Epoxy Filled Tables

[Scoony]

Been seeing social media posts on furniture made with colored epoxy resin filling in between slabs.

I have two consecutive walnut slabs with bark edge on one side. What I would like to do is mill them and place them bark edge in/straight edge out, and fill that entire gap with a colored epoxy and turn it into a table top. I know what type of dye to look for, but I am not sure what epoxy would be appropriate. I know that I would probably need at least a gallon of epoxy, maybe two.

Who has done this before?
What type of epoxy?

I plan on making a form to place the two slabs in, and contain the epoxy. What do I lay down on the inside of the form as a release?

Thanks.

[bennybmn]

I've been watching a lot of youtube videos of these lately. The prevailing winds seem to suggest that melamine is a decent surface, and then caulking the seam/interface between the slab and form to contain the epoxy is the way to go. The other stuff I can't comment on, never done it, but it's been on my list for ages.

[Large Wooden Badger]

one of my kids is doing one for an art project.

We are going to use West System epoxy.  Expensive.  Little concerned we did a half a dozen test pours to try to get a color he likes, not all of them are curing like we expected.  Nervous about that.

[Phil S.]

When I was building cold molded skiffs I used Visqueen as a release layer.  You could lay it over any flat surface for support, maybe a sheet of plywood in your case.  The trick would be to lay it without wrinkles so the resulting surface is smooth if that is a concern.  Staple it down outside he perimeter of your project.

Phil

[WaterlooMarc]

Ecopoxy seems to own that space. Pricey stuff

[Scoony]

Ok, I found what I was looking for.

http://fixthisbuildthat.com/diy-waterfal...ver-table/

He includes links to the materials.

[barryvabeach]

I have completed several slab desks, and have incorporated some epoxy in depths up to an inch or two , but not the full length for two slabs  ( I am a little worried that someone will sit on it , or put a ton of stress and the two slabs will separate.  Since I am using 6 foot slabl 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 " thick, I didn't want one to fall on someone's foot)    I used this https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYK2NAG...UTF8&psc=1    and wanted to pass on some tips.

  First, when using epoxy, make sure you get the proportions correct.   If you get the proportions off, it will either never cure -  fortunately it was just a sample i tried, or cure so fast it will trap bubbles, fortunately that was a sample too.   The one I linked calls for equal amounts by volume  -   though one of the reviewers was kind enough to post conversion for weights -  which is a far easier method IMO.  Just set the container on a scale, pour in till you get the weight ( in grams is easiest ) then zero out the scale, and pour in part B till you hit the right number.  I had trouble determining equal volumes because my containers are sloped outward, and it gets hard to eye ball exactly the height of the each part since the surface tension on each was different.

Mix thoroughly, but slowly.  In my very first batch, I mixed it pretty quickly, and got lots of tiny bubbles, most drifted up to the top and popped, but some didn't and toward the bottom of the epoxy it looked a little hazy.  You won't have too much of a problem if you add a coloring agent, I wanted it to be crystal clear.

Take some measurements and figure out how much you will need for a pour, and make that much plus a little extra.  While you can always pour in lifts, you run the risk that you will get a witness line.

Make sure you have a waterproof dam underneath and on all sides of the pour.  Since it pours like molasses, you would think it would not drip though the tiniest cracks at the bottom or sides of the wood -  but you would be wrong - it takes so long to cure that it really will start leaking through the tiniest crack.  While it is a little problem where it falls, it is a big problem when you slightly overfilled the area, and it looked good for the next two hours, and when you came back the next day, some had seeped out the bottom so that parts of the epoxy had dipped below the level of the wood slabs - so you have to do a second pour.  DAHIKT 

The one I used said it can't be flattened or sanded after it cured.  I actually used a hand plane and got pretty decent results, then hit it with sandpaper up to 2000 grit, then finishing polishes, and it came out okay.  If you are going to clear coat the whole table, that may not be a problem, but if you are only going to fill between the two slabs, then you are going to have to level it at some point.     

Looking forward to seeing your results.

[barnowl]

Hey!
I think you are referring to a "River table". Here is how I do it step by step:
1. Choose your wood Slab
2. Cut the slab
3. Flatten the Slab
4. Remove the Bark and Sand the Live Edge
5. Create a Mold
6. Caulk the Ends, the Bottom, and the Top of the Slab
7. Clamp the Wood Slabs In Place
8. Mix Your Test Coat of Epoxy Resin
9 Mix Your Deep Pour Epoxy and Pour Into The River Until Filled
10. Let the Epoxy dry overnight
11. Remove the Mold
12. Sand Your Tabletop
13. Mount the Legs or Base

The Deep Pour Epoxy I use if from Primo Resin: SPAM LINK DELETED

Hope this helps. Happy woodworking!

SPAMMER DISPATCHED.

[FS7]

https://forums.woodnet.net/showthread.php?tid=7366599

I did one of these recently (within the past year) and I learned a lot. There's a lot of information in that thread.

To answer your specific questions, there are calculators available to determine how much epoxy you need. Plan on wasting some, and you can get some cheap silicone molds to make coasters or whatever with your excess. I don't like to waste stuff. But basically, you determine the approximate volume of your gap and convert it to fluid measure.

Dye will produce a uniform color. I used mica powder on that table. A little goes a long way. If you want multiple colors (swirls) those have to be mixed separately. If you mix multiple powders in a single batch of epoxy, you'll just get a color mix. If you want blue and silver, for example, then you would mix those separately, pour separately, and swirl with a popsicle stick. Yes, it's liquid, and it will mix somewhat, but you will still get swirls.

I used a melamine mold. It's kind of a pain - make the mold, screw it together, caulk the joints, and spray silicone mold release (there's a spray specifically for this). It will never release perfectly anyway, and plan to apply at least a little leverage to get it out.

I've used a drum sander and a planer to surface both of them. Plan for feed rollers and/or sanding drums to get slightly gummed up. The epoxy takes several days to cure, depending on the depth of pour. I used an IR thermometer to determine cure completeness - when the epoxy is no longer warmer than the surrounding environment, it's done.