A Simple Tutorial to Build Your Table

A-Simple-Tutorial-to-Build-Your-Own-Table

Are you interested in making a DIY epoxy table? The instruction given here is about a creative epoxy resin table with a river and waterfall in the middle, one that’s different from all. This project is not as hard as you think with the tools introduced below.

Click to see this article: How to Make a Wooden Table- Step by Step Guide

Tools Needed

A Miter Saw
A Circular Saw
A Table saw
A Grinder
A Welder

Materials Needed

Hardwood Live Edge Slab
Square Tube Steel
Epoxy Resin
Sealant Tape
Metallic Pigments

How to Make a DIY Epoxy Resin River Table in 7 Brief Steps

Prepare the Live Edge Slabs
Build up an Epoxy Resin Form
Pour Epoxy Resin in the Built Form
Build a Metal Table Base
Clean the Epoxy Resin Slab
Cut and Join the Waterfall Edge
Assemble and Finish

Prepare the Live Edge Slabs

Buy a good quality monolithic wood slab perfect for making a DIY river table.
Use a string and place it on the center of each end of the slab to find the best cut line.

Then mark each slab ends for the cut.
With the help of your circular saw, cut the slab in multiple passes; then, use your jointer to flatten the surfaces of the slabs.

Machine the slabs down to get slabs with the right thickness, then cut them to the suitable size on your miter saw.

Clean up the live edges to prepare it for pouring epoxy resin.
Sand any loose material to make a good surface for the sticking epoxy.

Build up an Epoxy Resin Form

Make a form for the pouring epoxy.
Cover the pieces in sealant tape to prevent epoxy resin from sticking.

Use screws and put the epoxy resin form together; seal the form’s inside corners using more sealant tape.

Load the live edge slabs into the form.

Clamp the wood down to keep slabs from floating on the epoxy resin, screw the wood to the form.

Level the form for pouring the epoxy.

Pour Epoxy Resin in the Built Form

Measure the gap between slabs and figure out how much epoxy resin you need, here we pour 1-3/4″ epoxy at a time.

We want a two-color epoxy pour, so we mix epoxy containers, add metallic pigments, and mix them for some minutes.

Start pouring two epoxy resin bottles from the two ends and let them mix.

Build a Metal Table Base

Buy some 1” square tube for the table base.
Use your welder to weld the base together.

Use your cordless grinder and a flap disc to ground down the welds on the base.
Drill mounting holes in the base for the top, then spray some matte black paint and matte clear coat on it.

Clean the Epoxy Resin Slab

After completing the 72 hours cure time, it gets hard.
Unscrew and remove the sides from the form and remove all screws from the slab bottom.

Use your planer to remove any excess from the bottom.

Clean up the sides and square up to one edge on the jointer, then trim the other side on your table saw.

Go ahead and sand the slab up to 180 grit and take the epoxy up to 400 grit.

Cut and Join the Waterfall Edge

To cut the waterfall edge, use your table saw and crosscut sled. Tilt the blade to 45 degrees and make the initial bevel on the larger vertical piece.
Flip the smaller top piece over and back and bevel it with a matching miter. Move the blade 90 degrees and precisely cut the larger piece for the base.

With the miters facing down, line up the pieces and put a piece of packing tape across the seam.

Fold up the miter and use the top to position and clamp down a pair of angle squares to the slab.
Use 5-minute epoxy again, apply it to one side of the joint, fold up the miter, and clamp the top to the angle squares.

Assemble and Finish

Let the epoxy set up over 24hours and take it out of the clamps.
Do some final sanding before finishing.
Apply a two-part oil-based finish to the slab to help the epoxy come to life.