# Advice for working with live edge slab?



## RoamingEire (Jul 27, 2014)

Hello all!

My wife and I have been looking to get some bookshelves and I've separately been admiring a lot of DIY furniture with live-edge slabs. We saw this setup at the Container Store today:










The metal frames are free-standing L-shapes. The shelves have a channel groove on the bottom sized to the cross-bars on the frames. You set the shelves on the frames and - voila! Bookshelf!

The problem is, the shelves are crappy press-board with a veneer and cost $40 a piece. I figured I could by the frames, which I like, and go to the local wood supplier and get some live-edge slab to make the shelves myself with a much cooler look.

So... Does anyone have a link to a good introduction to working with live edge slab? Can I safely throw it on the table saw and cut a flat back edge or will that harm the integrity of the wood over-all? I'm presuming I have to coat it in a varnish to seal the bark instead of simply staining, yeah?

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

RoamingEire said:


> Hello all!
> 
> My wife and I have been looking to get some bookshelves and I've separately been admiring a lot of DIY furniture with live-edge slabs. We saw this setup at the Container Store today:
> 
> ...


I showed my wife a picture of a live edge table. Her response was plain and clear. "Not in my house". I'd run your wife down to the DIY live edge slabs before making what will be a very sizable investment. 

Also. Guys that do live edge usually are specializing in it and have spent a lot of time learning how to make it work. 

Good luck

Al


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## RoamingEire (Jul 27, 2014)

After a lot of looking and thinking, I think the live edge will look kind of ghetto in this specific configuration. I'd need to notch out a part of the facing edge to fit the side frames, which would just ruin the whole look.

Think I'll just head down to the lumber yard and see what they have in some good boards that'll take a pretty shine.

Thanks for chiming in, though!


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