Live Edge Tables
If you’re on the quest for furniture that will bring that wow factor to your home or office, then a live edge table might be right up your alley. Over the last 10 years, live-edge tables have been on an upward swing, with big-name interior designers demonstrating their use as show-stopping furniture.
Besides home use, their style is versatile enough to be incorporated in restaurants, offices, and other settings and blend in seamlessly in modern, industrial, rustic, or Scandinavian decor. Here at Brick Mill Co., we offer various meticulously handcrafted Live Edge Tables, all made on a former 1800s lumber mill in Williamsport, PA.
Who is Brick Mill Co.?
Brick Mill Co. is a family-owned business located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. We are passionate about creating handcrafted heirloom-quality furniture that can be passed on from generation to generation.
We sell custom live edge benches, sofa tables, desks, benches, shelves, console tables, and dining tables, as well as craft wood furniture and solid wood tables. At Brick Mill Co., we carefully oversee our products every step of the way, from the initial slab of unfinished wood to finishing your Live Edge furniture with our 0% VOC plant-based finish.
What is a Live Edge Table?
The term ‘live edge’ defines that natural edge left on one or more sides of a piece of wood. Instead of the clean, sharp lines seen in conventional furniture, live edge retains the tree’s natural beauty. Cracks, knots, and other natural characters of the wood are usually left as they are to become alluring features of live edge tables, such as the Walnut Console table.
With a live edge design, you can bring the beauty of the great outdoors into your home or office in the form of modern, functional furniture. Handcrafted by woodworkers who have dedicated years to the skill, live edge tables are finished, cut, and sanded by hand to fine works of art. Each live edge table is a unique, exquisite piece. There are many options when it comes to selecting the colors (walnut, for instance), woodcut, and species (for example, a bar table).
What to Look For In a Live Edge Table
When it’s time to shop for your new masterpiece, taking your pick from the vast assortment of options can be daunting. We’ve rounded up a few of the most common features you’ll stumble upon.
1. WoodcutsSlices: These have a live edge, round, beautifully displaying the tree growth rings. Also known as a tree round, a wood slice is usually cut horizontally from the tree and is popularly used for side tables.
It’s unarguably one of the priciest options. Stemming from a unique deformity known as a burl, some trees have large, rounded outgrowth. The exquisite bumpy edges and grainy patterns make burl wood expensive.
3. FeaturesNo Bark vs Bark: Depending on the type of wood and table used, the craftsman will decide whether to take off the bark or leave it. The removal of the bark and the edges being sanded down lightly is relatively more common.
Five Things You Should Know Before Buying a Live Edge Table
If you are considering adding a live edge table to your home or office, here are the 5 things you should know before you invest in a piece.
1. Dried Wood Kiln
The necessity of ideal wood drying is greater for a large live edge slab compared to other types of wood. Concurrently, it’s typically one of the most overlooked aspects by people shopping for live edge tables. A plethora of manufacturers of wood and sawmills (except Brick Mill Furniture) only see dollar signs and dive right into slab production without a kiln to efficiently dry live edge slabs.
Those with kilns look more to the dollar than the consumers and don’t take the time required to properly dry slabs. Before hastily selecting the first product that catches your eye, it’s important to conduct your due diligence. Learn about the necessity of kiln-dried edge lumber before your purchase.
2. Several Slabs vs. One Slab
Is the live edge table one slab or a combination of several slabs? It’s worth noting that single, large slabs of wood are a rarity. Consider how old a tree must be to produce one wood slab that is more than 3-feet wide to put things into perspective.
Bearing that in mind, you should be prepared to shell out an appropriate amount of money that respects the scarcity and age of a large live edge slab. In contrast, live edge tables made of various pieces of wood joined together are not as rare because the trees are younger. Therefore, these types of live edge tables are typically more affordable.
3. Thin vs. Thick
The thinner the wood is milled, the higher the chances that your live edge table will be more susceptible to twisting and warping. A reputable sawmill (such as Brick Mill Furniture) mills live edge slabs with a thickness of not less than 3 inches. Doing so accounts for the expected changes to occur in the wood during the drying process.
Be cautious of finished live edge tables that are below 1-inch thick. They were overly warped; the woodworkers faced challenges in shaping the wood into the finished product or cut too thin.
4. Overall Craftsmanship
A top-notch live edge table isn’t nailed together. Rather, it’s joined with a multitude of joints or double dowels. Inside, the wood must be sanded properly, with the joints sturdy and tight. Drawers should be a snug fit in their frames, glide smoothly, and have automatic stops on the center or side glide supports.
Collars, bowties, and other inlays must be constructed of solid wood or metal alloy and inserted into the wood instead of being painted or constructed from decals. If the table base is made of metal, the wedding should be examined for cracks. For live edge tables of exceptional quality, the weld is ground down for conspicuousness.
Additionally, metal table bases should be inset into the tabletop of the live edge table as opposed to simply being joined in place for a seamless, smooth line on the underside of the table.
FAQ
What is the price range of live edge tables?
A large live edge table will cost anywhere between $1500 and $10,000. The price varies based on the size of the table and the finish, labor, whether or not you prefer an epoxy on your table, and the species of wood.
What makes live edge tables so pricey?
A live edge table is costly for a couple of reasons, for starters, the uniqueness. Reputable manufacturers such as Brick Mill Furniture use rare wood that sets their pieces apart from the pack. With low demand and high supply, the costs of a live edge table skyrocket.
What’s the best wood for a live edge table?
In the US, old-growth Redwood provides unrivaled stability. However, Claro walnut, Cherry, and Black walnut are excellent alternatives. Black, red, or white oaks are also great options to consider, in addition to maple and sycamore.