Woodworker's Guide to Live Edge Slabs

Transforming Trees into Tables, Benches, Cutting Boards, and More

George Vondriska

• Publisher: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781497101432
• eBook ISBN:
  9781607658535
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Technical & Manufacturing Trades
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The first-ever accessible guide on making DIY furniture from live-edge slabs, this book will show you everything you need to know about incorporating organic, natural wood pieces into your home. After learning techniques for milling, drying, and preparing your own slab, adding inlays, using resin and epoxy, creating waterfall edges, and more, you'll then move on to complete seven projects that range in size and offer additional ideas and inspiration to implement in your own projects while using the techniques you've learned! From charcuterie boards and floating shelves to desks, dining tables, benches, and more, both beginner and advanced DIYers can accomplish these stunning woodworking projects! Author George Vondriska is the owner of Vondriska Woodworks, one of the premier woodworking schools in the Midwest. The managing editor of Woodworkers Guild of America and a contributor to Fine Woodworking, WOOD, and Woodworker's Journal, George has also taught woodworking classes for the U.S. Peace Corps, the Pentagon, Northwest Airlines, and Anderson Window. Learn from a true woodworking pro as you transform trees into stunning furniture your family and friends will love!

PROJECTS

CHARCUTERIE BOARDS WITH EPOXY ACCENTS

SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions	¾″ × 10″ × 28″
Material	Figured soft maple and epoxy
Finish	Odie’s Oil

Tools used:

• Flexible curve

• Bandsaw or jig saw

• Drill press

• Forstner bit

• Jig saw

• Spindle sander

• Router

• ¼″ roundover bit

• Heat gun

If you have smaller live edge pieces around — maybe something you milled yourself — a charcuterie board could be the perfect project for those slabs. Or, use a larger slab and get multiple boards out of it, as was done here. In addition to working with a live edge slab, this project covers shop-made hand holds in the board and epoxy accents.

Slab Choice

A charcuterie board is basically a fancy cutting board, except you don’t cut on it. Your board could be as small as 9″ × 13″ or as large as you like. In addition to your design ideas, final size will be dictated by your slab selection. Since the board is being used for displaying food, not cutting food, you don’t have to worry about the hardness of the wood. Any wood can make a good charcuterie board. As you decide on dimensions, keep in mind that many epoxies are not food safe. As a result, the area of your board you cover with epoxy shouldn’t be used for displaying goodies. If you’re planning on covering a lot of the board with epoxy, make it larger so you have enough real estate left for snacks.

A large slab, Photo 1, can be used to make a number of boards. You’ll need a bandsaw or jigsaw to cut the slab, depending on its thickness. Cutting through the middle of the slab means each board will have only one live edge.

A large slab, like this piece of soft maple, will make multiple boards. Use a piece of chalk to sketch out how the boards will be cut from the slab.

Making the Boards

Get started on large, multi-board slabs by first cutting the slab into smaller parts, Photo 2. Thick slabs can then be resawn into thinner pieces using a bandsaw, Photo 3. After resawing (or if you’re starting with thin stock) plane the boards to final thickness, Photo 4, and sand the saw marks off the cut edges, Photo 5.

The curve being cut on this piece mirrors the natural curves of the live edges. Leave the slab rough sawn for this step. Leveling the resulting smaller parts will be easier than leveling the large slab.

Resawing thick slabs into thinner pieces, instead of just planing them down, lets you get two boards from the slab.

Clean up and flatten the boards by running them through a planer.

Sand the edges as needed to remove saw marks.

Hand Holds and Edges

Make it easy to pick up and carry the board, and hang it on the wall to display it, by making hand holds. A comfortable size oval is 1 ¼″ × 4 ½″, ¾” from the edge of the oval to the edge of the board. Create the ovals using a Forstner bit, drill press, jigsaw, and sander.

Start the oval layout by locating the center of the oval relative to the end, Photo 6. Divide the width of the board in two and mark that centerline. Measure from that line to locate the center of the Forstner bit holes, Photo 7.

Mark the center of the oval 1 ⅜” from the end of the board.

Locate the center of the Forstner bit holes by measuring and marking 1 ⅝” from the center line. Dimple the center point using a scratch awl.

It’s best to drill the holes on a drill press equipped with a fence, Photo 8. The fence guarantees uniform distance to the holes. After you’ve drilled the holes, use a straightedge to connect the edges of the holes, Photo 9, and a jigsaw to cut the hand holds out, Photo 10. Sand to remove the saw marks, Photo 11. Rout the corners with a ¼″ roundover bit, P...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyrights
• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• Gallery
• Techniques
• Projects
• Resources
• About the Author