Rustic Live Edge Log Slice Lazy Susan With LED Lighting

As the title and photos allude to, this is a handmade piece using wood log slices from some native trees here in Australia.

Doing some work on the raw log slices and adding a bearing and some led lighting gives the nice mix of rustic meets modern to make a Rustic Live Edge Log Slice Lazy Susan with LEDs!

I picked up some wood log slices from a local business that works with fallen trees and other woods to make unique and creative handcrafted items. Thought I would have a go at it myself.

This is my third Lazy Susan made out of wood log slices and the largest I've done out of the three and I am quite happy with how it turned out.

The top piece measured out to be about 60cm (~23.6") in diameter.

Step 1: Planing, Sanding and Leveling

Once I had the pieces at home on my workbench. I used my electric planer and belt sander to get rid of the chainsaw cuts and to get them nice and smooth and as leveled as I could.

Ended up sanding top and bottom piece to 240 grit on both sides.

Step 2: Cracks and Holes and Filling Them!

The top piece was riddled with cracks and insect holes on both sides.

I chose the best side to be the top and I filled as many of the the cracks and holes I could with epoxy on the visible sides and wood putty on the sides that would not be seen. i.e. (Epoxy on the top of the top piece and the bottom of the bottom piece. Wood putty on the bottom of the top piece and the top of the bottom piece).

Waited overnight for the epoxy and putty to dry and harden. Then re-sanded all sides up to 1200 grit.

Step 3: Staining, Varnishing and Assembly

Added a 'Coffee Bean' stain to both the top and bottom pieces of wood after the sanding was finished.

Then once dry, I added a coat of clear satin spray varnish to seal and protect the wood.

Did a test fit and leveling of the slices on the bearing before pre-drilling and screwing in the bearing to both the top and bottom pieces of wood.

Step 4: LED Lighting and the Final Product

Once together and tested the bearing was spinning with no issues. I added some adhesive felt feet on the bottom of the piece. The placement of the feet also aided fixing any final unlevel areas after assembly.

I purchased some adhesive 'Cool White' LED strip lighting online that had a USB connector as its power input. I also purchased a 4x AA battery caddy with a USB connection and an on/off switch built into it.

Gave the lights a test before doing a dry measure with the LED strip on the underside of the top piece. I cut the LED strip to be the right length without overlapping itself and then stuck it on with its adhesive backing. The battery pack was attached with some adhesive velcro on both the underside of the lazy susan and onto the battery pack. Allowing it to be repositioned for easy access to the on/off switch or removed for battery replacement.

All in all, it took probably just over a week to complete. Working on it for a few hours a day and the waiting times for epoxy and varnish to cure/dry.

I think it has turned out quite well and it is a great decor table centerpiece of rustic meets modern.

Thanks for having a look at this project and feel free to let me know what you thought of it or if you've done something similar!

Comments

[RandyPerson]

I second naaberle's question. I have a number of log discs around for various future projects, and they all typically get one major radial split, which can open up from 5 to 15 degrees, depending on the species and moisture content of the log. Are yours cut from very old, incredibly seasoned logs? Or is it just characteristic of your down-under wood? What is the species? You may be the inspiration for a bunch of projects if you reveal your secret.

[ambitiouswoods]

I've replied to naaberle's comment but I'll also elaborate a bit on yours as well :) To answer your questions, yes the ones I normally use are seasoned logs that have fallen and dried out already before cutting. I also stored the slices of this one for a few weeks before I started work on it in an area that did not have highly fluctuating temperatures or exposed to the sun. That in addition to the wood type in this case (Liquidambar - Sweetgum), I believe these are the main factors for cracking/not cracking. That being said if you have a look in the photos the top piece I used, it had a huge amount of hairline cracks all through it with a few bigger ones in the center that I had to fill. Some others that I have worked on have done the exact same thing that you said yours did and it completely ruined the slice/disc for use. Then other pieces I've done have had next to none like this one - Rose Gum - http://bit.ly/2d9dUvw

[KayciaW]

Thank you for explaining. I have these beautiful Missouri Walnut discs that have no major cracking and am thinking about doing the same thing....unless they are too thick. Is there a maximum thickness or weight to use for a project like that?

