"Folded" Wood Slab Side Table

On one of my expeditions I found a cheap slab of wood (elm) that was an off-cut that was quite short and odd-shaped, narrow on one side and wide on the other, but like Charlie Browns Christmas tree I saw something special in this sad piece of wood so I bought it and took it home. The wood was the outside cut of a tree that branched out into a "Y" shape. There was still bark on the narrow edge and several worm holes throughout. I kept this slab leaning against my bedroom wall for almost a year until the right inspiration hit me...

I thought it would be perfect if I could "bend" the wood into a "C" shape with the wide section as the table top (it had an amazing grain) and the narrow end as the base. As I knew I could not bend 2" thick lumber I did the next best thing... By cutting the narrow end at 45 degrees and cutting a wedge out of the main body I could match them up and it would look like the bark continued around the corner.

The top "bend" was a bit more difficult as the slab widened quickly so if I would cut at an angle that the wood would not line up "naturally". So for this I did a straight cut and just butted the top against the back. The Top and Bottom were attached with glue and carriage bolts. The wood I purchased was rough cut so needed a lot of sanding to get it smooth and to bring out the beautiful grain. Once it was sanded I applied about 7 coats of clear varnish.

One additional feature of this table is that the top and bottom are the same length so the table can be placed on its side and used as a foot stool or small bench. This unique "C" shape gives the table a modern minimalist feel yet still being very rustic with the exposed bark and beautiful grain & worm holes. And finally this complete table was built with one piece of wood, a skill saw, cordless drill and a rotary sander... and made in my bedroom!... you do not need a full shop to build furniture..

Hope you enjoy and it inspires you to try something a bit different...