Live edge wood projects range from coffee tables, side tables, and patio tables to more unusual items like fireplace mantels, bathroom counters, and even a bedside table that hangs from the ceiling.
What Is Live Edge Woodworking?
Live edge is a popular style that incorporates at least one natural edge or plane of the wood’s surface: wormholes, bark, wood grain, and all. The remaining sides are milled down to straight edges or planes. More specifically, the term live edge refers to preserving at least one edge as a remnant of the tree’s living past. It’s slightly a misnomer—nothing about the tree is living anymore. It’s also a bit of a memento mori, a positive reminder of life’s sweet-but-fleeting nature. Live edge projects are typically sanded multiple times with a belt sander and then clear-coated with a glossy polyurethane sealant to emphasize these contrasts.
Advantages of Live Edge Woodworking
One-of-a-Kind: Dimensional lumber that’s milled on all six sides often can look similar from board to board. Live edge wood always has a highly unusual edge or two that stands out and captures notice.Eco-Friendly: Live edge wood projects use fallen trees or trees that have been pruned or cut in yards. Rather than mulching out the wood or simply leaving it to decay, live edge woodworking uses the logs for projects around the home or yard.Durable: Live edge wood is nearly always three inches thick or more. It’s also well-preserved with a protective coating. This means that live edge benches and tables left outdoors will last for decades.
Source: DIY live edge bench from Erin Francois at Francois et Moi The slab comes from The Lumber Shack. Instead, look on Craigslist for local listings by using search terms such as “live edge,” “tree slice,” “tree round,” “natural table,” and “tree removal service.” Source: DIY live edge coffee table project from Elsie and Mess at A Beautiful Mess Kristin Jackson at The Hunted Interior has a way. After her outdoor glass table crashed into smithereens, Kristin decided to use the steel base to mount an assembly of ordinary pine boards to form a top. Then, she and her husband attacked the edges with a belt sander to create a faux live edge look. The finishing touch was the built-in ice bucket in the center. Using a metal bucket from Homegoods, they pounded down the edges until they were flush with the tabletop. After sanding the surface with steel wool, Kristin finished the table with Man O’ War Marine Spar Varnish. Source: DIY faux live edge table with ice bucket from Kristin Jackson at The Hunted Interior Source: DIY live edge mantel project from Colleen Pastoor at Lemon Thistle Rachel from Portland, Oregon sourced live edge alder from a local salvage yard, cut the timber into shelves, and hung them from her kitchen walls with Dolle Strongfix floating shelf brackets. Due to the weight of the shelves, she had to buy a corded drill—her cordless drill wasn’t powerful enough—and drilled into three wall studs. The result: a marvelous juxtaposition of live edge’s grounded-ness with the ethereal, floating nature of cantilevered shelves. Source: DIY live edge floating shelves project from Rachel at DIY In PDX. California Central Coast resident Anya McInroy needed a coffee table for her event design and catering business, so she and her friend Sam grabbed two “fab slabs” of black walnut from a local lumberyard and then purchased brushed steel hairpin legs online. She calls the legs the “perfect juxtaposition” to the rough, unfinished live edge wood. Anya recommends being slow and patient about the sanding process to achieve perfect smoothness—all while leaving the bark intact. She finished by clear-coating with Minwax Polyurethane Clear Satin. Source: DIY hairpin leg coffee table from Anya McInroy at Zest It Up After sourcing wood from a local tree service, she spent hours smoothing down the surface with a belt sander, then prevailed upon her trusted fabricator to build hairpin legs, but these were no ordinary hairpin legs; these were super-sized, bar-level hairpins. After that came the finish—Minwax Wood Finish Natural 209—culminating with an epoxy glaze for a rock-hard glossy surface. Source: DIY live edge wood slab bar table from Jenni at I Spy DIY Caitlin from The Merry Thought wanted to redo her cousin Sarah’s bedroom in a special way, so she began with cross-cuts of black walnut that had been languishing in a relative’s barn for the last 50 years. She made great use of it by sanding down the top with an orbital sander, drilling three holes for rope, and hanging the assembly from the ceiling with an S-hook. The result is a live edge slab of wood that floats gracefully next to the bed, providing space for a book, glasses, and a small vase of flowers—the perfect gift for a favored cousin. Source: DIY live edge wood hanging table from Caitlin and Manda at The Merry Thought She began with a slab of white oak that cost a mere $80 and then sanded it multiple times and coated it with Arm-R-Seal, a sealant that is a combination of oil and urethane sealant. Since this is a bathroom, and bathrooms are known for being wet environments, ModFruGal knew that she wanted a finish that was 100% waterproof. Source: DIY live edge bathroom counter from ModFruGal Source: DIY live edge table from Melissa Hayes at Hayes Everyday
