205 N. Bullock Street, Whittemore, MI 48770 (Thursday & Friday: 10am - 4pm) (Sat: 10am-1pm) Closed Sunday - Wednesday

The Live Edge Craze

What’s all this fuss about live edge furniture and what does it even mean?  A live edge, or natural edge slab, contains at least one edge that hasn’t been cut, leaving it with the natural bevel from the curvature of the log.  Live edge products can be bark-on or bark-off. Here is a photograph of a log cut into live edge slabs:

There are many different uses of a live edge slab and they are becoming increasingly popular in various furniture pieces because of the uniqueness and natural beauty of the finished product.  They can be used for countertops, bar tops, dining room tables, coffee tables, mantels, open shelving, headboards, desks, barn doors and more.  Here are some examples of what our customers have created using the slabs they purchased from us:

                

We carry live edge slabs in various sizes, shapes, and species to lend themselves to a variety of projects.  One of the key differences between us and our competitors is the fact that our live edge slabs are already surfaced parallel.  If you look at the slab below on the left, you can see how difficult it would be to create a quality finished product.  The drying process naturally warps slabs as they lose moisture in the kiln.  At Janish Woodworks, we have a surfacing machine that can efficiently take this warp out and can save you hours upon hours of sanding and/or hand planing that still might never yield a true plane.   

      

Note: These are not before and after pictures, but a simple comparison of a raw slab to a surfaced slab.

Live edge slabs look beautiful with just about any finish, including varnish, tongue oil, epoxy, and more. We have epoxied slabs on display in our store for your viewing – an example of one can be seen below. We carry a high quality epoxy product in store for a fraction of the cost of big box retailers. 

People enjoy the interesting characteristics of a slab, including knots, grain patterns, and cracks.  Consider a live edge slab for your next project to create a one-of-a-kind statement piece in your home or cabin.  Use your imagination and join the live edge craze!

If you don't already, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with us and hear about special offers. The single best thing you can do to help support small businesses is to actively engage with their content and promote their goods.

Until next time!

-Janish Woodworks

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