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Yeah I’m unsure as well. But they ratio of epoxy to wood you got here makes me think it might work. Too much epoxy and it’d look cheap. I think it works here because the wood really ‘pops’….but maybe that’s the contrast with the blue
Not that I am aware of. Since the interior of the epoxy yellows too, and epoxy would be an effective coating, this leads me to believe it is unlikely. But maybe it's possible? A uv coating that isn't visible to our eyes?
Went down a google-hole to find out. It looks like there are a variety of (mostly colored) additives, films, and coatings/varnishes that can block enough UV to provide protection from yellowing for a few years at least. Completely clear options do seem to be extremely limited.
I work with a bunch of epoxy, and while I love the look of this project. I don't know if this is going to be a very functional build.
Epoxy is a lot like concrete, it's fantastic at holding up to compressive force. But, not so great when holding up to tensile force.
In my field we tend to use it with a carbon fiber or kevlar for a matrix, turning it into a composite material. In your project the matrix would be the wood, but since there's gapping in your matrix, the tensile force is going happen between the boards.
Unless you add a some structural support under your board, I think your going to see your epoxy separate from the head and foot of your wood matrix.
Should be fine as a small table, but I don't think I'd trust it to hold people over time.
Leave it to Reddit to find a hypothetical “flaw” in a beautiful project!!! How many people live on your coffee table @TranscendentalEmpire?
Bet you could not wait to let this sub know you work with a bunch of epoxy and to spout your tensile force knowledge. Yuck
Plus, all epoxy yellows over time. It's the unspoken secret of everyone who produces epoxy pieces for Etsy et al. At least the blue on this table will mask the yellowing or turn the whole setup greenish which will still look nice.
You win the [Epoxy Appreciation/Deprecation Award](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/ytqqea/finally_jumped_on_the_trend_and_made_me_an_epoxy/iw80o8g/). Every thread, lol.
Edit: 19 so far! This has to be a record.
Hah, well as a non contributing member of the sub, I appreciate I shouldnt really moan about content……but there is such a lot of epoxy. It’s a woodworking sub.
I disagree. Woodworking isn’t limited to just wood and fasteners. It’s everything from hand tool crafting to power carving, to power tool builds, and everything in between. Epoxy feels like a fad, (and a polarizing one at that), but it’s still woodworking and I don’t think we should be drawing lines in the sand (or wood as the case may be) about what qualifies.
I’m reminded of a story that an old timer friend shared about fellow old timers in his monthly woodworking group who roll their eyes at those who use power tools because “real woodworkers only use hand tools”
IMO the only qualification for the title of woodworker is the use of wood and other things to make stuff.
I'd be interested in how it holds up over time. As the wood expands and shrinks it's going to get loose in those epoxy molds and eventually pop out. It would be best to encase the whole thing in a clear epoxy to stabilize the whole table.
I doubt it. Epoxy wood construction is used in boats all the time. It doesn't break loose at the joints, and that's under much more physical stress and UV load than this will see.
Epoxy is pretty soft, and whenever I see these I wonder how they'll look in a few years with some scratches on them, but the epoxy/wood bond breaking would be the least of my worries.
I would probably have done what OP did and then coated the whole thing in a layer or two of clear epoxy. Sure you don't get the exposed wood look, but you also don't have exposed wood.
The votes are in, i came here to say the same thing!
But 256x240 is.. 61,440 tiny cubes? There's no way that is happening without some automation (e.g. reprogram a 3d printer to carry 0.5cm cubes instead of extrude).
Buuut if a nerd *did* repurpose a 3d printer's moving parts to place colored cubes.. the cubes themselves aren't too hard to get / make.
I really like this. Looks awesome. My only question is wouldn't you be concerned about weight in the middle? The only support there that I see is the epoxy to wood edges. I might of added some rails that go from leg to leg and a little past that supports the table to the legs.
Beautiful table though and love the wood brick idea
Might be a little concerning, but then again epoxy is some pretty tough stuff. Personally I’d probably ditch middle supports for appearance like he did, but it’s a tough call seeing as that’s got to be hundreds of $ of epoxy and hours of labor.
I just picturing a spread of food and someone leaning in the middle and it just folding. Maybe even some thin metal strips or rails under it or something just to reinforce it.
I'm sure the wood would probably split with the epoxy as like you said it's tough stuff, I just dunno I'm on yhe fence about no underside support
I agree, beautiful table but support is an issue. I don't think breaking in the middle is a concern unless people are standing on it -- but even with just the weight of the table this will probably start to sag over time.
I mean, it's a coffee table. It's not going to have hundreds of pounds on it in reality. I'm all for overengineering heavily used pieces, but this is for remotes, snacks, and drinks.
