Top Tools for Building Live Edge Epoxy River Tables 

Getting started building live edge epoxy river tables can be intimidating based on all the information that you see around the internet.  A lot of us, when we get started, feel like we could  build these projects that we want to build, if only we had the tools. In this article I'm going to share with you five essential tools to get you started building live edge epoxy river tables.

The tools in this list are not in any order of importance but together all of them will lead to a much more enjoyable and pleasurable building experience.

The first one on the list is going to be the router.  If you're not familiar with a router it is a tool  that spins a bit at a high velocity and in return that bit cuts wood.  The reason a router is important when building epoxy tables is because you need a method of flattening these tables.  By building jigs and fixtures to accompany your router, you can achieve a perfectly flat table fairly easily and affordably.  When getting started, I overlooked this aspect and realized you can build tables that are close to being flat but are never perfect.  I made this mistake when I built some of my first projects thinking that my sander would help me get the flat table I desired,  when all I needed to do was build a jig and use a surfacing bit on my router. 

The next tool I will greatly help build live edge epoxy river tables is a high quality sander,  specifically a random orbit sander.  Now this is something that over the years I have invested a lot of money in but getting started if you can save up to get a sander that has a lot of power behind it, it can save you tens if not hundreds of hours on your builds.  I specifically love the Festool Rotex RO 150 for anyone who is looking to build live edge epoxy river tables and wants to save a lot of time and money.  If that's out of your budget, you can still get by with a more affordable random orbit sander or even a belt sander.  The key here is having an option that helps with material removal.

Sanding PRO Tips 

1. Invest in high quality mesh paper. It will make this process much faster and a better quality output.
2. Hook your sander up to any sort of vacuum or dust extractor for a better quality finish. 
3. Don't skip grits! Work the grits from 80-120-180-220-320 for best results on your table. 

The next tool is one that is typically overlooked and that is a nail gun. Now you might be asking yourself ‘Why would I need a nail gun to build a gigantic solid wood and epoxy table?’  and the answer to this is simple.  It's because building a mold is much faster with a nail gun than it is with screws.  When I first got started building I would use screws and other fasteners that over the time that I've been doing this just became obsolete.  I realized they were genuinely not that necessary.  So I stopped using those and I switched over to using 18g brad nails, 1.5”,  and with a good caulking seam they work flawlessly every time.  This is a cheap and effective tool that'll help you build a leak proof mold every single time. 

If you want to learn how to build a leak proof mold for free, check out my free training here . 

The final tool you can find in almost every shop is a circular saw, sometimes referred to as a skilsaw. You will want to have a circular saw for your projects mostly for the ability to cut your table down to size. This is easy to do with a straight edge guide and some clamps. If you’re looking to invest in tools, a track saw is a great companion that works great for cutting tables to size. I suggest at a minimum a 7 ¼” size saw, but this is an application where bigger is better. I also suggest getting a model that plugs in for the extra power. 

Those are the top 4 tools I believe will make your life much easier and headache free when building live edge epoxy tables. Now there are some other bonus tools like a table saw, caulking gun, air compressor, etc. But with these 4 you can essentially do everything you need to build awesome tables in your garage! 

If you want more tips and detailed tutorials on how to build amazing professional level epoxy tables, check out my masterclass. It's packed with not only epoxy river table builds, but also glass tables, clear tables, burls, and much much more!