I see it as a chance to scavenge really nice lumber from pieces no one wants down the road!
Live edge everything: How long will the trend last?
- Thread starter Stickly
- Start date
There will almost certainly never be a piece of live edge furniture in my house and certainly not one where the live edge is the central/only design element. There's just so much mass and so little elegance. And don't get me started on hairpin legs.
That said... 75 percent of the slabs I see are gnarly-grained, low grade lumber. Not figured enough to make veneer, but too gnarly to be useful otherwise. So people are making something useful out of wood that wouldn't be very usable for "traditional" woodworking, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate art that leverages the quirks of the medium, rather than working against them. And Bob's point about fads being fads until they become canon is well taken. It's just that every jimbob with a router sled and zero design sense is now trying to sell "bespoke artisan fine handcrafted furniture".
That said... 75 percent of the slabs I see are gnarly-grained, low grade lumber. Not figured enough to make veneer, but too gnarly to be useful otherwise. So people are making something useful out of wood that wouldn't be very usable for "traditional" woodworking, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate art that leverages the quirks of the medium, rather than working against them. And Bob's point about fads being fads until they become canon is well taken. It's just that every jimbob with a router sled and zero design sense is now trying to sell "bespoke artisan fine handcrafted furniture".
Last edited:
I just finished a walnut live edge desk for me. It was only 1.5” thick so got a good deal on it. I was able to practice butterflies to fix a couple cracks. Lots of fun but a lot of sanding. Even with 40 grit on festool sanders. I love the desk and plan to keep it around for a long time. I don’t care about fads personally.
Well, I see live edge’s place in woodworking. I’ve seen the potential beauty and immediacy of the connection to the tree. Finding a nice slab and then executing a piece presents unique challenges. One of the most famous woodworkers of the 20th century employed live edge work in his famous work. To each their own.
I doubt my live-edge bar will be going out of style anytime soon...
A piece well done indeed, both design and implementation. I like it.
My guess is that you get your info from old-school sources; old reliable sources. If you get outside of that world, or you are a new-ish person to woodworking, the live-edge craze is everywhere. A person with no skills or experience can buy a live edge slab, stick some hairpin legs on it, maybe pour some epoxy in it to fill the voids, possibly add a few butterflies, and they are a craftsman.
It is a bad trend that minimizes the value of real craftsmanship. If all there is to it is an overly big slab of wood then none of it means anything anymore. It's depressing.
Last edited:
And the fad is so popular, trendy shoppers will walk right past crafted pieces of furniture to buy a third-rate slab of wood with a thick coat of epoxy finish on it and happily pay top dollar for it.
Yea, but that is cool looking, not just another "me-too"slab table!
The fact that we are having this discussion suggests it is running its course...
There are going to be some people that get "stuck" with some "crap" slabs...
I think the good ones (crotch Walnut, waterfall Bubinga etc.) will be around for a long time and will live to represent Bob's point... JMHO
There are going to be some people that get "stuck" with some "crap" slabs...
I think the good ones (crotch Walnut, waterfall Bubinga etc.) will be around for a long time and will live to represent Bob's point... JMHO
that person that lacks skills can make a nice looking table that they are proud of. It might help them pursue wood working as a hobby. I started off making tables with 2x4’s from Ana white plans 7 years ago. I built my own shop two years ago and it loaded with some very nice tools help me make some pretty decent stuff. We all start somewhere.
that walnut slab desk I finished last week. I spent probably 15 hours on it and used cheap adjustable metal legs from amazon. It will be used as a temporary desk for my wife since she’s a teacher and has to work from home many days. She loves it. I butterflied some cracks and epoxied others. Just what some people loathe. My wife loves it and that’s why I made it. Once she’s done with it I will repurpose it maybe. Or let my boys use it.
And that right there ends the discussion as to whether it matters if anyone else likes.
Makes it worth doing! Fills a need and your wife loves it.
I don't loathe this style at all. I have seen ones that are very well done, and others not so much. As others have pointed out, Nakashima has been making live edge pieces for some time (no idea if this Nakashima still active or even alive).
I do like the idea of using and highlighting the features (color variations, crotches, inclusions) , of slabs that would normally be cut away and become waste in more 'traditional' styles. And just to add further to the discussion of 'taste' or trends, there are several much older 'traditional' furniture styles that I am not fond of either - even though I admire the craftsmanship and skill it would take to make these pieces.
I don't think that live edges will go away. Sure, it has morphed into a fad that most people will forget about but live edge will remain here. It provides a clean, natural look that people will always like and value. The popularity will die off but I think that they will still be made and remain a requested style for quite some time to come.
George died in 1990 but his family is continuing his work.
If you're not familiar with his work check out their website.
George Nakashima Woodworkers - New Hope, Pennsylvania
Founded by George Nakashima, we continue to custom-mill sustainably harvested hardwoods and select the resulting planks individually for each project. We strive to create the “antiques of the future” as a collaborative, integrated process where designer and maker work hand-in-hand.
nakashimawoodworkers.com
I love his work. I think he was so fresh that he has inspired the idea of live edge, good and bad. I think live edge is well done when the wood *is* the art. Unfortunately I think that is what is missing in most of the modern interpretations. All sense of design, scale, and beauty disappears in the modern brutalist interpretations.George died in 1990 but his family is continuing his work.
If you're not familiar with his work check out their website.
George Nakashima Woodworkers - New Hope, Pennsylvania
Founded by George Nakashima, we continue to custom-mill sustainably harvested hardwoods and select the resulting planks individually for each project. We strive to create the “antiques of the future” as a collaborative, integrated process where designer and maker work hand-in-hand.
Like I said, I dig it when it is done well, much like I like well done impressionist paintings, but the paintings in the lobby of a Howard Johnson's is *impressionist* too. It all comes down to good design, a good eye, and talent. IMO.
So, to me this all boils down to an everlasting truth. There are fine craftsmen and there are poor craftsmen. There are true artists and there are copy cats. There are nice examples and sad examples in every field with a broad range between.
Something to suit every taste.
Something to suit every taste.
Premier Sponsor
Our Sponsors
LATEST FOR SALE LISTINGS
-
-
-
SOLD -- $75: Gast moa v113 Vacuum Pump Veneer, 60" bag and board- Started by peterdnight
- Replies: 1
-
GONE: Gladiator 5 cleats, 10 hangers, Paper Towel and Shelf
- Started by peterdnight
- Replies: 3
-
SOLD -- $100 Makita mac700 portable air + grex pin nailer + 2 others + 50' hose
- Started by peterdnight
- Replies: 1