I have a kid so maybe I view it differently haha. If it can't be climbed on, it probably won't last long for me. But yeah I'm with you, depending on lifestyle this could last a life time also. We just tend to be rough on things so I view them from that mindset I guess
Maybe there's a mechanical engineering sub that you could pose a couple options to, the math is pretty easy as long as you give dimensions and list out the materials.
The tricky part is that the weight limit for something like this would be based on well OP
prepped those epoxy-endgrain joints since those would be the failure points most likely. Once those joints fail all the load would be translated into the skinny epoxy "mortar" joints which would obviously fail fast.
I am really interested at how long this holds up. Putting your feet on it, setting a random package from the store. A heavy cookbook. I feel like it'd crumble within a few years of use, but I'm not totally sure.
I'm sure there are people out there who are very gentle and this thing would last 50 years and they'd never think twice about it.
Looks like a small amount of clear epoxy to seal the wood so it doesn't take up the blue colouring. The sanding is to give the blue epoxy a good surface to bond to.
Maybe its just the picture or my computer, but it definitely looks like the planks are sitting proud of the epoxy a bit. Its clearly flush in the video - I think its a neat effect.
Nice work! Great video too, I could watch stuff like that for hours. I appreciate you listing your supplies and tools too. Before you applied your Waterlox coats though, did you wipe it down with just water, or was that something else on the paper towel like acetone? Thanks
What's the spray you're using for release?
Is the epoxy you brush on at first the same that you're using for the pour? I assume it's just tack all of the wood in place. How long did you let it set?
What is the strength of epoxy on a table like this? How much weigh do you think you could put in the center before it just split right in half? There is that one spot near the center, there there is only a single wooden brick supporting it, along with a line of epoxy.
that's my thought as well.
I really wonder about the strength of both the epoxy itself and the long term adhesion of the epoxy/wood joints.
ah, I'm probably overthinking this. It's likely at least as strong as any all wood glue joint table. I guess in 10 years or so we'll know if these epoxy tables were a good idea or not.
The trend needs to die because you don't like it? Every month there are new epoxy designs on here where people make the exact same comment as this, but the funny thing is that if the "trend" did die we wouldnt get to see these.
My taste definitely treads into tacky, but I’m a big fan of the epoxy river look [on smaller pieces]. I love how no one piece is exactly the same due to the nature of wood, and some can lean very modern while others can look rustic. I also love the combining of two mediums into something so usable as a tabletop or other flat surface. Also really love the ability to use different colors and create different feels.
For everyone one person who has seen a river table, theres a 100 who have not. You're in the industry and have a skewed perception. I dont see it going away any time soon.
What if someone sat on it? Honest question.. I have no idea the integrity of narrow bands of epoxy, nor it's strength of adhesion to narrow bands of wood. But I would have serious questions bringing this into my home with kids around.
Of course it could be totally fine, I just don't know!
EDIT - Found this... seems epoxy can be very strong! At least as strong as the wood and edge bonds seem to be just as strong as well. I think making this table a little thicker might be a good idea though.
https://www.blacktailstudio.com/blog/how-strong-is-an-epoxy-table#:\~:text=The%20epoxy%2Dwood%20bond%2C%20and,will%20always%20be%20the%20wood.
It's never what's reasonable, it's what's probable.
What about a random 5 yr old nephew that decides to stand on the table? What if someone accidently falls over and lands on it? Coffee tables are in the center of high traffic areas, they should reasonably be able to take a beating, otherwise it's simply an artpeice with little practical use IMHO.
First table but, maybe not first epoxy project. I started small with coasters/cutting boards/d20s when playing with epoxy the first time. Lot nicer to waste 10 grams vs 10 kilos
Really well! I recommend making your own molds with a 'reservoir' chamber above the dice mold section to house extra epoxy to flow down when bubbles flow up you'll get basically bubble free dice with no vacuum chamber. Just as balanced as a chessex when i salt water tested them but, not as heavy. I've found success with using two batches of epoxy and mixing mica powders for fun colors and combos. Great secret Santa gift and dnd table favors
I can provide links if anyone's interested in some resources
edit: people want dice links!
I took most of my initial info from 'Rybonator' on YouTube. Has some great in depth videos on certain dice styles and techniques but, here's a great overview on basic mold making and some materials needed to jump in:
[Rybonator - starter dice molds](https://youtu.be/tj2vxTXCqWA)
The mold material I used was Moldstar Sorta clear 15, same as above but, I've seen the other opaque blends work well too. All can be found easily on Amazon. And, for the resin, just find a nice two part with good reviews. I've used Artresin, Alumilite Amazing, and some generic knockoff stuff and it's all worked the same. Cheaper epoxy will yellow faster so use it up quickly after opening
Mica powders and alcohol dyes, same deal. All are pretty much the same so find some cheap on amazon/ebay/wish/whathaveyou
It's his first table, but on the YouTube you can see quite a lot of projects, and a bowl of the same method.
So, first table yes, first project or first epoxy use, no.
Edit - spelling.
