Double Live-edge Slab Table

My design vision is brilliant and multifaceted: Have a table that functions as both a table and as a counter-level food prep station. (A floor wax and a dessert topping!) 

I purchased the crank table base during Covid. (It got stuck in the Evergiven-Suez canal debacle and took a LONG time to arrive.) It sat in my home garage that winter, then migrated to the KnArrow Haus kitchen last Fall.  At over 200 pounts, it's not the type of thing you want to move ore than once. Being able to raise and lower the table will eliminate the need for two different-height surfaces thereby conserving space. Bonus points if I can get the base up on casters that roll easily on the floor -- but based on the minimum height of the base, it's not likely that will happen as the table top would likely be too tall.

Somewhat accurate facsimile of the crank table base I ordered

The only reason I installed the industrial retractable power cord in the ceiling is because I knew the table would be going up and down and also potentially moving.

Ceiling mounted retractable extension cord waiting patiently for the crank table

 

I bought the maple slab at SecondUse.com a couple years ago for only a couple-hundred bucks. It was kiln dried, but has some rot in the crotch at one end and some softness at the other end that might be rot, but I'm not educated enough to accurately diagnose.

Maple slab from SecondUse.com

I proceeded to remove all the bark from edges, and to clean things up in general. A long day of work got things pretty cleaned-up. I also routed channels on the underside for metal, c-channel bars to help prevent warping. After my initial work, it sat for a over a year in our house waiting patiently.

In process cleaning up the slab

Classial crotch rot

Slight soft (punky?) end

Slab with steel stabilizing bars installed on the underside

I finally brought the slab and the base up to KnArrow Haus last fall, where both have hybernating patiently, taking up space. I began the next phase to stabilize, epoxy-fill, and finish the slab by treating the entire slab with wood hardener, specifically designed to stabilize rot.

maple slab treated on both sides with wood hardener.

The slab really drank up the wood hardener -- 3 of these from HomeDepot! I felt like I should go ahead and treat the whole thing keep it uniform in appearance. 

Next step will be to fill the holes and rotted areas with epoxy.