/building · December 2026

Live Edge Tables

woodworking · redwood · epoxy

From a warehouse in Richmond (Peroba Reclaimed Wood), I picked up some slabs to build custom tables and furniture. This is a guide for a novice to build their own live-edge standing desk.

Finding a slab#

If you're in the Bay Area, my top recommendation is Peroba Reclaimed Wood. The guy who I normally see there (Landon) is an awesome guy who has dropped plenty of wisdom on me.

My first slab was a $100 piece of redwood that had a lot of sun damage. I was excited to have a test piece where I could make mistakes without feeling bad about wasting a good piece of timber.

Live-edge slabs leaning against the wall at Peroba Reclaimed Wood, with a thick slab on a pallet in the foreground — The warehouse in Richmond, and my wife with our new slab before loading it into the car.

Roshni standing next to the raw redwood slab on the sidewalk after pickup — The warehouse in Richmond, and my wife with our new slab before loading it into the car.

Getting the bark off#

The live edge still had bark on it. Some of it peeled off in long strips, and the rest needed a chisel and a mallet.

Pulling a long strip of bark off the live edge of the slab on the deck — Hand-peeling the first layer, then chiseling off the last layer.

Using a chisel and mallet to pry remaining bark off the edge — Hand-peeling the first layer, then chiseling off the last layer.

Sanding#

I started by sanding with a corded DeWalt random orbital sander - you should be able to find these on sale for $80. I also used a corded sheet sander for the higher grits and the edges.

I started with 100 grit sandpaper to smooth out the surface, then did another pass with 150, then another pass with 220, and a final pass with 320. I also used a full face respirator, since the sawdust is really irritating if you're getting it in your eyes for a couple hours.

The raw slab on sawhorses, still showing saw marks and a dark weathered surface — What it looked like off the mill, and the setup for sanding it.

A random orbital sander, safety glasses, and a respirator on the slab mid-sanding — What it looked like off the mill, and the setup for sanding it.

Cutting it down#

The slab was not perfectly rectangular, so I measured the exact line with a framing square and cut it with a jigsaw. The wood was so thick that it took around an hour to slowly make it all the way through.

The slab on sawhorses with a framing square, hacksaw, and sawdust from a cut — Next time I'm going to find someone with a circular saw.

Cutting the slab to length with a jigsaw guided by a clamped framing square — Next time I'm going to find someone with a circular saw.

Eventually I had the table shaped and sanded exactly the way I wanted it!

The slab after sanding, with red heartwood down the center and pale sapwood along both live edges — The finished slab after sanding.

Applying the finish#

I am a proponent of Odie's oil, which has turned out amazing for all my projects. It's made entirely from naturally occuring oils and resins. I'm typing this blog post on the piece of wood pictured here, and the finish has held up beautifully after a year of frequent daily use.

Spreading oil across the slab with a scraper, half the surface still dry — Coating the bottom side with Odie's oil first, before flipping it to work on the top.

Oil jar, scraper, and rag on the slab, with the oiled heartwood dark and glossy — Coating the bottom side with Odie's oil first, before flipping it to work on the top.

My original guidance was to apply a very thin coat of oil, then use a spatula to spread and to wipe off the excess with a rag. I eventually switched to using non-scratch non-woven pads, which are way less strenuous to use and noticeably conserve oil.

The underside of the slab after oiling, still on sawhorses in the garage — Finishing the top side and letting it dry.

The finished slab leaning against the garage wall to dry — Finishing the top side and letting it dry.

After it dried I bolted the slab to a standing desk frame. The live edge faces me, and the height buttons sit under the right side.

The finished redwood slab on a standing desk frame, with a laptop and two monitors — The desk I work at, and the live edge I sit against.

Close-up of the live edge and the thick redwood slab mounted on the black standing desk frame — The desk I work at, and the live edge I sit against.

The standing desk from the side, with a laptop open and the height control panel under the right edge — A year of daily use, and the buttons that raise it.

Pressing the height control under the finished live-edge standing desk — A year of daily use, and the buttons that raise it.

A second table#

The next slab had bigger knots and a crack that went through to the other side. I sanded it the same way as the first one, 100 grit up through 320.

The second slab on sawhorses on the patio, with a DeWalt sander and a chisel on the surface — Same sander, same patio, a slab with more holes in it.

The sanded second slab on sawhorses, red heartwood down the center and a sander resting on top — Same sander, same patio, a slab with more holes in it.

I moved it into the garage once the surface was smooth. A chunk of the live edge came off while I was handling it.

Panning across the sanded second slab in the garage — The slab in the garage, and the piece that broke off.

Holding the broken-off piece of live edge next to the slab — The slab in the garage, and the piece that broke off.

I coated the mating faces with wood glue and clamped it overnight.

Wood glue on the broken edge, ready to clamp the piece back on — Gluing the edge back, then taping the underside of the holes so epoxy wouldn't run out.

The slab on sawhorses with bar clamps, red tape under a knot, and gold epoxy already in the hole — Gluing the edge back, then taping the underside of the holes so epoxy wouldn't run out.

Filling the gaps#

The remaining voids needed something that would stay put. I mixed a gold-tinted epoxy and poured it into the knots, then used a plastic spreader to push it into the thinner cracks.

Pouring gold epoxy from a cup into a dark knot hole in the slab — Pouring into the big holes, then working the rest into the cracks.

Spreading gold epoxy into a crack along the live edge with a plastic scraper — Pouring into the big holes, then working the rest into the cracks.

A knot hole filled with metallic gold epoxy, sanded flush with the surrounding grain — After it cured I sanded the epoxy down until it was even with the wood.

Sanding the cured epoxy flush with a DeWalt random orbital sander — After it cured I sanded the epoxy down until it was even with the wood.

Then the same Odie's oil as the first table.

The finished second table with gold epoxy fills and thin steel legs — Oiling the top, and the slab after the finish went on.

The oiled second slab on sawhorses, with a gold epoxy fill in a knot near the corner — Oiling the top, and the slab after the finish went on.

This one got a set of square steel legs instead of a standing desk frame.

The finished second table on steel legs in the garage, gold epoxy filling a crack near the live edge — On its legs in the garage.

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