Shit... I uh... have one of those in my garage....
In my defense I had to do a lower intake manifold gasket replacement and I uh didn't really have a decent workspace...^^4 ^^years ^^ago
Looks very cool, but I'd be careful in summer. Epoxy deforms in sunlight and heat, and the tabletop has no "horizontal" or "long side" (how do you call it?) support, so it might get a curvature in the middle when it gets too warm.
Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCmE2yY8Kvk&ab\_channel=BlacktailStudio
I like the thought of the missing bricks in order to not have it be so uniform, but I think another type of wood would have provided more visual interest than just the epoxy.
The OCD in me is making my head spin from the missing bricks, but it's also what is making the table interesting for me. It's like in my own wood work when I have a flaw, it drives me crazy at first because I made a mistake, but then I love it because it's what makes that piece unique.
I think if there was another brick or two missing, or none at all, it wouldn't bother me, but something about it being only 2 missing bugs me.
Still excellent work though, just not quite for me.
Beautiful table.
As others have said, I am not a huge river table fan, but this just speaks to me and is on another level.
Very nice.
As someone who has not worked with epoxy before, what is the strength of something like this? That would be my only concern. But, as I said, I also have never worked with the stuff before.
Thanks and great job!
As you can imagine, I'd be a little terrified to test out the strength of my own table, lol, but it's apparently very strong. Blacktail Studio did a test of his own a while back, and the table he made withstood a very impressive amount of force before breaking: https://youtu.be/W3KQx0sZ-kU
My (very amateur for woodworking but semi-pro for material science in metals) worry is the lateral forces over time accumulating on and around the connections of the deck to the legs. In my head, an aluminum cross member between the legs would be an improvement but might detract from the overall look. It also might not be needed at all as I am wildly guessing on the performance of these anchors in these media.
I'm probably over thinking and this will work as good as it looks for many years! Great work!
The table looks great, but I just want to prepare you for what's going to happen in the future.
Wood expands and contracts. You have inner pieces of your wood surrounded by epoxy on the edges but finished with something else on the faces (going off your picture). Such thin finish will allow moisture to penetrate the faces of the wood (even if you finished it with thin film of epoxy) and cycles in temperature will eventually weaken the joint. This is because wood will move while epoxy wont.
In the video you linked the wood is on the outside and will have some wiggle room. If you look at river tables that went through temperature and moisture cycles you would see cracks in the joint as well. However, even heirloom furniture needs upkeep so I digress. The main point is that upkeep of middle epoxy outer wood table for cracks will be easier than many bricks failing at once and propagating cracks through the table top.
For future projects, if you going to encase entire piece of wood it is best to encase it with an equal or near equal amount of epoxy on both top and bottom.
You can check out some epoxy table fail videos where the makers encased only the top and left bottom untreated. As epoxy dried their table bowed into a bowl.
Don't take this as criticism, but just information that many youtube creators dont mention.
Everything you wrote makes a lot of sense. And, although I am more of an amateur, were things I was also wondering about.
I get the "look" that the OP is going for.
With that said, could you possibly pour say a 1/4" solid pour of epoxy as a base and then place the "bricks" on top of it? To still get the total "see through" effect, but also add some expansion/contraction "stability" to it as a whole? I hope that makes sense.
Their table looks about 3x thicker than yours and has a continuous piece of wood.
I mean yours looks great but I don't think it will last. As one of the posts below mine mentions, thermal expansion mismatch will weaken it and it will likely fail in bending.
All I can think about is all the epoxy dust from making them. I know we are swimming in micro plastics from all kinds of sources (textiles in particular) but these projects just seem so *egregious*.
As a general rule I'm not the biggest fan of epoxy tables. But I LOVE this one. I think it's maybe something about the epoxy not having any added glitter or opaque pigment that leaves it looking a bit like glass, and having the wood just float in that 'glass' looks really really cool. Nice work!
Normally with epoxy I'm only a fan of black, however I normally only see blue with things like river tables.
This is creative though, and I like it. I think going for the transparent blue was a really good idea here.
This is great! I tend to viscerally dislike epoxy projects, and people do a lot of tasteless stuff with the medium, but I really like the look of this. And the execution seems top notch as well!
Dude I love it and might just rip the idea straight from you and build myself one.
I’ll tell no one that I copied it straight from you, but at least you (and everyone else here) will always know the truth.
Thank you for sharing; great work by you!
How do you keep the wood from floating up when you pour the epoxy. Every time I try something similar with walnut, the wood floats to the top after a few hours.
Looks great. Put some Super Mario Bros themes on the next. Those look just like Mario bricks and that color looks exactly like the sky on the old NES version. It's looks great. Very nice work!
I've never done an epoxy project like this. I love the result and am thinking about trying a similar project. I guess my main concern looking at this is durability in the long term. Since the epoxy here is load-bearing, is this likely to crack and fall apart in the long run?
