How to Faux a Live Edge Table

An old board that had been outside for a long time became the inspiration for this project. The knot hole in it was epic and we thought it would make an interesting feature in a table, if only the board was live edge. 

Well, no worries! We just faked our way to a live edge using a couple of simple tools and a little time. Plus, along the way we discovered it was also fun to do!

• 12x2x4 Board (Home Depot)
• Hairpin legs (Amazon)
• DIABLO 4-1/2 in. 80-Grit Steel Demon Grinding and Polishing Flap Disc with Integrated Speed Hub (Home Depot)
• DEWALT 20-Volt MAX Cordless 4-1/2 in. to 5 in. Grinder (Home Depot)
• Makita 15 Amp 12 in. Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser (Home Depot)
• Drill (Amazon)
• Jig Saw (Amazon)
• Jig Saw blades, Bosch (Amazon)
• Ridgid Orbital Sander (Amazon)
• Ryobi sheet sander (Amazon)
• Sandpaper (Amazon)
• TYVEK Tape (Home Depot)
• TotalBoat table top epoxy (Amazon)
• Diamond Dust Epoxy Pigment Powder, iridescent blue (Amazon)
• Minwax Clear Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner (Amazon)
• Minwax Red Oak Wood Finish Oil-Based Wood Stain (Amazon)
• Minwax Polycrylic Protective Wood Finish (Amazon)

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This board had been outside quite a while. The actual width is 11.5 inches by 1.5 inches thick which is perfect for a small entryway table. It needed a LOT of cleanup!

We decided the finished table would be four feet long. We determined where we wanted the knot hole to be and cut the board to size on our Makita sliding miter saw.

Using a fresh Bosch blade, we used our Ryobi jig saw to cut a "live edge".

We finessed the edge with a DeWalt angle grinder fitted with a Diablo 80-grit flap disk. This was the fun part.

Because the board was in such poor condition, it required lots of sanding. This Ridgid cordless sander is our go-to tool of choice.

Before pouring epoxy, we used a chisel to clean up the knothole.

We flipped over the board and covered the exit of the knothole with Tyvek tape to prevent leaks. A brayer helped to really seal the tape in place.

We mixed up some TotalBoat tabletop epoxy, tinted it with Diamond Dust Epoxy Pigment Powder in iridescent blue, and poured it into the knothole being careful not to overfill. The epoxy is not even with the tabletop as to give the pour the look of a lake.

Once the epoxy was cured, we stained and used a Polycrylic finish on the table. We did a couple of coats of finish, sanding with 220-grit sandpaper to achieve a smooth finish.

The last step was to screw the hairpin legs into place.

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