What is a live edge slab?
For those of you who are new to woodworking, a living edge wood slab is the type of wood that preserves the natural charm of the forest while retaining the tree as a whole with the external corners of the exposed treetop. The Native Spirit of the wood is "alive," and the tree's edges are left intact, which corresponds and gives an in-depth meaning to the word live edge. When you are doing your next project, if you want to create a rustic and one-of-a-kind appearance, living-edge wood is one of the things to remember. Over the last few years, live edge wood has become more common because many people are
What can you use it for?
A beautiful hardwood piece of live edge, or a "slab," is available in a range of environments and spaces for your family or business. The most often used styles of tables and benches are large planks or butcher blocks, but a new kind of character comes out of the live side. Take your creativity and couple your space with a board, a shelf, mantle or the countertop, a work desk, headboard, or an island in the kitchen. Do not stop at a purchase opportunity if you like the rustic look and feel because of the infinite possibilities.
A little history lesson
When pioneers came to establish homes on new land and the family wanted usable furnishings, the tale behind "live edge wood" work was inadvertently added at the beginning of America within the log cabins. Because of the precious time and need, trees were merely sawn into unfinished plates for the production of simple furnishings, including tabletops. Recently, the craft was mastered by the Japanese and American artisan George Nakashima, who was the pioneer in the '40s of a 'living edge renaissance.' This style has since started to rise in popularity and is now quite fashionable.
Things to look out for while working with live edges.
One of the first challenges is that these bits are mostly filled with holes as they are directly taken from a live tree. Some people want to keep the hole vacant so they feel as though the natural appearance of the object adheres to it. Some want to cover the holes with resin.
When buying live edge wood slabs you have to keep a lookout for holes, checks, cracks, bark inclusions, and voids. These are bound to be present as these cent percent natural.
The fact that finishing cuts will prove very difficult in the work with live edge wood is another challenge. These cutting ends of grain may be very uniform since the edge of the slab is not smooth.
Live edge wood is more likely to coil and fold. When conventional woods are cut, producers pre-treat it sometimes to avoid curling or twisting. On the other hand, these woods are not gone under any kind of treatment to preserve their natural beauty.
Finishing your live edge project
(a) Sand
The first thing to do while dealing with live edge wood is sanding. We advise the use of sandpapers of 120 grits. Most people think keeping it on the rough side gives it a more rustic look. But sanding is important and you would enhance and not destroy the look in doing so.
(b) Finish
You would want to test the finish after finishing the sanding process. Make sure the finish is placed on the side of the part you're not planning to display. Once the finish is dry, you will have the final color of your piece well understood. This is suggested to do so as some finishes tend to chemically react depending on the type of wood.
(c) Filling holes
Here is the time to begin filling holes and voids on the plate, after you have checked the sort of end you are using. To do this, we suggest a two-part epoxy device. Test the epoxy at an unexpected location to see if there are any chemical reactions.
(d) Final touches
You'll have to wait after adding the epoxy. The duration of the epoxy to harden probably depends on the size of the opening. You should sand the dome until the epoxy has fully cured. It's time to add the stain after the last sanding. You can at least wear a transparent coat even though you don't want to stain the plot. This will protect the component from spills and other moisture forms.
A short note on live edge cookies
Like live edge slabs there are live edge cookies. These are cut along the cross section of the tree retaining beauting circular cookie shape as well as the beautiful designs that comes along with it. Wood cookies and slices are perfect for woodworking projects that need a rustic and distinctive feel! You put indoors a bit to nature. Live wood edge laboratories, coffee tables, end tables, table decoration are perfect for floating shelves and much more! These small plates and slices are constrained only by your own style and imagination.
Olivewood
The olive wood, farmed from the trees of the olive tree, could be hard and rich in color wood that is prized all around the world for its look, density, straight grain, and fine texture. Olive lumber is extremely sturdy, however, it has a high sensitivity to outside elements and insect attacks. Due to this, it will most ordinarily be found solely in an indoor piece of furniture and smaller wooden objects. Visually, olive wood is known all around the world for its consistent texture, grain, and a distinct and fruity scent when being worked.
African blackwood
African blackwood is one of the most expensive wood out there. Colors range from reddish to black in this dense, lustrous wood. It's usually cut into small billets or logs, with the sharply demarcated bright yellow-white sapwood left on to aid in slow drying and prevent cracks. On the commercial timber market, good quality "A" grade African blackwood commands high prices. Because of its machinability, density, dimensional stability, and moisture resistance, the wood is widely used. Clarinets, oboes, transverse flutes, piccolos, recorders, Highland pipes, and Northumbrian pipes are among the woodwind instruments that benefit from these properties.
Where to get these?
Visit https://exoticwoodzone.com to lay your hands on some exotic live edge slabs and cookies. We have special collections of African Blackwood live edge wood slabs and cookies. Olive live edge cookie and slabs, etc. if your project is too big or too small do not fret, as customizations of live edges are available to your liking.