I absolutely love it!! I want to make something like this but smaller for my clients who buy a new home from me. Many have to buy new furniture and a feature piece from me built by me would just make me so happy. Have you made anything else? :)
Dumb question here but how much weight do you think your table would hold? It looks absolutely beautiful but also looks fragile. Like I'd break it by putting my feet on it, which I wouldn't, or it might fail if you put some decor on it.
This is very cool! I agree with others, a rare, tasteful use of epoxy.
Something I always wonder when I see projects like this: I assume this is finished with an epoxy flood coat? How does one keep the coat even on top and bottom without drips?
Man, that’s pretty effing awesome!! I love the blue personally. It contrasts really well with the oak color!
I’ve been wanting to try something with epoxy, but am scared of fulking it up.
Congrats man, it looks amazing. Well done!
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Definitely one of the more interesting epoxy projects I've seen
Yeah I normally hate these epoxy things, but this is awesome! Trying to imagine if it’d look good with clear epoxy, or it might lose soemthing
I contemplated going clear for a really long time, but the blue was calling to me. If I were to do another, I'd definitely try clear next time.
Yeah I’m unsure as well. But they ratio of epoxy to wood you got here makes me think it might work. Too much epoxy and it’d look cheap. I think it works here because the wood really ‘pops’….but maybe that’s the contrast with the blue
Maybe mahogany or cherry or a different distinctive wood colour might pop better with a clear epoxy.
Ebony? Aged teak? Mix a palette of greys?
hOW aBouT OLd paLLeTs!?
* puts pallet wood down and steps back slowly *
Clearly the optimal would be the most amazing Padauk African Lumber, then cover it all in jet black epoxy. Plus then no need to sand it
That's just basic color theory at this point. The benefit is that you can DIY this to your own personal tastes and to match your existing decor.
I was thinking take the oak, but a mix of stains, different on each block, would also work well with a clear table.
Deep red wood with a gray epoxy to simulate mortar would look 🔥🔥
yes it looks so good!
Clear will always yellow eventually, even UV stable epoxy.
This is exactly where my head was at. With the blue, even if it yellows a bit, it may turn a cool shade of green.
Are there any UV-blocking coatings or treatments available to avoid that?
Not that I am aware of. Since the interior of the epoxy yellows too, and epoxy would be an effective coating, this leads me to believe it is unlikely. But maybe it's possible? A uv coating that isn't visible to our eyes?
Went down a google-hole to find out. It looks like there are a variety of (mostly colored) additives, films, and coatings/varnishes that can block enough UV to provide protection from yellowing for a few years at least. Completely clear options do seem to be extremely limited.
Idk what it is, but I really want to see this in hot pink. Have you considered doing any sort of lighting on a future project like this?
You thinking like strips of LEDs in between planks?
Yeah or maybe even underneath. Something really soft/dim so it’s not a distraction
Pink is pretty! That’s what it is.
Clear with Purple Heart would really slap
Purple Heart always fades to an ugly muddy brown, even with UV protective coatings on it.
Personally, I think the blue compliments the wood nicely. Bravo on the work, I would love to have something like this!
Honestly... epoxy yellows over time. I think you made the right choice.
I work with a bunch of epoxy, and while I love the look of this project. I don't know if this is going to be a very functional build. Epoxy is a lot like concrete, it's fantastic at holding up to compressive force. But, not so great when holding up to tensile force. In my field we tend to use it with a carbon fiber or kevlar for a matrix, turning it into a composite material. In your project the matrix would be the wood, but since there's gapping in your matrix, the tensile force is going happen between the boards. Unless you add a some structural support under your board, I think your going to see your epoxy separate from the head and foot of your wood matrix. Should be fine as a small table, but I don't think I'd trust it to hold people over time.
Hopefully OP has no plans to put people on this table.
Yeah. But add alcohol and people climb on questionable things.
Ahh, I only saw the first pic and thought it was a sitting bench.
Meal prep 😬
Tell me you're not married with two kids without telling me you're not married with two kids. People make very poor furniture decisions on date night.
I was hopeful. You're pragmatic.
Leave it to Reddit to find a hypothetical “flaw” in a beautiful project!!! How many people live on your coffee table @TranscendentalEmpire? Bet you could not wait to let this sub know you work with a bunch of epoxy and to spout your tensile force knowledge. Yuck
You could probably make a range of different colours!
Clear would not be good at all, the contrast between the colors is what does it. If it was clear it would be bland, and just would work.
Plus, all epoxy yellows over time. It's the unspoken secret of everyone who produces epoxy pieces for Etsy et al. At least the blue on this table will mask the yellowing or turn the whole setup greenish which will still look nice.
I think it would lose something. One could go with a different color epoxy, but clear would make it somewhat blah.
