More about this in the website article: ibuildit.ca/projects/faking-live-edge/ You can help support the work I do in making these videos: Project plans for sale: ibuildit.ca/plans/ Support this channel on Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h My main channel: th-cam.com/users/jpheisz My home reno channel: th-cam.com/users/IBuildItHome My "Scrap bin" channel: th-cam.com/users/IBuildItScrapBin Website: ibuildit.ca/ Facebook: facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/ Instagram: instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/
Same!... Until I upgraded to a better, older, no brand name jigsaw that cuts really accurately. I had a Black and Decker one and it was a useless piece of junk, couldn't hold the blade straight unfortunately.
This one was a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. I was totally psyched about this idea at the beginning. After you torched the edge, my enthusiasm dwindled as I wasn't very keen on the result. Then, at the end, after you applied the stain, I was filled with joy when I saw the piece really turned out nice! Does it look like bark? From the pictures, I'd say no. But it *is* interesting and I do see the potential. Great idea!
I love these types of videos! The main difference with this compared to every other video on youtube is that the title isn't "how to: " and the narrative instead is "let me try this and this because of this and that, and then let you see some of it"
I seen a technique to bring 'bark' texture out of wood by using a wire wheel. Use a very soft wire wheel and gently work it in-line with the wood grain. The softer part of the grain is removed leaving the harder edges to stand proud. Before burnishing with a torch, apply a finish. The finish will soak in to the softer grain. When burnishing with the torch the higher harder grain will darken sooner.
The grain type you describe really sounds like 2x4 SPF. Spruce, pine, fir. Maple for instance doesn't have nearly as much difference in grain hardness as softwood fir does.
John, I've done things like this using MDF, varying types of foam, as well as actual wood. Try using a wire bristle wheel or a paint stripper wheel on your angle grinder. Once before and once after you burn it. It'll give you a bit more variation and depth. It actually resembles the live edge.
Terrain builders (for, say, war gaming or model train sceneries etc.) often use a technique called "dry brushing" to create more natural looking surfaces (for instance, to make a chunk of polystyrene resemble rock). The idea is to dip a brush in paint, wipe as much as possible off again, and then gently go over the piece you're painting. I imagine that this technique would possibly also work here, if you really wanted to go to town to make the edge look more real: in addition to the black and the shellac, one could dry brush two or three tones of gray on (dark to light) to break up the homogeneously dark color with highlights. However, then you've probably reached a point where it would probably be easier to just chop down a tree and mill out an actual board...
Char-Edge furniture... the next hot new trend on TH-cam. It actually looks pretty damn good. Reminds me of laughing my ass off reading Don's article on Offcuts about live edge.
Looks good John. I do something similar at work where we make wooden clocks, we always fake the natural shape, much like this but then round like a log or stump shape. and how we do it is with the tip of a chainsaw we carve a rough edge with the tip and then burn it like you did, this also looks very much natural but with a chainsaw you have actually more variation in the roughness. Infact if you like, have a look at "Kauri Clocks New Zealand" that will show you. By the way if you dont know of Ancient Swamp Kauri wood, you will be impressed, the wood can be up to 45,000 years old, certainly worth learning about. Cheers
It looks like charred wood with tinted stain on it. BTW, shellac has a shelf life measured in months if you mix it up yourself. The ready-to-use stuff by Zinsser has additives to extend the shelf life to a couple of years.
Nice job! Best substitute for real live edge that I've seen. Maple always burns black for me, but white pine, spruce, and hemlock develops more of a rich dark brown colour (after wiping the initial layer of char). You can get inventive with sanding then burning again to get a larger spectrum of colours, but I prefer just wiping or scrubbing the char off like you did in the video. If you have any peices with sapwood/resin in it too, you can get some really pretty colour mixes. I'd love to see a burnt wood project in the future!
I like it John. It looks almost real to me. I know up close it wouldn’t but for a shelf or something like that I would use. Thanks for sharing the tip.
good job...ive tried this years ago and found that a light hand sanding brought back some color i dont have that piece now to show you but it looked awesome...
