How To Finish A Live Edge Slab | Tips & Tricks
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- My first edition of how I finish live edge slabs! We use Rubio Monocoat and apply a beautiful and easy finish.
Check out our updated version! - How To Finish A Live Edge Slab 2.0
• How To Finish Live Edg...
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#Woodworking #LiveEdgeSlab #RubioMonocoat
I live in Montana, I find the right tree, cut it down and mill out the slabs myself. Then I dry them in my kiln. Once dry (to about 7% moisture content) I build either tables or entryway benches with them. I alone from felled tree to finished product am the only one to handle the pieces. Maybe I should start a UA-cam channel...
Michael Skaggs i agree you should! I plan to do the same thing with the property I bought in the Bradshaw Mountains of AZ with a bunch of oak and Ponderosa pines over 100’
Maybe you should re plant trees?
Or a store.. you aint buying that stuff in Vermont
@@ryanlawrence9010or you should shut the hell up. For every tree the guy cuts down, 10 saplings underneath have a huge growth spurt. It’s easier to just tell people you don’t understand anything about how natural forests work than telling him to replant a tree.
beautiful...i could spend every day of my life doing this ...and never get bored...
watching wood come to life.
yea slab work is a ton of fun !
Love that tip about filling from the underside first. Hadn't seen that before but makes sense to save some material. Nice vid, bro
Thanks dude, glad you dig it
@@John_Malecki Hey, Nice tip, how deep do you recommand to fill with a 2.5" table, maybe half that?, Thanks...
But how do you turn a huge slab up^side down when you are alone? ;)
Rookie here: couldn’t you just tape the bottom side and fill from the top?
This gal has her live edge slab and is ready to roll. Thanks for the advice!
If you like this you're going to LOVE these 5 tips for Better Live Edge Tables
ua-cam.com/video/M1GEHvncD-4/v-deo.html
Has anyone else gotten the Barn furniture mart ad before their video here? The dude is something else … absolute unit
John I love your videos! I started my own carpentry company last week after finding a passion for wood working. Your videos have been a god sent for tips and tricks! Keep it up my man.
hows the company going?
@@misterdanielyoungafter a week?
Just bought a slab and was thinking how to approach when I saw this…..couldn’t be better timed,thanks man.
I used General Finishes Seal-A-Cell and Arm-R-seal semi gloss on my live edge walnut table. Applied 6 coats, sanding with 600 grit between coats and it turned out pretty well.
Jn
I use a smoothing plane on the face instead of sanding. Sanding actually minimizes the grain character. Then I use about 4 coats of Danish oil and then buff it with beeswax.
Thats a great classic technique JB. Rubio actually needs the grain to open up in order to penetrate. Hence the 120 grit final finish. Feels great to the touch. You're using an amazing classic style, which i LOVE for figured woods. Great post! Thank you
John Malecki ahhh that definitely makes sense. The wax probably needs open pores for it to seep in. Kinda makes me wonder how it would do on a dense tropical hardwood like wenge.
Ah i dunno. I avoid WENGE at all costs. I despise that species haha
danish oil, wipe on poly. danish oil helps bring out the natural color, wipe on poly seals without adding a visible layer.
Check out the live edge slabs on my channel
I use the same finish but apply with a synthetic steel wool pad in a circular motion which is how monocoat suggests to do it. Really gets the oil in the grain. Nice work by the way
Yea i had the rep in my shop and he uses the squeege and/ or a scotch brite. But both work very well!
Black is a good choice for sure, LOVIT !
Thx’s for sharing and for watching your others too come !
awesome! thanks Vince!
Just finished up a kitchen in Shadyside & the customer had a table that looked identical. Gonna have to keep your name in mind for our customers. Nice work.
Sounds good rich !
Love the West system been using in boat building for over 30 years. I prefer using their black graphite as opposed to black pigment. Great looking table!
Excellent job, great work! The table is beautiful! Pro tip - 50 pack 8mil latex gloves. They'll last an extremely long time by washing them and putting them aside for reuse later on. Wiping that live edge bare handed with that rag, made me feel sticky lol.
Dude:Check for silicone mould making - remove bubble method.
Pour your expoxy mix high above will help a lot.