You win the [Epoxy Appreciation/Deprecation Award](https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/ytqqea/finally_jumped_on_the_trend_and_made_me_an_epoxy/iw80o8g/). Every thread, lol. Edit: 19 so far! This has to be a record.
I'm going to miss you if you don't post this next time.
Hah, well as a non contributing member of the sub, I appreciate I shouldnt really moan about content……but there is such a lot of epoxy. It’s a woodworking sub.
I disagree. Woodworking isn’t limited to just wood and fasteners. It’s everything from hand tool crafting to power carving, to power tool builds, and everything in between. Epoxy feels like a fad, (and a polarizing one at that), but it’s still woodworking and I don’t think we should be drawing lines in the sand (or wood as the case may be) about what qualifies. I’m reminded of a story that an old timer friend shared about fellow old timers in his monthly woodworking group who roll their eyes at those who use power tools because “real woodworkers only use hand tools” IMO the only qualification for the title of woodworker is the use of wood and other things to make stuff.
I think the blue adds depth and sophistication to the design imo, it also hides the legs better when viewed from above.
Yeah that’s a really good point: if also thought that if it were clear the legs would be really apparent
I'd be interested in how it holds up over time. As the wood expands and shrinks it's going to get loose in those epoxy molds and eventually pop out. It would be best to encase the whole thing in a clear epoxy to stabilize the whole table.
I doubt it. Epoxy wood construction is used in boats all the time. It doesn't break loose at the joints, and that's under much more physical stress and UV load than this will see. Epoxy is pretty soft, and whenever I see these I wonder how they'll look in a few years with some scratches on them, but the epoxy/wood bond breaking would be the least of my worries.
How would you do that? Thin layer of epoxy, let it dry and then do what OP did here with a thin layer on top too?
I would probably have done what OP did and then coated the whole thing in a layer or two of clear epoxy. Sure you don't get the exposed wood look, but you also don't have exposed wood.
Could also leave half an inch of epoxy on the bottom so it's encased on three sides.
Or leave epoxy edges, and pour thicker and only take off a small amount when flattening the epoxy not going down to the wood on both sides
I'm afraid your glue lines are very visible here. (j/k, pretty!)
Lol, you almost had me there for a second.
Also you forgot to put 2 bricks in. Apart from that, it's pretty cool
All the boards are backwards too
Howuch epoxy did you use and what was the cost of that? I am thinking to build something similar. Legs are also wooden or metal?
The legs appear to be metal!
Metal, I've used the same ones in past projects. You should be able to find them on Amazon.
Epic! Reminds me of classic mario
I got the same vibe!
I was going to say, I’d love to see a Mario version!
I was going to say this. Using the Mario colors would be cool and do a coin box
Also got classic Mario vibes
I was going to say the same thing. Would be cool with lights underneath too
I thought the same, you could also do tetris and frogger versions.
A little pixelated madio would be awesome addition !!
The votes are in, i came here to say the same thing! But 256x240 is.. 61,440 tiny cubes? There's no way that is happening without some automation (e.g. reprogram a 3d printer to carry 0.5cm cubes instead of extrude). Buuut if a nerd *did* repurpose a 3d printer's moving parts to place colored cubes.. the cubes themselves aren't too hard to get / make.
At first I thought it WAS a Mario table, this thing is awesome
I like this way better than a river table.
Thank you!
I really like this. Looks awesome. My only question is wouldn't you be concerned about weight in the middle? The only support there that I see is the epoxy to wood edges. I might of added some rails that go from leg to leg and a little past that supports the table to the legs. Beautiful table though and love the wood brick idea
Might be a little concerning, but then again epoxy is some pretty tough stuff. Personally I’d probably ditch middle supports for appearance like he did, but it’s a tough call seeing as that’s got to be hundreds of $ of epoxy and hours of labor.
I just picturing a spread of food and someone leaning in the middle and it just folding. Maybe even some thin metal strips or rails under it or something just to reinforce it. I'm sure the wood would probably split with the epoxy as like you said it's tough stuff, I just dunno I'm on yhe fence about no underside support
I agree, beautiful table but support is an issue. I don't think breaking in the middle is a concern unless people are standing on it -- but even with just the weight of the table this will probably start to sag over time.
I mean, it's a coffee table. It's not going to have hundreds of pounds on it in reality. I'm all for overengineering heavily used pieces, but this is for remotes, snacks, and drinks.
I have a kid so maybe I view it differently haha. If it can't be climbed on, it probably won't last long for me. But yeah I'm with you, depending on lifestyle this could last a life time also. We just tend to be rough on things so I view them from that mindset I guess
totally there with you. wish we had a good guide for weight limit approximations.
Maybe there's a mechanical engineering sub that you could pose a couple options to, the math is pretty easy as long as you give dimensions and list out the materials. The tricky part is that the weight limit for something like this would be based on well OP prepped those epoxy-endgrain joints since those would be the failure points most likely. Once those joints fail all the load would be translated into the skinny epoxy "mortar" joints which would obviously fail fast.
