Live-Edge Wood Bar with Black Pipe Legs #2

One day I happened to walk by the house of some friends down the street as they were packing up to move out. In the back of their SUV I noticed a sizable piece of live-edge wood. I asked whether the neighbor what he had planned for it and mentioned that I had recently finished making a bar out of a very similar piece (Live-Edge Bar with Black Pipe Legs). He didn’t know what he was going to do with it or when or how, but when I showed him my completed project, he said he would love to have something just like it, possibly something they could keep outside on a covered back patio at their new house. I took on the project. I retained one live edge and squared off the other long edge for two reasons. First, the board was warped, especially on that side, so making the piece narrower would reduce that problem. Second, having a clear front edge and back edge would better define the piece, and work better if they decided to put it up against a wall. I also squared off the short edges, perpendicular to the straight back edge. After the initial cuts, I routed the square edges to create a nice consistent radius. I spent hours smoothing out the rough top and bottom with a belt sander and hand sanding. I finished all the surfaces with about five coats of Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Clear Satin Spar Urethane, which should help protect it from the elements outdoors. I spent just over $200 on 1-inch black pipe components to create the custom support structure and legs, including a foot rest. My friend was quite happy with the finished product, and so was I.

Related Items: Live-Edge Bar with Black Pipe Legs #1, Round High-Top Table.