Live Edge Desk

I was in need of a desk for my home office. I loved the look of the live edge so I picked up a nice looking wood slab and got to work.

Tools:

mitre saw

circular saw

chisel

jigsaw

paint brush

router

drill

screwdriver

welder

grinder with flap disk

palm sander

caulking gun

chop saw

Material:

wood slab

metal legs with fasteners

polyurethane

lacquer

flat bar steel

construction adhesive

Here I utilized CAD to come up with a simple design I liked.

I found this slab on my local marketplace. The species is Oakanese Poplar.

• Sand wood slab 60/150/220 grit.
• Square up the ends of the slab with a circular saw.

• Cut out a slot with a router. I used the flat bar as a straight edge and clamped it to the slab. See video for more clarity.

• Cut the flat bar to length using a chop saw.
• Clamp flat bar into place and grind the edge of the steel to match the profile of the live edge of the wood slab.
• Clean steel with acetone to allow adhesive to stick to surface.
• Adhere steel to the wood using construction adhesive. Clamp down and let cure.

• Sand the slab and steel inlay. 220/320 grit.

I went with three coats of polyurethane on the wood surface and a couple coats of lacquer for the steel surface.

I purchased a standard set of legs from Home Depot. They were a bit too wide and needed to be narrowed.

• Cut out 5 inches of material from each leg (top and bottom).
• Deburr edges and sand a slight chamfer to the cut edges with a flap disk on a angle grinder. This process helps with welding.
• Line up edges, clamp together, and weld the joint.
• Grind weld smooth with a flap disk and a palm sander.

• Degrease the legs. Wipe clean.
• Apply two coats of lacquer.

Lets attach the legs!

• Measure and mark holes.
• Drill pilot holes.
• Bolt the legs to the slab.

All done! Thanks for following along.