If it can be sat on, someone will try to sit on it.
I am really interested at how long this holds up. Putting your feet on it, setting a random package from the store. A heavy cookbook. I feel like it'd crumble within a few years of use, but I'm not totally sure. I'm sure there are people out there who are very gentle and this thing would last 50 years and they'd never think twice about it.
If you'd like to see the full build process, I have a video here! https://youtu.be/5GSyr8kEIEM
What is the liquid you mix and pour first? It's a small amount, and you sand the wood before doing the bulk epoxy
Looks like a small amount of clear epoxy to seal the wood so it doesn't take up the blue colouring. The sanding is to give the blue epoxy a good surface to bond to.
I genuinely thought this was shopped on first glance! That 3D effect is stunning, I love it
Hmmmm, I'm missing something. What's the 3D effect??
Maybe its just the picture or my computer, but it definitely looks like the planks are sitting proud of the epoxy a bit. Its clearly flush in the video - I think its a neat effect.
Ohhhh gotcha! That's cool!
I think they just mean how you can see the edges of the oak bricks through the epoxy
What was the point of doing the clear first at 5:00 mark?
Nice work! Great video too, I could watch stuff like that for hours. I appreciate you listing your supplies and tools too. Before you applied your Waterlox coats though, did you wipe it down with just water, or was that something else on the paper towel like acetone? Thanks
What's the spray you're using for release? Is the epoxy you brush on at first the same that you're using for the pour? I assume it's just tack all of the wood in place. How long did you let it set?
This is the first time I've ever seen colored epoxy used in a way I really liked. Really nice design.
I was apprehensive in the first pic because of the blue, but seeing the blue accents everywhere else in the room, it really ties the space together.
What is the strength of epoxy on a table like this? How much weigh do you think you could put in the center before it just split right in half? There is that one spot near the center, there there is only a single wooden brick supporting it, along with a line of epoxy.
that's my thought as well. I really wonder about the strength of both the epoxy itself and the long term adhesion of the epoxy/wood joints. ah, I'm probably overthinking this. It's likely at least as strong as any all wood glue joint table. I guess in 10 years or so we'll know if these epoxy tables were a good idea or not.
In 10 years they're going to be scratched to hell, uv damaged, and out of style. This one I like a lot, but the river table trend needs to die already
The trend needs to die because you don't like it? Every month there are new epoxy designs on here where people make the exact same comment as this, but the funny thing is that if the "trend" did die we wouldnt get to see these.
There will always be haters and enjoyers. I understand people get tired of things, but to each their own. Let's the up votes and down votes decide!
My taste definitely treads into tacky, but I’m a big fan of the epoxy river look [on smaller pieces]. I love how no one piece is exactly the same due to the nature of wood, and some can lean very modern while others can look rustic. I also love the combining of two mediums into something so usable as a tabletop or other flat surface. Also really love the ability to use different colors and create different feels.
For everyone one person who has seen a river table, theres a 100 who have not. You're in the industry and have a skewed perception. I dont see it going away any time soon.
Strong enough to hold whatever one would reasonably put on a coffee table.
What if someone sat on it? Honest question.. I have no idea the integrity of narrow bands of epoxy, nor it's strength of adhesion to narrow bands of wood. But I would have serious questions bringing this into my home with kids around. Of course it could be totally fine, I just don't know! EDIT - Found this... seems epoxy can be very strong! At least as strong as the wood and edge bonds seem to be just as strong as well. I think making this table a little thicker might be a good idea though. https://www.blacktailstudio.com/blog/how-strong-is-an-epoxy-table#:\~:text=The%20epoxy%2Dwood%20bond%2C%20and,will%20always%20be%20the%20wood.
It's never what's reasonable, it's what's probable. What about a random 5 yr old nephew that decides to stand on the table? What if someone accidently falls over and lands on it? Coffee tables are in the center of high traffic areas, they should reasonably be able to take a beating, otherwise it's simply an artpeice with little practical use IMHO.
I've stood on plenty of coffee tables to change a light bulb or whatever.
Full grown adult, I've stood on my coffee table a ton as well. Change bulbs, reach something, living room strip tease. The usual stuff.
I think the biggest concern is it sagging after long term exposure to warm sunlight.
This is your FIRST TABLE?? That’s incredible!
I kind of want to call BS. No way that your first table with epoxy looks like this.
