Live edge wood table crack#

To fill your cracks, first seal the underside of the crack with Tyvek tape, not painters tape. The epoxy also cures very hard and is just a great quality epoxy. The pump system makes measuring dummy-proof and super fast. I keep a tub of West System epoxy handy for these projects. I recommend using a fast curing epoxy for both sealing and filling the cracks. If you seal it first with clear resin it will prevent 100% of the color bleed. Which can leave an ugly black stain all around your crack. The tinted resin will actually act as a stain and seep into your wood. If you are going to tint your resin black (or any other color) I highly recommend sealing the crack with a clear resin first. Although, I almost always fill my cracks with black tinted epoxy. You can tint your epoxy any imaginable color if you want. It looks a little cleaner and I don’t have to worry about someone spilling a glass of water down a crack that could compromise my table. For now I prefer to have a nice smooth top though. I actually like the look too, and will probably do that on the right table eventually. It is not uncommon for some designers to leave the gaps open as kind of an artistic choice. I’ve seen some extremely high end tables with big open cracks. Filling the cracks (or not filling the cracks)-How to fill wood cracks In the end you want just a solid wood slab. I use few different chisels, a mallet, a wire wheel on my drill, dental tools, a screwdriver, basically whatever it takes to get down into the crack and break out any loose wood, bark, soil, rocks, or other debris that was trapped in there. First they will need to get cleaned out though. Most any decent sized slab will have some cracks and/or gaps that will need addressed. The nylon wont scratch the wood, but will remove all the remaining strands of bark.

I really like using my Porter Cable Restorer and a nylon wheel for this. Once you get the bulk of the bark removed you will need to get rid of the little strands and fibers that remain. Just try not to dig into the actual slab with your chisel. Second, it might crack and fall off on its own a year or so later. First off, its pretty abrasive and would snag your aunts sweater next thanksgiving. One thing I don’t recommend is leaving the bark on. Check out this blog for a little more info on the flattening process. Alternatives to Goby-flattened would be a DIY router sled, CNC, or renting time out from a local shop who has a big planer or wide belt sander. Or risk fighting a twisted table for the next ten years. If it is, you might want to consider a new slab. As long as the slab isn’t too warped or twisted anyway. For a small fee, usually around $60, they can flatten both sides for you. Goby generally just flattens one side and kinda skims the other side. You will definitely need your slab to be flat before you get too far into the process. Check out my blog on buying live edge wood for more ideas on where to find good slab wood from places like Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. If you don’t want to have something shipped in, that is totally understandable. They even say that about 60% of their business is out of state. They have an awesome online store and ship worldwide. If you don’t live 20 minutes from Goby, you are still ok. I am very lucky to live 20 minutes from the worlds largest supplier of walnut slabs.