[ambitiouswoods]

Not really. The only issues you might run into is how much weight the lazy susan bearings are rated for, so that might be worth checking.
The other thing is the bigger and thicker the wood the heavier it becomes and can be a bit troublesome to work with.
If you do end up making one, be sure to let me know how you go! :)

[JayH91]

You don't mention how you attached the LED strip. It looks like a straight strip. How did you make it conform to the circular shape of the wood?

[ambitiouswoods]

Thanks for the comment, and you make a good point! I forgot to take a photo at the time of the underside once the LEDs were attached. The LED strip I used was a straight one but it was extremely flexible and it had adhesive backing. So I just put it as far out to the edge on the underside as I could giving it the largest circumference to work with and just made the slightest turn following the circle as I was sticking it down and that seemed to work just fine because of the size of it. If it is on a smaller piece or if this just doesn't work well for others, you can cut the strips down into smaller straight pieces and connect them with some specific LED strip connectors - http://bit.ly/2cOqL9Y . And not only will it work the same, it doesn't matter what it looks like underneath being split up as no one will see it.

[CelticLock]

Looks great! How long will the batteries last?

[ambitiouswoods]

Thanks for having a look. Great question about the battery runtime. I haven't actually tested it myself yet. But it's a 5v battery pack with 4x AA batteries with the 5v USB connector on the LED strip. Doing some research on AA battery pack runtimes without physically testing it, tells me it would get roughly about 2.5 to 3 hours varying on the brand and mAh of batteries used. And rechargeable batteries would work fine in the pack as well. Great for dinners and social gatherings before it runs out I would think.
With some modification, I believe it could be constructed to be mains powered. Would just need to figure out how the cable would spin through the base of the lazy susan without twisting or catching on anything.

[Indyboo]

The LED strip could be placed around the base piece rather than under the top piece. This would allow a mains connection. You would then need to determine how to route the wires across/through the table however. Also using a lower voltage source of 2.5-3 volts would dim the LED's down a bit such as a previous poster desired. Your project is a great idea and inspires me to do something similar with a slice of black walnut I have from a recent logging job at my property.

[ambitiouswoods]

Thanks for the comment, those are great ideas!

Make sure you post up some photos of your project when you get into it and send them my way, would love to see how it turns out :)

[ambitiouswoods]

If anyone is interested here are the exact LED's I used - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/301744023843?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&var=600574394114&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

And the exact battery pack from my local electronics store - http://www.jaycar.com.au/battery-bank-4-x-aa-usb-a-skt-with-switch-black/p/MP3083

But, of course any variations of parts could be used.

[IdahoErnest]

Only seeing the photos, it seems to me, to be too bright. I would dim the lighting so my dinner guests will not be staring into such a bright light. Making it better to see what is on the lazy Susan, and see whom they are dining with. Great idea other wise.

[ambitiouswoods]

Hey thanks, yeah it is pretty bright, and it is enhanced on the glossed table finish. 'Cool White' are these prticular LED's I had at the time. You can also get a 'Warm White' which is more yellow and softer, or you could get a RGB colour changing strip of LEDs and the white on those is duller which would work well like you mentioned :)

[JonathonF3]

What type of epoxy did you use to fill the cracks? Just a normal 2 part clear epoxy? Thanks in advance.

[ambitiouswoods]

Yes that's exactly right. A 2 part clear epoxy. If you're going to be doing something similar with wood, make sure you get enough as the wood loves to soak it up!

[charlietophat]

What did you use for the spinner - thing (sorry, don't know the name) and where did you get it?

[ambitiouswoods]

I used a lazy susan bearing. You can get them online from a lot of different places. I believe got mine from eBay - http://www.ebay.com/itm/272094646331

[azizkres]

Nicely done :D

[ambitiouswoods]

Thank you :D

[kierabarbie]

Awesome work