Interesting video and technique but I favor live edge without the bark which I have faked before by using the jigsaw at an angle, as you mentioned, running down the edge of the board. I did not try the simulated bark but what I found interesting was your technique in the second step of putting the grinder marks in the wood. If you scaled that back a little it looks like the insect trails you often see in logs when you remove the bark.
I thought of doing this as well, but didn't think of burning it. One idea might be to burn random sections perhaps and not the entire edge. I don't know though
Great stuff, John. Could you show how to do that charred wood technique like the do in Japan? Somehow they use a burning technique that turns the wood black and provides a protecting layer against rot.
I really like how it turned out given that this was just an experiment. I like the « artistic » expression of a Dead « live » edge. This could be a great technique used in a piece that contrasts life and death. (Ok, just reread my comment and kinda went off on a tangent there. . . Oh well)
Great video, been trying to make a fake live edge...what i really liked compared to all the other videos is every step didn't start with make sure you wear goggles, gloves, mask, ear protection, etc.. just dive right in it, the way i do.
cool experiment, I think with some more trial and error you will get the look you were going for. definitely on the right path. I seen someone do this before and it looked pretty good , dont remember how they did it tho.
I completely understood everything you said during the process, John. But of course, I live in Downeast Maine, within an hour of the US/Canadian border, so I speak fluent Canadian, eh?
llike it bud. im just about to do the same for some arm rests on a sofa :) thanks for the video..... its pretty much a sho shugi ban finish you did with the burning.... you think hitting it with a stone disk on the angle grinder will get those burn marks?
I really like this idea and it looks really great! but you used a piece of wood with straight grain, when you use a piece with not so straight grain isnt it best to follow that grain when cutting the ''bark''? For an untrained eye your current piece might look natural but for an trained eye it might not. It still looks great though!
This is perfect and exactly what I was looking for! It came up first in the TH-cam search I just made. :D I have no issue getting live edge but I have a bunch of various sized 2X4 pieces from a home repair project that I want to use up. I had the (maybe crazy) idea to use them to make a "live edge" river table using resin. I know I would use them eventually but I really just don't want any more wood lying around for years. :P - Heidi
I'd say the best thing to do would be keeping the deep cut marks, and only use a dark brown stain on the edge. Either way, the end result was interesting, thanks for showing.
You one of my favorite TH-cam woodworkers. Your shows are enjoyable and informative because you are very knowledgable. This technique however is not among your better presentations.
It does make you jealous of the guys with enough room to have every piece of equipment out and ready when you realize you just spent a bunch of time doing something the hard way trying to avoid setup time. To go along with the fake live edge you’ve got to think up a way of doing a fake ‘river’ or big epoxy fill.
Hey that's very nice! ;-) Maybe you could score more fakeness points by brushing/rubbing the texture very lightly with a light(er) paint, just hitting the high spots. Y'know, bring out the texture Keep up the good work :-D
Nice texture, but trying to fake natures creations is kinda silly. It's way easier to find live edge wood than making fake live edge. And it's not just the edge, there is also sap wood and all natural textures. I have lots of live edge wood because I make most of my blanks by myself. It would be ridiculous first cut lumber and remove the live edge. Then create fake live edge and burning it. Fun video and good experiment.
I vote for calling this "fake edge" the "dead edge". It's not a live edge, undead edge, or zombie edge. I suppose you could make it a live edge again by applying those Chia Pet seeds.
I’d probably just go buy a live edge than try to imitate one. Wouldn’t pay money for a fake live edge. Looks like something you’d buy from Target in the “trendy” home decor section.
More about this in the website article:
ibuildit.ca/projects/faking-live-edge/
You can help support the work I do in making these videos:
Project plans for sale: ibuildit.ca/plans/
Support this channel on Patreon:
www.patreon.com/user?u=865843&ty=h
My main channel:
th-cam.com/users/jpheisz
My home reno channel:
th-cam.com/users/IBuildItHome
My "Scrap bin" channel:
th-cam.com/users/IBuildItScrapBin
Website: ibuildit.ca/
Facebook: facebook.com/I-Build-It-258048014240900/
Instagram: instagram.com/i_build_it.ca/
1:27 that's what it looks like when I try to make a straight cut with my jig saw ;)
I was going to say the same thing. lol
Same!... Until I upgraded to a better, older, no brand name jigsaw that cuts really accurately. I had a Black and Decker one and it was a useless piece of junk, couldn't hold the blade straight unfortunately.
