I finally got the opportunity to build a double waterfall, live edge, Black Walnut coffee table with these slabs that have been staring at me for the last few months just waiting to be exploited for their natural beauty. We decided to finish the table off with a set of wonderfully bright red, powder coated steel, hairpin legs to give the table even more visual interest and a nice pop of color to boot. Birdseye Maple was chosen for the 3 Butterfly inlays for both strength and visual contrast. After the glue-up of the table, I attached the two hairpin legs and made some careful measurements as to what length to trim the waterfall legs. I glued them up with a little extra length since I didn’t know the exact length of the hairpin legs just yet. After an initial sanding for finish prep, I went ahead and cut the butterfly inlays and glued them into place to prevent further cracking of the slabs and then inlaid a little resin into the voids, knots and cracks that needed it to ensure their were no little nooks or crannies for dirt, dust or the kids’ play-do to nestle into. This table was then finished with multiple coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Semi-Gloss Urethane top coat with a good sanding between each coat to ensure a glass smooth and durable finish to the piece for years to come. After a full cure of the top coat it was wet sanded one more time and buffed back to a super smooth, semi-gloss sheen and given a final coat of furniture wax for added slickness and even more water repellence. Now it is ready for someone else to enjoy in their home!!
Here are some shots of the process!! Hope you enjoy – P&P
Fresh slabs cut and ready to become something beautiful.
The backyard router sled setup to level the slabs.
Glue up! Love to see the squeeze out of the glue. Sign of a good joint.
Clamping 45˚ mitres is always a good time.
Glue up done, now for some butterfly inlays to control the cracks.
Good sharp chisel and some careful hand carving are in order.
Perhaps a bit too sharp. All part of the love of woodworking.
Tools of the trade.
Butterfly joints. Success.
Now to Resin fill any voids or cracks left over.
Final table. Gin & Tonic approved.
Three coats of Arm-R-Seal. Wet sand. Buff. Wax. This is the final finish.
Photos for the ETSY sale ad.
We don’t have to use brass screws and finish washers, but they sure do look amazing with these bright red powder coated legs.
The final product. Many hours. A little blood. Lots of sweat… and maybe even a tear when it leaves.
As of the time of writing, this piece is available for purchase in our ETSY store here : Purchase this table
Price: $600 plus S&H
If you missed out on this one, but would like to have something custom built to order, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We would be delighted to work with you on your custom project.
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