The Saga of a Custom Coffee Table
- orindawoodworking
- Mar 22
- 3 min read
Updated: May 20
This is the saga of the creation of a custom olive wood cookie coffee table - and it has been a saga. Please let me know if you think I squandered my journey!
My Wood Buying Problem
As background, I have a wood buying problem. There, I said it. Acknowledging the problem is the first step towards solving it. While others spend their internet time scouring news, politics, sports, and social media, I spend most of my leisure time browsing for special pieces of wood. When I discover a board, my imagination runs wild. I visualize what I can create, and I feel an urgent need to bring that vision to life. Inevitably, I buy that piece. This obsession gave birth to the idea of this beautiful table.
The journey of creating the table was somewhat reminiscent of Odysseus’s adventures. (Okay, maybe I'm being slightly overdramatic, but bear with me.)
The Birth of the Table
The table began as a baker's dozen and a little extra (14 pieces) of olive wood cookies of various sizes. Wood cookies are essentially horizontal slices of a tree, and they feature end grain — one of my favorite aspects because it reveals much more character.
The large central cookie came from low on the tree, where the roots shoot out in all directions. This creates an interesting starlike explosion. However, this also means that there are tons of nooks and crannies that must be cleaned out by hand. Alternatively, a pressure washer could do the job, but I wanted to avoid that hassle.
These cookies were au naturel, bringing along a fair amount of rock and dirt from their previous home.
The Age of the Wood
These cookies originated from desert trees that were about 70 years old. The photos reveal the many cracks caused by the drying process as the wood contracts. I appreciate the texture these cracks add to the piece, especially when set in epoxy.
The next step involved experimenting with numerous arrangements. I rounded out the outside pieces to fit the contours of my mold in preparation for the pour.
Above you can see the final layout after I cleaned the boards.
The Epoxy Pour
Next, it was time to add 7 gallons of epoxy. I have been experimenting with different recipes of epoxy and dye to achieve an effect I call "fade to black." This means that, up close, you see the depth of the wood. From farther away, it appears opaque.
For the pour, each cookie must be held securely in place. Otherwise, a flotilla effect could ruin my project! With so many cookies involved, I ended up using six 2x4s clamped down with two additional ones across. Home Depot's struggle to provide a straight 2x4, along with the varying widths of the olive wood cookies, led me to improvise using folded-over paper towels and tongue depressors to fill in any gaps.
Knowing this project would bubble like crazy, I added a layer of epoxy directly to the wood before pouring.
Despite that preparation, I found myself battling a bubbly mess and began questioning if my $1000+ worth of materials and time had gone to waste. Fortunately, I had the foresight to add extra epoxy, ensuring the bubbles would rise above the finished surface level. It was very satisfying to peel back that layer and discover the beauty underneath!
Almost Finished
After flattening both the top and bottom of the table, removing excess material from the edges, and adding a chamfer to the bottom, I sanded it down intensely. I was confident this table was going to be a masterpiece.
Now, it was time for the table's dental exam.
After applying a few layers of tabletop epoxy to fill in tiny holes, the table was almost complete. It only awaited one final flattening sand and a full flood coat of resin to finish it off. Let me know if you would like a satisfying video of that final pour!
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