@Yonatan
You must have found my old Black & Decker jigsaw.....
Alfred Neumann man I have a black and decker jigsaw too, and like both of you, I have the worst looking cuts. Can't hold the damn blade straight
1N - UP
It's just useless. You can't make straight cuts with it, and you can't cut curves!
This one was a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. I was totally psyched about this idea at the beginning. After you torched the edge, my enthusiasm dwindled as I wasn't very keen on the result. Then, at the end, after you applied the stain, I was filled with joy when I saw the piece really turned out nice! Does it look like bark? From the pictures, I'd say no. But it *is* interesting and I do see the potential. Great idea!
I love these types of videos! The main difference with this compared to every other video on youtube is that the title isn't "how to: " and the narrative instead is "let me try this and this because of this and that, and then let you see some of it"
great point-- exploratory woodworking
I seen a technique to bring 'bark' texture out of wood by using a wire wheel. Use a very soft wire wheel and gently work it in-line with the wood grain. The softer part of the grain is removed leaving the harder edges to stand proud. Before burnishing with a torch, apply a finish. The finish will soak in to the softer grain. When burnishing with the torch the higher harder grain will darken sooner.
The grain type you describe really sounds like 2x4 SPF. Spruce, pine, fir. Maple for instance doesn't have nearly as much difference in grain hardness as softwood fir does.
John, I've done things like this using MDF, varying types of foam, as well as actual wood. Try using a wire bristle wheel or a paint stripper wheel on your angle grinder. Once before and once after you burn it. It'll give you a bit more variation and depth. It actually resembles the live edge.
Terrain builders (for, say, war gaming or model train sceneries etc.) often use a technique called "dry brushing" to create more natural looking surfaces (for instance, to make a chunk of polystyrene resemble rock). The idea is to dip a brush in paint, wipe as much as possible off again, and then gently go over the piece you're painting. I imagine that this technique would possibly also work here, if you really wanted to go to town to make the edge look more real: in addition to the black and the shellac, one could dry brush two or three tones of gray on (dark to light) to break up the homogeneously dark color with highlights. However, then you've probably reached a point where it would probably be easier to just chop down a tree and mill out an actual board...
Looks good. I like this dead edge better than the live edge.
I also wonder how it looks if just epoxy/PL some tree barks on the edge.
Char-Edge furniture... the next hot new trend on TH-cam. It actually looks pretty damn good.
Reminds me of laughing my ass off reading Don's article on Offcuts about live edge.
Looks good John. I do something similar at work where we make wooden clocks, we always fake the natural shape, much like this but then round like a log or stump shape. and how we do it is with the tip of a chainsaw we carve a rough edge with the tip and then burn it like you did, this also looks very much natural but with a chainsaw you have actually more variation in the roughness. Infact if you like, have a look at "Kauri Clocks New Zealand" that will show you. By the way if you dont know of Ancient Swamp Kauri wood, you will be impressed, the wood can be up to 45,000 years old, certainly worth learning about. Cheers
It looks like charred wood with tinted stain on it. BTW, shellac has a shelf life measured in months if you mix it up yourself. The ready-to-use stuff by Zinsser has additives to extend the shelf life to a couple of years.
Nice job! Best substitute for real live edge that I've seen. Maple always burns black for me, but white pine, spruce, and hemlock develops more of a rich dark brown colour (after wiping the initial layer of char). You can get inventive with sanding then burning again to get a larger spectrum of colours, but I prefer just wiping or scrubbing the char off like you did in the video. If you have any peices with sapwood/resin in it too, you can get some really pretty colour mixes. I'd love to see a burnt wood project in the future!
If u tilt ur jigsaw to a 20-30 degree cut then light sand by hand it will help it to look more realistic
I like it John. It looks almost real to me. I know up close it wouldn’t but for a shelf or something like that I would use. Thanks for sharing the tip.