Or vacumm it before pouring will help too.
Nice work.
Ill check it out
That's a gorgeous piece of wood. Thanks for the pointers. My slab's a bit too red, but otherwise very similar to yours, so let's see how it goes with a little dark tint in the finish.
GOod luck bruce !
Nice work! ... For me, instead of the look of black epoxy to fill knotholes and other voids, I found that unused ground coffee mixed with epoxy gives a more organic look to the filled areas and they both trim easily to flush with the surface, sand easily, and accept finishes well. Of couse, it depends on the look you’re going for and the slab itself. Coffee beans can be found in a variety of shades from light brown to very dark, and because we like coffees, it is pretty much FOC to Bogart a handful. In contrast to your method, however, it requires you fill for the top of the slab, overfill a bit, then trim it down. ... Love your work!
Very nice! Great vid, no extra fluff, and all the commercial stuff is at the end. Great job!
John we are in process of making a live edge signature board for our sons wedding, this will eventually be turned into a table. The conundrum is what product to use that you can sign and then a protective coating on top of that.
That is a conundrum. i would try out tests on some poly on the same wood, should work fine then seal it with poly. Use paint markers too
When signing bare wood, DO NOT use a sharpie marker. Many finishes will bleed it out. I know from experience. Go to an art supply store and find a black marker that uses archival ink. And as always, test it out on scrap wood first.
Currently working on a walnut live edge side table. I have got to try some Rubio.
yea you do!
Looking great man! Agreed the black tint is spot on
Yea I’m a fan ! Thanks bud
@@John_Malecki amazing slabs of Saman woods.
That raintree?
Try putting the epoxy filler a plastic cup in a pressure tank for a few minutes. You will have way less bubbles. Old wooden pattern maker trick to pour castings.
Ya people do that for small pours all the time! good tip
Great vid. Simple explanation. I haven't done anything "live edge" yet but when I do I'll reference back to this.
Looking forward to it Andrew!
We're definitely going to use these tips in our slab builds coming soon!
Nice
apply finish with a hand in the pocket....that's cool craftmanship :)
Haha it’s like dancing
Where to sell a live edge slab table
Thanks John very helpful and to the point. It's exactly how I was thinking to approach a redwood slab that just arrived. I wanted to fill with expoy and finish with oil - really don't like the look of expoy coated slabs. You vid gave the steps I needed to get a smooth top I was hoping for, thanks again for the tips. Great job
I watched your video and liked it alot. I'm going to try out that coating process you are using. So far I've been using a low voc flooring urethane and applying it with a lambs wool pad to get even coverage. Usually up to three coats while buffing between coats with steel wool pads. I learned this process in trade school and it really makes the grain pop out. But is time consuming as well.
Love Rubio. That stuff leaves an amazing look to hardwood. Don't go to dinner and forget to wipe it off. Ask me how I know. :-(
Beautiful tabletop, John. Thanks for showing the process.
Thank you for helping me achieve a beautiful live edge walnut slab dining table.
I fill gaps with epoxy as well. However I tape the bottom and fill from the top. Using my method allows to remove all the bubbles and no refilling
Yep and also uses twice as much epoxy haha. Its give and take. Great tip
I see why you like that finish. Personally if im not epoxying the top i prefer an hvlp finish for the last couple coats for the smooth finish. Not the easiest but if you work with it flat like that you can really flow coat it to build up and smooth out
Yea it all comes down to personal preference. I dig it tho
I usually use polyurethane only for speed not quality. Depending on what I am trying to accomplish, I have used a pump up sprayer followed with a brush, a roller, or just a brush, sponge or various bristles. I use sponge brushes for live edge.
great video, would love some better recommendation for the common person on a rotary sander, not many of us can afford $600 on a festool rotex sander and a belt sander is just too hard to control for finer jobs (for me)
A 150 dollar amazon vacuum chamber and pump combo work great as a cheap degassing solution. I prototype plastics with urethane molds and various two part compounds, the only way to ensure no bubbles is degassing!
yea a lot of people de-gas for turning blanks!
I have 2 slabs. No idea where to start lol. This vid was excellent! Thank You!
