Rustic wood meets modern metal to create this striking—and timeless—piece of furniture. Tom Silva and Kevin O’Connor show how to make one of your own
THE WOOD IN MOST SOLID-WOOD FURNITURE has been sawn, planed, peeled, and sanded into uniform planks, panels, and boards. That simplifies the building process, but obliterates virtually any sign that the material once came from trees growing in a forest. Not so with this console table. Its top is fashioned from two 2-inch-thick slabs sliced from the trunk of a Norway maple. The tree’s “live edges” are basically untouched— the bark was removed because it would fall off eventually—so they retain the natural undulations and wormholes that give this piece its distinctive character.
Local sawmills can be good sources of live-edge slabs; that’s where TOH general contractor Tom Silva bought the ones for this project. You can also find them online in a wide range of sizes and species. Whatever the source, pay close attention to the slabs’ moisture content (MC) and drying method. Ideally, a moisture meter should show an MC in the 6 to 8 percent range. Slabs with a higher MC could warp or split as they dry. Kiln-drying, not air-drying, the wood should get the MC into the desired range, and kill any bugs ensconced there. Even so, acclimate your slabs indoors for a few weeks before starting work.
Console table steps
1. Cut inside edges.
2. Remove bark.
3. Sand live edges.
4. Glue cut edges.
5. Clamp.
6. Trim ends.
7. Sand top.
8. Rout and chisel leg mortises.
9. Brush on shellac sealer.
10. Wipe on tung oil finish.
FINISHED DIMENSIONS 15"W × 57"L × 28"H
TOOLS
> track saw, or circular saw with edge guide
> chisel and hammer
> reciprocating saw with 10-inch blade
> rotary sander
> bar clamps
> random-orbit sander
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