One of a kind video. Super informative!!!Save and then send this video to yourself!
good job...ive tried this years ago and found that a light hand sanding brought back some color i dont have that piece now to show you but it looked awesome...
I'm thinking to take some of the black off and leave brownish wood tones you could use a wire wheel on a drill now. Great idea and another good video!
Interesting video and technique but I favor live edge without the bark which I have faked before by using the jigsaw at an angle, as you mentioned, running down the edge of the board. I did not try the simulated bark but what I found interesting was your technique in the second step of putting the grinder marks in the wood. If you scaled that back a little it looks like the insect trails you often see in logs when you remove the bark.
I'm thinking maybe using pine bark mulch and gluing it with epoxy, like how glitter is applied with glue.
i never get tired of your videos. thanks for sharing and being real! take care
I thought of doing this as well, but didn't think of burning it. One idea might be to burn random sections perhaps and not the entire edge. I don't know though
Great stuff, John. Could you show how to do that charred wood technique like the do in Japan? Somehow they use a burning technique that turns the wood black and provides a protecting layer against rot.
Very cool idea John, I enjoyed the project.
I really like how it turned out given that this was just an experiment. I like the « artistic » expression of a Dead « live » edge. This could be a great technique used in a piece that contrasts life and death. (Ok, just reread my comment and kinda went off on a tangent there. . . Oh well)
Great video, been trying to make a fake live edge...what i really liked compared to all the other videos is every step didn't start with make sure you wear goggles, gloves, mask, ear protection, etc.. just dive right in it, the way i do.
Really doesn't look like live edge. But it is a beautiful design element. I really love it. TY.
Thanks this gave me some inspiration for making live edge shelves, I’m going to try gluing real bark on the edges, who knows
I think it looks good. A table banded around the edges with this would be pretty neat, IMO.
cool experiment, I think with some more trial and error you will get the look you were going for. definitely on the right path. I seen someone do this before and it looked pretty good , dont remember how they did it tho.
I seen that effect before. It was the roof on my house on the 5th of November.
Nice. It'd be interesting to see some of the other colouring approaches you mentioned in the future.
I think it would look even better if it was slightly beveled, isn't that what most live edge slabs look like? (not "cookies")
hmmm... just to rub it in, you could have used MDF :D
Alipasha Sadri damn I came here to make this exact comment lol use MDF for extra irony
I completely understood everything you said during the process, John. But of course, I live in Downeast Maine, within an hour of the US/Canadian border, so I speak fluent Canadian, eh?
I hope to see more videos of this from you. Awesome idea.
End result looked good . Does the burnt part become super brittle though like charcoal?
but why? isn't edge cuts cheaper than proper lumber?
What’s the music name at the end?
llike it bud. im just about to do the same for some arm rests on a sofa :) thanks for the video..... its pretty much a sho shugi ban finish you did with the burning.... you think hitting it with a stone disk on the angle grinder will get those burn marks?
Amazing work congratulations 👏😸
I really like this idea and it looks really great! but you used a piece of wood with straight grain, when you use a piece with not so straight grain isnt it best to follow that grain when cutting the ''bark''? For an untrained eye your current piece might look natural but for an trained eye it might not. It still looks great though!
This is perfect and exactly what I was looking for! It came up first in the TH-cam search I just made. :D I have no issue getting live edge but I have a bunch of various sized 2X4 pieces from a home repair project that I want to use up. I had the (maybe crazy) idea to use them to make a "live edge" river table using resin. I know I would use them eventually but I really just don't want any more wood lying around for years. :P - Heidi
If I may provide some feedback - I lack more and longer detailed shots at the end, those would be interesting.
Looks great, but where's the epoxy? 😉
On Peter's workbench, next to the sprinkles :D
ha! Right where it belongs
Glen, that’s brilliant mate. 2:35
I'd say the best thing to do would be keeping the deep cut marks, and only use a dark brown stain on the edge. Either way, the end result was interesting, thanks for showing.
I would have wire brushed the burnt edge to knock the darkness down. Something to think about.
You one of my favorite TH-cam woodworkers. Your shows are enjoyable and informative because you are very knowledgable. This technique however is not among your better presentations.