Just watched this video. I have a massive live edge slab that I will turn into a coffee table for myself. Just about fell off my chair at the price of the monocoat product. I have used spar varnish cut with turpentine for a finish on other projects, doing a wet sand, which gives a beautiful satin finish and fills blemishes at the same time. Takes longer to dry but since I don't have a client paying for the materials, ultimately works out better for me. Found this in Fine Woodworking magazine years ago.
Thanks, I've got a live edge to work on tonight. Love your channel
How does it look now?
Good video, John. I've got some slabs that are drying so this is very relevant content for me! Looking forward to the next one.
Glad you enojy. Crush those next projects!
Same. We have a back yard full of red oak, & a shed full of sycamore & walnut. I can't wait to sink my teeth into these.
Great table man Little trick you can also try is putting a sheet of glass against your slabif it's flat enough then tape. Resin won't stick and Chrysler shine finish. On resin once set.
Great tip man. Thank you for sharing
Chrysler shine?
Great info thanks! I have done a bar and shelves out of cedar with clear epoxy, filled from the front side once I had the top sanded down to smooth using 100, 150, 200, 300 on the cedar and up to 2000 on the epoxy I coated the whole thing with polyurethane applied with sponge brush did 4 layers. Turned out smooth as glass and looked amazing but WOW what a headache with the epoxy sanding, I will try the back fill technique on my two benches and breakfast table that I am currently building for my new house.
Check out the live edge slabs on my channel.
Awsome im currently about to purchase a slab of live edge wood and make our dining room table out of it this would make it look great. 🤙 awsome work!
Good stuff man! Been wanting to use Rubio, I've had a little bottle that I've been meaning to try.
It’s great dude. You’ll dig it
@@John_Malecki What's it's advantage over tung oil?
Check out the live edge slabs on my channel.
John can you wax it after it cures ? To get a bit of a sheen on it ?
Love the tips. Thanks so much for the video!
Hi John, great video, extremely helpful, and a beautiful piece of timber; I only wish that we could get hold of the kind of timbers you have in that part of the world, there doesn't appear to be anyone in the UK who imports live edge slabs with such beautiful contrast, in wide boards.
Snag one up online!
FestTool as a suggestion is wild 😂
Dude that's an amazing table! Super jealous. I like to use a medium Danish oil for color and a hand rubbed gel poly on my slabs. Thia video has inspired me to try out the finish you recommend
good wishes from Russia! Keep your way!
Thank you!
thank you vince vaughn!
Someday maybe.... someday
A product to consider to help with “out gassing” from the wood and for keeping grain from raising is Benite.
Holy grail of table man. Wow.
Great looking table top and thanks for sharing this video and tips . GOD SPEED !!!
super beautiful piece. fun just to watch.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it
Tipp for a german product: OSMO Hardwachsöl. Wunderful optic and less time for work. I use it very often for all my woodwork.
I’ve heard osmo is great too
Yeh, I love the OSMO products. I've finished all the live edge work in my house with OSMO Polyx oil, which is a joy to use. By al, I mean ALL (like all skirts, archs, benches, window reveals and trims).
I gotta try some
John, NICE JOB! Have you ever left the bark on the edge? If so, what do you use to protect it and make it hard enough to withstand daily use? Would clear epoxy be the choice? Really great work!
I never leave the bark on, it'll fall off eventually as the tree gets older and Im not huge on that look
1 st coat is a poly, then Minwax stain of your chose. The poly being 1st has a fading effect on the minwax stain so its more unique to the wood.
Ya that’s completely wrong .... the stain will just float on the poly.
John,
The slab turned out wonderful! I follow you on many social media platforms and see that you use rubio monocoat frequently. I'm wanting to build a dining table myself and was wondering how well the finish protects from water and other spills. Would you recommend using a different product? Thanks!
Looks awesome! Will try the Rubio monocoat. I often use Odies.
Love the finish you get on there, John!
Thanks Bruce. Its awesome
Informative video man, love it! I'm digging that finish too, about time I build me a live edge desk!
Boom! get on it!
