How I Made Artful Tables from Salvaged Wood
Hi, I’m Kit Karlsson, writer of monster girls and fantastical adventures. I’m also somewhat handy and a big fan of learning new things.
When I moved into my first apartment alone during law school, my taste for nice things conflicted with my limited budget. I had a specific aesthetic in mind – warm industrial with an edge of rustic and a pinch of the 1960s – and decided that the best way for me to the tables I wanted was to make them myself. I’d never done this before, but after some research, I gave it a try. I outsourced some of the drilling to my father, but the process itself was simple!
This is what I did to create live-edge wooden tables in my apartment:
1) Find wood to use for the surface(s). Sure, you could go buy wood from the store, but if you want interesting wood textures or shapes, you may need to look for salvaged wood. I lucked out – there was a guy locally who was an engineer by trade but salvaged wood as a hobby. When a tree went down in a storm, he’d be out the next day with a chainsaw to load it onto his truck. He even built his own kiln. Cool guy. But basically, he was selling a TON of really cool looking salvaged wood.
I wanted my wood to be beautiful in an imperfect way (like my character, Alessi), so I looked for visually interesting pieces. Things like worm holes or even mildew can give the wood incredible color and texture variation. The piece of wood I chose for my coffee table had come from a twisted, scarred, and worm-eaten part of the tree and might be the most aesthetically pleasing thing I own. If you’re using salvaged wood like I was, make sure it’s thick enough to be structurally sound, and only used kiln dried/aged wood or you might also have some new, six-legged roommates.
2) Process the wood. If it’s rough and you want it smooth, you might need to plane and sand it. If it’s smooth and you want it rough (heh), I don’t know how to help you. Basically, here you get the wood looking how you want. I sanded and stained my tables since I wanted a slightly darker color, then coated them with polyurethane so they wouldn’t be damaged by water. You can leave your table totally raw and natural, too – that’s the beauty of DIY.
3) Acquire legs. You could use wooden legs, even cut them from a branch if you want. However, I wanted hairpin legs for a little mid-century spin on my side and entry tables, and trapezoidal legs for my coffee table. They turned out wonderfully.
4) Attach legs to table. I needed a drill and some small metal plates to level one twisted corner.
My family members helped me choose the wood and sand the pieces, leaving us with positive memories. Creating tables was an excellent way to have fun together, save money, make good use of salvaged wood and end up with unique pieces I get compliments on to this day.
If you try this at home, please wear goggles and follow common sense and standard safety procedures you can find online. I am not responsible for any injuries that may occur, and sawdust in the eye makes for a bad time
Kit Karlsson
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Publisher: Lake Country Press
Date of Publication: October 29, 2024
Number of pages: roughly 300
Word Count: 97,700
Cover Artist: Fay Lane
Tagline: In a world where magic can save or shatter, Kol Mendona must survive lethal secrets—and an even deadlier love—as he discovers he might not be as human as he believed…
Book Description:
Kol Mendona, one of the last humans on the magical continent of Alon, is desperate to escape his dying underground compound. When Alessi, a fierce dragon slayer with silver eyes, arrives, Kol sees a way out. As they journey together through the deadly wastes, an unexpected bond forms between them – one fueled by passion and dangerous magic.
But as Kol’s strange new powers awaken, their bond becomes increasingly unstable. Something within him is changing in ways he doesn’t fully understand, and if Alessi ever discovers the truth, Kol may lose more than her affections…
Excerpt 1:
“If you take me with you, I’ll do anything,” he said. To buy Astor some time. To get out of there.
She opened the door and pushed him out, preparing to close it again, but he put his foot in it.
“Anything?” she asked.
“Anything.”
“That’s a dangerous word when there are fates worse than death.” She tilted her head again to the side, an amused look on her face. “You’re a strange man, Kol.” She slammed the door, and he was alone in the darkness.
About the Author:
Kit enjoyed writing as a child and rediscovered her passion during the COVID-19 lockdown. She has a degree in finance from Southern Methodist University and recently graduated from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was the administrative editor of an academic publication. When she’s not writing, you can find her running barefoot, taming stray cats, or listening to paranormal podcasts.
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