Build a Live Edge Bench or Coffee Table
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Instructor: Brian Days. Live edge furniture, also known as natural edge furniture, is furniture that celebrates wood in its most dramatic, organic and irregular form — by showing off bark, spalted areas and cracks. Creating a live edge piece involves letting the natural properties of the slab take the lead. This is an exciting experience, as the tree, in essence, becomes your co-designer.
In this 2-session or 3-session course, students will learn how to evaluate and select slabs from among a diverse array available for purchase at Woodcraft, and to design a piece of furniture, capitalizing on the woods’ natural beauty. Students will then be taught to surface the slabs and to inlay bow tie splines that stop naturally occurring cracks from getting larger and add aesthetic value to the project. Next, they will either build wooden legs, or attach steel hairpin legs also available for purchase from Woodcraft. Both power tools and hand tools will be used. Students who apply storebought legs will complete the project in two classes. Students who choose to construct and apply handmade wooden legs using time-tested methods of joinery should register for all 3 classes. Finally, advice on wood finishing products and techniques will be provided to all students.