I tend to only use epoxy coatings, its the only way i have been able to 100% guarantee a water proof finish. I just use a poly as a very top coat to cut out the super shine.
yea with epoxy you'll get that waterproofing. It also feels very different an looks filmy IMO
@@John_Malecki its true, there's a different feeling but you have to remember that people will not maintain a finish that did not do the work to get it to that stage. I had a beautiful hand rubbed oil finish that I told the customer that water had to be wiped up off of or it would stain it. they said they understood, but a week later i was doing an epoxy finish on a vanity top in a small ass bathroom cause they said they thought it was waterproof.
What species of wood is this I was looking to build a coffee table and the colour contrast looks perfect, thanks for your time in reading this.
It looks great. Does that Rubio prevent fading? Or do you do anything else to prevent the color of the wood from fading over time?
Question...any help would be great. I'm making wood candle holders to fit a glass Yankee candles. What should I use to seal the wood that has an ingraved symbol located under where the candle would sit. I used gorilla glue to preserve the bark as I like the look but not sure if I should use it where the candle would sit. I'm worried about he candle getting hot and the glue would begin to melt, in turn, the candle would be stuck/glue to the wood. Please help.
I'm doing a burn finish on the top then taking a wire tape me and a couple friends made going all the way around the edges of the table then we put power to it and it does a electricity burn in the edges then go over everything with a poly erthane
Sounds cool !
Enjoyed your video, about finishing off the table..
Can you add more than one layer of final finish? Also, do you have a leg instal video? Lastly, if you were making a bench out of wood slats, what would you do different? My husband isn’t very artistic but he’s getting an itch to do something with a couple of wood slats he acquired. Thanks. And beautiful job.
Lucky woodworkers in the US where such large wonderful slabs ( walnut ?) and such finishing stuff are available , in France we are not so well off ....
yes we are fortunate, this slab is from costa rica tho
Thanks for the excellent video on finishing live edge planks. The links to the finishes are very helpful. An item you mentioned in a couple of comments was the use of a Festool 150 or 90 sander. I'm a user of a number of tool manufacturers too include Dewalt, Delta, Fein, PorterCable, & Milwaukee. Festool hasn't made my "cut list" regarding increased cost over capability. Could you provide your experience with Festool Sanders in comparison to other manufacturers in a future video?
Not to leave this in a negative scenario, thanks for the great instruction on how to get results with large planks. Looking for the why Festool over other sanders.
Considering this for
A outdoor bar top , how would this finish hold up in a covered patio exposed to some sunlight
Any tips for the epoxy soaking into the wood and not filling the holes? Using cedar.
Rubio FTW! John, did you hear/see they are coming out with and LED cure oil? For woodworking production, their product just can’t be beat
I did not. That’s amazing I’ll have to check it out
Great video ! Ordered all of the products in your video. Will this protect a live edge table from water marks? Or do you add an additional sealant?
Thanks !!
Excellent Tips! I appreciate you sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it Tom!
Nice tip to fill from the bottom if holes go all the way through the slab. What about filling large gaps without tint? I read that Westsystems clouds up and traps bubbles if you fill too thick at one time. Is there a noticeable line when you put one coat of epoxy on top of another? Sorry last question, do you use one or two coats of the Rubio monocoat?
Beautiful piece right there....
I have a question, for an exterior table, fairly small, that will be used with some food prep, I've heard that a lot of finishes, resins, dont do exterior... so I am thinking of an oil finish, just not sure that a food grade mineral oil will do much for sealing the slab.... thoughts appreciated.
Love your work...
I have a question please !
Can you stain the live edge wood before applying epoxy ?
Thanks
Hi John. Great video. Would you advise treating a pine slab with wood conditioner before adding this product, as you would with a regular stain?
Very nice job! Now I want to try that monocoat finish!
You'll dig it!
Great tips John!! Thanks for sharing
You're welcome. Hope you can use some of it !
John, first time slab worker. Using Spalted maple, I want to use a finish that keeps a more natural color while highlighting the spalted area's, do you have any recommendations? Also, how would you combat the wood absorbing the finish unevenly because of the density difference in spalted vs. Non-spalted area's?
Hi, I really love your talent on these tables, i am working on a project and hope it looks half as good as yours or maybe with your suggestions they could look as good.
My slab is 6' by 3' and 2 and a half inchs thick, my question is, is that to thick?
