Live Edge Walnut Desk

[wbarnes]

Just finished this desk for my wife. Overall I’m happy with how it turned out, but if I could go back in time I would have done something different.

I bought the slab back in May locally and sure enough it wasn’t dried evenly and I think it experienced case hardening. I added C-channel underneath as soon as I finished milling it down but there is still some cupping that I hope doesn’t get too much worse. Only time will tell.

This project had a lot of firsts for me: first time working with air dried lumber, first time using a live edge slab, first time using epoxy (used to fill knots and cracks), and first time using store bought legs (from FlowylineDesign).

Lessons learned: trust your gut and stick with kiln dried lumber unless you know the source/quality of air dried lumber.

Picture shows the rough slab the day I bought it.


Picture of the slab cut in half, milled, and glued up into one panel.


Picture of the finished product. I used Rubio Monocoat Pure for the finish.

 

[drw]

Will, that is a very beautiful desk! While it may represent a number of "firsts" for you, it all turned out well. I am sure your wife is happy with your craftsmanship.

 

[blackhawk]

Finished project looks great! I wouldn't give up on air dried lumber. The video below from Stumpy Nubs is the best that I have came across explaining the pros and cons. Case hardening in air dried lumber is not usually a problem. It's not impossible for it to be case hardened during air drying, but it does not happen often, especially with walnut.

 

[ptt49er]

Beautiful! Those legs are sharp too, nice choice!

 

[Mike Davis]

Very nice design and craftsmanship.

I learned early on you can't trust wood to always do what you want, but you can trust a well known and honest lumber dealer.

I bought some walnut that was the most beautiful wood I had ever seen, spent well over my budget.
When I found out it was totally wet inside even though it showed 11% on a moisture meter I started asking how could this be and what should I do to fix it. I wasn't even thinking about taking it back because I liked the look of the wood too much. I really wanted to save it.

The dealer called me and asked all the details, asked about my projects, budget, and time frame.
We decided together after he explained some things to me that the best thing would be to replace the wood.
The walnut had been kiln dried with a load of oak and actually did case harden, the outside of the walnut dried much faster than the oak and sealed the moisture inside. It would take months or even years to equalize and needed time to be properly dried and used.

He bought at his expense, picked up, and delivered new wood to me at no charge and took back the case hardened wood to sit in his shop until it could be safely dried.

Having a reliable source who is willing to go the extra mile, actually over 200 miles to make things right is unbelievable these days.

 

[HITCH-]

Very nice! What are you going to make out of the rest of the slab?

 

[Wilsoncb]

Nice work, I’ve been wanting to try the Rubio Monocoat. Are you pretty confident it will provide good long lasting protection?

 

[JNCarr]

Very nice - great choice of legs.

 

[wbarnes]

Very nice! What are you going to make out of the rest of the slab?

This used the entire slab. It was 10’ long x 11-16” wide. I cut it in half lengthwise and glued the two pieces together, which gave me a desk roughly 5’ long x 26” wide.

Nice work, I’ve been wanting to try the Rubio Monocoat. Are you pretty confident it will provide good long lasting protection?

It is intended to be used on hardwood floors, so theoretically it should hold up well on a desk. I have used it for a chair I built and a crib for my son and both have held up for the past year with no issues. Another good thing about Rubio is that if an area does need refinished, the entire surface doesn’t have to be sanded to bare wood and redone.

 

[wbarnes]

Finished project looks great! I wouldn't give up on air dried lumber. The video below from Stumpy Nubs is the best that I have came across explaining the pros and cons. Case hardening in air dried lumber is not usually a problem. It's not impossible for it to be case hardened during air drying, but it does not happen often, especially with walnut.

Thanks for the info. Haven’t been able to watch the video yet but I’m sure there is lots of good info there.

 

[jlwest]

I agree that case hardening is caused by incorrect kiln drying and it causes all sorts of problems.

 

[Mark Johnson]

Very nice looking desk

 

[TheyCallMeTex]

@wbarnes were there any references you found particularly helpful in working with the live edge? I'm going to build myself a similar desk and would love any other hints you learned in the process (aside from buying from someone you trust).

The end result is fantastic, though.