionfurniture/
Apologies for any dumb questions that follow...
- What particulars should I look for when selecting a slab?
- Once I have a slab selected, do I go about sanding right away or are there other preparatory steps?
- When I sand, should I do this by hand or with a rotary sander or a belt sander? What grit # sand papers should I use?
- What tools/techniques can I use to shape/polish the edges of the slab?
- What steps do I go through to apply finish? I'd like a fairly dark and polished look but nothing too glossy (similar to photo in link above)
- What finishing products should I use? (which brand, how do I select the proper shade, etc.)
I have a lot more questions, mainly about how to build the base and add in a second tier at the bottom, but I figure I'll pace myself and figure out the absolute basics with the slab first. Any and all guidance is greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Eugene