Wood & Resin Dining Table

[adam frary]

I want to make this table! I am a journeyman woodworker with access to most homeowner/diy tools. I can source the rough cut planks.
After reading and watching many youtube videos, I am still not 100% sure how to go about making this beauty. I have a few specific questions lingering...


1. What is the correct resin to use for this project in order to achieve A) super-smooth and clear finish and B) structural integrity.


2. What should the mold/form be made of?


3. I need a good source for those modern-looking table legs or something similar since I won't be able to fabricate them myself.


4. Any tips/tricks to working with and finishing resin to achieve the flattest, smoothest, clearest end product?

[Andrew Hughes]

Good luck finding someone here that's made one.Thats design is unique I haven't seen before.
I think it's awful.
Maybe you should experiment with a small scale.Before you spend hundreds of dollars on epoxy.
Good luck.

[Andy Giddings]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so they say, Adam. I'm with Andrew - it looks like something that has been knocked together with odd bits of pallet and the legs from a utility table :-). In terms of making it, I would guess that the "woodworker" made a mold, put a base layer of epoxy in, let it cure - then laid the three planks in it and poured a ton of epoxy over it.

[adam frary]

Good luck finding someone here that's made one.Thats design is unique I haven't seen before.
I think it's awful.
Maybe you should experiment with a small scale.Before you spend hundreds of dollars on epoxy.
Good luck.

It's not traditional, thats for sure. If you don't like modern design it's not for you. I will definitely experiment with whatever resin I end up using.

[Mel Fulks]

I agree with others,that means this project is not ....resin..ating . Think it needs more schtick than, than "that table is missing some boards...oh that's plastic". But concept of combining the two materials is interesting ,keep us posted.

[Allen Jordan]

I think the idea has potential if you had a board with voids, they would be like clear lakes. I don't like how that top is setup, and really don't like the legs. To get such clear resin, you would likely need some combination of a vacuum pump, heating the resin to thin it, and vibrations to bring any trapped bubbles to the surface. And a whole crapload of sanding... so so much sanding, up to an extreme grit to make it seem clear. It would likely take a wide belt sander to start, then tons of work with a ROS and buffer.

[Tom Ewell]

Acrylic casting projects lookup might be a starting point.

Back in the 70's a lot of deco-pour type stuff 'was in', did a few bar tops for local establishments, can be very tough to work with on site

In controlled area might have better success.

Clean mixing of enough batch to do it in one pour, timing of the resin, mild heating (heat gun) to rid of bubbles and leveling come to mind

Start with smallish projects to get a feel for the process.

Final finishing might involve some wet sanding and buffing.

Legs appear to be something from the metal shop or blacksmith

Have fun and keep us posted.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I would think that that was done in some type of press under very high pressure, to get the resin to fully penetrate the wood and stabilize it. If the wood moves at all, the table top self destructs.

If I was going to attempt this, I'd build a mold, and table top epoxy. Start with about a 1/8" bottom layer of epoxy, and wait until it starts to gel. Then set your boards in, and add another layer, 1/8-1/4" thick. (It may need to be thinner?)
Repeat until the epoxy completely covers the wood.
I would leave the wood 1/8" to 1/4" short on the ends, so that the end grain is totally sealed..
Your chances of needing to sand and polish will probably be upwards of 99%, Unless you've made and used a LOT of molds before.

As for the legs, find a local metal shop to fabricate them for you.

[Joe Jensen]

Also note that the legs are connected to all three boards. I'm sure this contributes to the structural strength. I would be very worried about the strength of a live edge to epoxy or acrylic resin joint. The wood in the sample seems like it's worm eaten which would create voids for the resin to flow into voids strengthening those joints. Also you will find that resin is expensive. West Systems is widely recommended and it's like $100 a gallon. So as someone else recommended do some smaller scale tests.

[Chris Merriam]

Wow, the cost of epoxy would be crazy, how many gallons would that take, 5 or 6? What kind of shear strength would the epoxy have in the gaps between the boards?

I've seen those legs for purchase before, from a woodworking or hardware type place. Lee Valley, or Osbourne perhaps?

[Dan Friedrichs]

http://www.alumilite.com/store/p/933...ite-Clear.aspx

[Malcolm Schweizer]

As Dan Friedrichs listed a link to: Alumilite is what you need for this, and it would take quite a bit of it. It needs to cure under pressure, so you would have to build a pressure pot big enough to hold it- not impossible, but would add even more to the cost if doing a one-off build.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Malcolm, should it be under pressure or under vacuum? I've used the clear Alumilite a few times for little widgets, and was never able to get optically clear results - always lots of air bubbles trapped inside. Putting it under vacuum pulls some of them out, but too hard of a vacuum causes it to froth. I could never find the "sweet spot", apparently.

(perhaps the point, here, is that this is a non-trivial project, and I wouldn't go buy the 55 gallon drum of the stuff, right away...)