Live Edge Oak Bench

First step of this project was to plane the rough sawn 3” thick oak slab down to approximately 2 1/2” thick. My Grizzly 20” planer handled this task with ease. Next the checks and cracks were cleaned out, sanded and stabilized with a combination of walnut wood bow tie stitches from Slabstitcher and epoxy liquid plastic from Ecopoxy. While the epoxy needs at least 72 hours to set (per side), it was on to fabricating the legs. I was looking for a simple, clean, modern look, so 1/4” x 4” steel flat plate seemed like the right choice. The steel plates were cut into four pieces and welded together to create a simple rectangular box. Four holes were drilled in the top of each leg for mounting to the bottom of the bench. After grinding down the welds and quite a bit of sanding from 60 grit through 220, it was off to paint.  Three coats of flat black were applied and dried for at least 24 hours. Once the epoxy cured, it was back to the planer and then a final detailed sanding of the live edge. At this point the legs were placed approximately 2” from each end of the bench and the mounting hole locations were drilled and threaded inserts were installed. The legs were now ready to be bolted on. Last but not least was a coat of Odies Oil followed by a coat of Odies Wax and a final buffing! This piece will be on display at the New England Outdoor Living and Garden Show at the Water Fire Arts Center in Providence, RI March 8th through 10th.