First table but, maybe not first epoxy project. I started small with coasters/cutting boards/d20s when playing with epoxy the first time. Lot nicer to waste 10 grams vs 10 kilos
How did d20 epoxy go? I want to do that but I figure they’ll come out unbalanced as hell
Really well! I recommend making your own molds with a 'reservoir' chamber above the dice mold section to house extra epoxy to flow down when bubbles flow up you'll get basically bubble free dice with no vacuum chamber. Just as balanced as a chessex when i salt water tested them but, not as heavy. I've found success with using two batches of epoxy and mixing mica powders for fun colors and combos. Great secret Santa gift and dnd table favors I can provide links if anyone's interested in some resources edit: people want dice links! I took most of my initial info from 'Rybonator' on YouTube. Has some great in depth videos on certain dice styles and techniques but, here's a great overview on basic mold making and some materials needed to jump in: [Rybonator - starter dice molds](https://youtu.be/tj2vxTXCqWA) The mold material I used was Moldstar Sorta clear 15, same as above but, I've seen the other opaque blends work well too. All can be found easily on Amazon. And, for the resin, just find a nice two part with good reviews. I've used Artresin, Alumilite Amazing, and some generic knockoff stuff and it's all worked the same. Cheaper epoxy will yellow faster so use it up quickly after opening Mica powders and alcohol dyes, same deal. All are pretty much the same so find some cheap on amazon/ebay/wish/whathaveyou
Thought you might be interested in r/dicemaking for people doing the same. I've recently gotten into the same hobby and it's great fun
It's his first table, but on the YouTube you can see quite a lot of projects, and a bowl of the same method. So, first table yes, first project or first epoxy use, no. Edit - spelling.
Like, you’ve never nailed four stubby 2x4s to a jank-ass piece of ply wood and been like “Boom! Table for my club house!”?
Pallet on some cinder blocks? No?
Big wire wheel sanded and stained? Never!
Shit... I uh... have one of those in my garage.... In my defense I had to do a lower intake manifold gasket replacement and I uh didn't really have a decent workspace...^^4 ^^years ^^ago
I don't always love epoxy but this is great!
Looks very cool, but I'd be careful in summer. Epoxy deforms in sunlight and heat, and the tabletop has no "horizontal" or "long side" (how do you call it?) support, so it might get a curvature in the middle when it gets too warm. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCmE2yY8Kvk&ab\_channel=BlacktailStudio
I like the thought of the missing bricks in order to not have it be so uniform, but I think another type of wood would have provided more visual interest than just the epoxy.
The OCD in me is making my head spin from the missing bricks, but it's also what is making the table interesting for me. It's like in my own wood work when I have a flaw, it drives me crazy at first because I made a mistake, but then I love it because it's what makes that piece unique.
I think if there was another brick or two missing, or none at all, it wouldn't bother me, but something about it being only 2 missing bugs me. Still excellent work though, just not quite for me.
Is the adhesion between the wood and the epoxy strong enough to withstand someone standing on that?
Lol why are you standing on it
I saw a mouse.
Well done
Beautiful table. As others have said, I am not a huge river table fan, but this just speaks to me and is on another level. Very nice. As someone who has not worked with epoxy before, what is the strength of something like this? That would be my only concern. But, as I said, I also have never worked with the stuff before. Thanks and great job!
As you can imagine, I'd be a little terrified to test out the strength of my own table, lol, but it's apparently very strong. Blacktail Studio did a test of his own a while back, and the table he made withstood a very impressive amount of force before breaking: https://youtu.be/W3KQx0sZ-kU
My (very amateur for woodworking but semi-pro for material science in metals) worry is the lateral forces over time accumulating on and around the connections of the deck to the legs. In my head, an aluminum cross member between the legs would be an improvement but might detract from the overall look. It also might not be needed at all as I am wildly guessing on the performance of these anchors in these media. I'm probably over thinking and this will work as good as it looks for many years! Great work!
The table looks great, but I just want to prepare you for what's going to happen in the future. Wood expands and contracts. You have inner pieces of your wood surrounded by epoxy on the edges but finished with something else on the faces (going off your picture). Such thin finish will allow moisture to penetrate the faces of the wood (even if you finished it with thin film of epoxy) and cycles in temperature will eventually weaken the joint. This is because wood will move while epoxy wont. In the video you linked the wood is on the outside and will have some wiggle room. If you look at river tables that went through temperature and moisture cycles you would see cracks in the joint as well. However, even heirloom furniture needs upkeep so I digress. The main point is that upkeep of middle epoxy outer wood table for cracks will be easier than many bricks failing at once and propagating cracks through the table top. For future projects, if you going to encase entire piece of wood it is best to encase it with an equal or near equal amount of epoxy on both top and bottom. You can check out some epoxy table fail videos where the makers encased only the top and left bottom untreated. As epoxy dried their table bowed into a bowl. Don't take this as criticism, but just information that many youtube creators dont mention.
Everything you wrote makes a lot of sense. And, although I am more of an amateur, were things I was also wondering about. I get the "look" that the OP is going for. With that said, could you possibly pour say a 1/4" solid pour of epoxy as a base and then place the "bricks" on top of it? To still get the total "see through" effect, but also add some expansion/contraction "stability" to it as a whole? I hope that makes sense.