Even Babe Ruth didn't hit a home run every time he came to the plate.
Hey John....I can't believe you applied the shellac on your brand new tables saw top....
Looks pretty good! Might be easier with a piece of wood that was darker to start with.
Nice work John! it really does look quite alot like a live edge, Thanks for sharing the video.😎👍JP
I'm not a big fan of live edge either, but this was a nice experiment, and you showed some nice innovation on the fly. Good job.
Ya' Barking up the wrong tree Roscoe......but great effort and exploration anyway. What I need is more Cardinal...
Perfect, John! I certainly couldn't tell the difference from a 1/4 mile away... ;) A nice experiment none the less.
Great experiment. If the edge had some depth, I’m not sure how that could be done. But I thought it was a good look
Thanks John!
I thought people usually removed the bark. It looks ugly with it on.
ya know... it may not look exactly like live edge but I bet you could make an epic lava river table
It does make you jealous of the guys with enough room to have every piece of equipment out and ready when you realize you just spent a bunch of time doing something the hard way trying to avoid setup time.
To go along with the fake live edge you’ve got to think up a way of doing a fake ‘river’ or big epoxy fill.
sawzall long blades would be finicky enough to leave a random cut effortlessly.
Thanks for the video.
Nice experiment! I like it.
What's it like living in Canada John?
You ask that like I just got here :)
I like your style I am going to try this
Making a fake live edge piece would work well in a epoxy river table top or art piece.
Hey that's very nice! ;-)
Maybe you could score more fakeness points by brushing/rubbing the texture very lightly with a light(er) paint, just hitting the high spots. Y'know, bring out the texture
Keep up the good work :-D
A slight bevel on this makes a big difference
Charles Neil did something similar on his channel. Good to see it don't for a different audience though. :)
Almost perfect! It would have been perfect, if made LIVE during a LIVE stream!
Interesting 😀, but I think I'll go with the real thing. Out here in Oregon, you can get live-edge on every street corner. Nice video.
Looks good
I did a live edge with sheetrock.
I Made it thick like shortening.
Are you going to use that piece in some project in the future? Good job as allways.
I just did this as an experiment. Interesting to try it again, but on a larger piece that's big enough to do something with.
Nice texture, but trying to fake natures creations is kinda silly. It's way easier to find live edge wood than making fake live edge. And it's not just the edge, there is also sap wood and all natural textures. I have lots of live edge wood because I make most of my blanks by myself. It would be ridiculous first cut lumber and remove the live edge. Then create fake live edge and burning it. Fun video and good experiment.
I vote for calling this "fake edge" the "dead edge". It's not a live edge, undead edge, or zombie edge. I suppose you could make it a live edge again by applying those Chia Pet seeds.
I’d probably just go buy a live edge than try to imitate one. Wouldn’t pay money for a fake live edge. Looks like something you’d buy from Target in the “trendy” home decor section.
Another 200 of these and you could make a fair portion of a real tree!
so nice I like it
Turned out great! 🤠🙏✝️🇺🇸
okay, now burn the rest of it! (also not a live edge fan usually) :-)
Fuel for the next steak dinner!
(the shellac and poly just give the meat that extra little something to kick it up a notch)
That was cool
Next fad.....Live edge MDF....lol. Interesting experiment John!
Not a hit at you John... But now it is time for youtube to start doing the fidget spinning live edge resin river tin foil balls.
HA!
the fidget spinning live edge resin river tin foil balls challenge!
I think it should be called 'dead-edge'.
3:55 i giggled :D
beautiful. contrast. I made a stand for a smartphone
live edge is best left on the tree.
Um live edge ,um no burned edge yes
Hipsters won't know what to do with themselves
Not really "Faking the Live Edge", more like burnt edge that looks fake.
Really,, You can't fake Mother nature, who wants a charred edge of wood... ya need the real thing and glue it on..
👏
a good way to flame you may see here: th-cam.com/video/YiebHv1MTAA/w-d-xo.html (first he shows how not to do it).
Dont know why but im hungry for bacon
So, it's a live edge cut from a tree after a forest fire. fair enough. haha
too much work not worth it better to buy it