Awesome stuff. Love the channel makes my days unproductive at work, but learning so much. Ok. Rookie here so be patient.. questions-do you do bottom finish first let cure the do top? 2nd is that all you do? Nothing else is the Rubio final process is it durable for say a behind couch bar top table? Any help would be great appreciate.. keep up videos. Thank you.
John. This video was so helpful. I applied the monocoat but would like more sheen. Any suggestions? Can i apply a polyurethane on top of rubio? or another idea?
About to do my first pour. Thanks for the tips!
You can use a horse 🐴 hair brush to reduce the amount of finish material that drop in the floor after you work in live edge go and wash the brush immediately before it get dry.
And after the finish set you can use a towel to remove any extra of finish materials !!!
NIce thought Mohammed!
Hi John, I have several 3" slabs from my dark walnut. I want to finish it and make many outdoor benches. How do I finish for outdoor use? I live in Chicago so I get negative temperatures in the winter. Thank you for your help.
Should you up your grit to 220 before putting on Rubiomoncoat finish? Or will that close up the wood too much? Thanks!!
BEAUTIFUL live edge!!
Thank you Edward!
First, truly beautiful work; thank you for sharing. I picked up a stunning, super gnarly slab of western maple recently that a friend and I are about to turn into a dining table. Two very quick questions: out of Oldies and Rubio's - is either one better at protecting the wood from food/wine stains? Thanks again...
Well i would probably go with the rubio just because it will be easier to fix. nothing is stopping wine from ruining it haha thats just the truth
@@John_Malecki Thank you!!
@@John_Malecki I've been reading and hear that to use Rubio's i can only sand to a circa 120 grit. I plan to sand much finer than that. What do you sand to here?
What a beautiful piece ofwood
I am new to wood working and I love all the videos, thanks. I'm still confused as to when do I fill the voids with epoxy? Do I sand my project first then add it and re sand or do I add epoxy before any sanding?
I sand first then add before final sanding
I have a live edge slab of maple. Left some traces of sapwood on there and would like that edge to appear more raw or textured. Looking at using General Finishes pre-conditioner with either a light brown dye, medium brown dye, or tobacco stain for the edge while using Rubiomonocoat fume light on the top (this will be a shelf/console table). Wondering what your thoughts are for the live edge. Use pre-conditioner? Dye vs stain? Unfortunately, while I have scraps of maple to test the top of the wood, I have never worked with a live edge and no spare pieces to test with.
that table looks amazing!!
John, Is it possible to treat live edge wood for service shelves for an outdoor coffee shop/drive thru espresso stand? If so, what kind of epoxy should we do in order to completely weather proof the wood? Think sun and snow.
Curious did you get an answer. I'm looking to do one to hold coffee syrups.
Are there any types of live edges you recommend if Guanacaste isn't available? Any types that should be avoided for this finish on a kitchen table?
Hey John. Great Video.Inspired me to try the Rubio on a few projects i'm working on. Curious what color Rubio Monocoat you used for that slab.Or did you use the "clear" I have a 6'-4" slab of walnut I was thinking of using to make a computer desk. I have some Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C (Charcoal color ) on its way for another project but wonder if that might not be too dark for the walnut. My 1st time working with walnut. Also have some Rubio Monocoat Hybrid Exterior Wood Protector, wine red color on its way. Any color suggestions would be appreciated.
Read all of comments not to duplicate.. most comments said you sand to 120 before Rubio, but in another location you said 150. Guessing it was a mistake but just checking or did you change your ways..... Great informative content. About to apply Rubio. Secondly I used clear epoxy to fill voids, how can I bring it up to shine, has opaque look now from sander(120 grit) and I know Rubio won’t stick to it to make it shine. Afraid if I buff table where epoxy fills are it will change the finish. I don’t want it to gloss but it need to be brought up to a small luster to lose the haze. Any advice. Thanks
I'm wondering about leaving the bark on for a small project. Any suggestions would be appreciated
Jackie Crowe- Talma ... I’ve had mixed results with trying to save a bark edge. Many times the bark has been banged up so badly during the logging process that it is no longer tight and secure. Rarely have I had a decent tight bark on the entire slab edge. Once when I thought it was good, and I went to the extra effort to heavily seal the bark to make it fairly “snag proof”, the darned bark released in places and fell off.