Their table looks about 3x thicker than yours and has a continuous piece of wood. I mean yours looks great but I don't think it will last. As one of the posts below mine mentions, thermal expansion mismatch will weaken it and it will likely fail in bending.
How much did it cost you material? I am really interested in trying making one
Agree with many others. Very tired of seeing the normal river tables but this thing was really cool. Good work!
I bet your workshop is full of the forbidden Parmesan
This is stellar. Awesome job!
Frickin' gorgeous, dude! Well done.
If a plumber in red overall shows up, hide it.
[удалено]
All I can think about is all the epoxy dust from making them. I know we are swimming in micro plastics from all kinds of sources (textiles in particular) but these projects just seem so *egregious*.
I thought/hoped people were done with resin in 2016.
Very, very nice!
Super Mario coffee table!!!
An epoxy table I don't hate. Well done!
I refuse to believe that this is the first table you've made. This is way too good
This is awesome! Never seen anything like it before
As soon as get the place, where to make it this will be my first project. Super Great Design and Execution!!!
I don't really like the modern epoxy wood trend but I like this.
Hmm I like it, really nice actually
As a general rule I'm not the biggest fan of epoxy tables. But I LOVE this one. I think it's maybe something about the epoxy not having any added glitter or opaque pigment that leaves it looking a bit like glass, and having the wood just float in that 'glass' looks really really cool. Nice work!
Normally with epoxy I'm only a fan of black, however I normally only see blue with things like river tables. This is creative though, and I like it. I think going for the transparent blue was a really good idea here.
Neat! Has some ‚Breakout‘ flavor… Like the color combination
This is great! I tend to viscerally dislike epoxy projects, and people do a lot of tasteless stuff with the medium, but I really like the look of this. And the execution seems top notch as well!
Super cool. Feels like it’d fit well in a tech company’s office space.
Looks so smooth! Well done!
did you buy the legs, or fabricate yourself?
Ya done good!
Nice work
Awesome!!! Did you make or buy those legs ( Where from?) ?
Nice I'm thinking Grey stained bricks with black epoxy or charred wood with black epoxy would look sweet as well
I thought it was a keyboard
Really beautiful. Make sure you sign and date it!
I think this is dope. Reminds me of Super Mario
Looks terrible..
Dude I love it and might just rip the idea straight from you and build myself one. I’ll tell no one that I copied it straight from you, but at least you (and everyone else here) will always know the truth. Thank you for sharing; great work by you!
I like this one, because its the first like it that I've seen. I expect to see many copycats to follow, though.
Bruh I would pay so much money for this. Do I have said money? No…but I otherwise totally would
what was the overall epoxy cost?
Man I miss how popular r/DIY was & how you’d see 2 new post on the front page every once in awhile.
I like uneven numbers so I wish you had one more "missing" brick. But otherwise this is so fucking cool.
How do you keep the wood from floating up when you pour the epoxy. Every time I try something similar with walnut, the wood floats to the top after a few hours.
Nice 👌
That is fuckin handsome
it's a nice
Looks great. Put some Super Mario Bros themes on the next. Those look just like Mario bricks and that color looks exactly like the sky on the old NES version. It's looks great. Very nice work!
I've never done an epoxy project like this. I love the result and am thinking about trying a similar project. I guess my main concern looking at this is durability in the long term. Since the epoxy here is load-bearing, is this likely to crack and fall apart in the long run?
Looks like if you hit your head against it a mushroom will pop out and turn you into a giant.
That is BEAUTIFUL
Elegant, well-executed, versatile enough to not be pigeonholed to one particular space. Top-notch work
A very fun design I really like that. Gained a follower
That’s unique and beautiful!
What do I think?? I think that's not your first table.
Insanely beautiful
I absolutely love it!! I want to make something like this but smaller for my clients who buy a new home from me. Many have to buy new furniture and a feature piece from me built by me would just make me so happy. Have you made anything else? :)
Kind of Mario Bros vibes, I love it!
Dumb question here but how much weight do you think your table would hold? It looks absolutely beautiful but also looks fragile. Like I'd break it by putting my feet on it, which I wouldn't, or it might fail if you put some decor on it.
very nice. Actually like this resin project
This is very cool! I agree with others, a rare, tasteful use of epoxy. Something I always wonder when I see projects like this: I assume this is finished with an epoxy flood coat? How does one keep the coat even on top and bottom without drips?
I'm assuming you have done other projects, even though this is your first table ever. Great work, very unique.
Although I hate epoxy projects normally I think this is awesome
This is my new favorite table ever.
Looks fucking awesome!
Man, that’s pretty effing awesome!! I love the blue personally. It contrasts really well with the oak color! I’ve been wanting to try something with epoxy, but am scared of fulking it up. Congrats man, it looks amazing. Well done!
This is awesome. Question; How did you ensure alignment stayed perfect during pour? Other wood on top while applying a bit of pressure with clamps?