Finish for Austraian Cedar live edge desk

[timsydney]

Hi everyone,

I have a slab of Australian cedar that I've had thicknessed and would like to finish as a live edge desk. This is my first real furniture project or attempt at finishing so something that isn't too finicky or challenging to apply would be nice. The guy who sold it to me recommended the Kunos countertop oil. Would this be a good way to go? I see that shellac is also a suggested finish for this type of thing but the application process seems intimidating for such a large surface.

There's also a couple of cracks in the slab, I was thinking of getting a few brass butterfly keys cut up by a friend who does metalworking and also filling them in with something black or dark with contrast like a putty or epoxy. Any suggestions or warnings here would be much appreciated.

Thanks for any advice in advance
Tim

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[fletty]

Hi Tim and welcome to the forum.
One of the problems with forums (fora?), is that any 10 forum members will have 15 different and often opposing opinions, so brace yourself for the responses! All I can say is what I would do in this situation. I gather you don't have a lot of woodwork finishing experience so my recommendation is a finish that many purists shun but gives a very good professional looking result
I would;

• Cut off the least attractive edge. It is amazing how a slab with 2 live edges still looks like a slab whereas a slab with one live edge and the other trimmed neatly against a wall, looks like a creative statement
• i like your idea of the brass butterflies
• epoxy would be good for the large crack/s. You can tint the epoxy with a solid colour ( black always looks good), partly mix ground coffee with the epoxy and leave it 'swirly' or, my favourite, leave the epoxy clear.
• sand to ( at least) 800 grit
• Finish with gloss Wipe On Polyurethane (WOP). Once again, I use MinWax WOP and it is simply a matter of wiping the finish on with a clean cloth .... as many times as you need to get the result YOU like.

Good luck with the project,

fletty

[timsydney]

Cheers Fletty. Thanks for your reply.

* I do like the idea of having one flat edge, but the slab is between 650 and 700 wide at the moment and I don't feel like I can lose any without compromising desk space.
* Also I looked up the look of coffee grounds in epoxy, it looks pretty fantastic. Clear would also be nice but I thought was issues with clear epoxy yellowing over time?
* Are there advantages to wipe on poly over an oil like kunos? both seem easy to apply. Isn't poly a pain to fix if the surface is damaged?

Tim

[fletty]

Hi Tim, comments below,

* I do like the idea of having one flat edge, but the slab is between 650 and 700 wide at the moment and I don't feel like I can lose any without compromising desk space.
I think the short term pain of reducing it to 650mm would be far less than a lifetime of your pens rolling of the gap at the back ?
* Also I looked up the look of coffee grounds in epoxy, it looks pretty fantastic. Clear would also be nice but I thought was issues with clear epoxy yellowing over time?
Ive never been aware of any of my epoxy fills yellowing over time. I have however had one instance of the timber 'shrinking' away from the epoxy but I think that timber was too 'wet' when I used it
* Are there advantages to wipe on poly over an oil like kunos? both seem easy to apply. Isn't poly a pain to fix if the surface is damaged?
I have done a number of live-edge bathroom bench tops with WOP (looking for pics now) and have advised the owners to clear and clean the tops once a year and wipe on another coat. So far, all are very happy.

Tim

fletty

[fletty]

Found it...

image.jpg

fletty<attachment></attachment>

[timsydney]

That does look amazing. I guess my only other concerns are drying vapors while having it cure in my bedroom ( I don't have a work space) and if I want to reshape it after finishing. I'll probably leave both the edges on now but might look at removing one as you suggested or even shortening the slab at some point (it's 2200 long now and I might not always have the space for such a long desk).

[ian]

Hi Tim

Welcome to the forums.

If you expand a little on where you are in "Sydney" you may receive some additional responses.

In particular, how thick is your slab?

how long has it been drying -- i.e. how long since it was cut?


I sort of like the idea of brass dovetail keys, but I'm not sure how you can keep the brass shiny and not have it oxidize to something pretty dull.
Dovetail keys should be slightly tapered so that when inserted they are a tight fit.


enjoy the journey as you build your desk.

and don't forget about the legs for the desk

[timsydney]

Hi Ian,

I'm in the Inner West. Updated my profile now.

I was told it's been about 6 months since it was turned into a slab. I had it sanded and thicknessed a couple of weeks ago where it went from somewhere around 50mm thick to about 44mm due to cupping.

Could I coat the brass in something? I was thinking whatever it was finished in would help.

[timsydney]

And yep, gotta find some more cedar for the legs

[fletty]

Hi Tim,
(I now know that.....) there's many ways to keep the brass shiny

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f9/metal-finish-210253

Re the odour of the finishing treatment, any wipe-on finish will have less smell than spray or brush IF you remember to take the rag outside afterwards! MinWax have a water based WOP that has virtually no odour but I've had no success with applying it. That might of course just be me?

Re drying time for the slab, the traditional guideline for drying to a stable moisture level is "an inch a year" but design of the legs and support structure can help you jump the gun a bit.

Re more Australian red cedar, I recommend you contact Boutique Timber via Greg Ward on this forum. He will not only have a small mountain of the stuff in the saw mill up North but he might even deliver it for you!

Im still plugging for one straight edge

fletty

[old1955]

Welcome to the forum Tim.

Ross

[ian]

Re drying time for the slab, the traditional guideline for drying to a stable moisture level is "an inch a year" but design of the legs and support structure can help you jump the gun a bit.

Re more Australian red cedar, I recommend you contact Boutique Timber via Greg Ward on this forum. He will not only have a small mountain of the stuff in the saw mill up North but he might even deliver it for you!

I'm still plugging for one straight edge

fletty

[fletty]

Found another......

image.jpg image.jpg

fletty