Chestnut Tree trunk to Rustic Coffee Table

I take a slice from the trunk of an old chestnut tree and turn it into a lovely rustic coffee table for the porch. It is a lovely companion piece to my rustic viking chair. The chestnut bark comes off easily using a nata. This is a Japanese tool that I am not sure of for a western equivalent. It is often used in outdoors work and may be similar to a hatchet..? After the bark was off the outer layer has a very peculiar texture. I sanded that all down and was left with a pleasant high and lows texture afterwards. This is simple, but labor intensive, work that is very therapeutic. the bottom of the table was shaped using a circular saw and cleaned up with hand chisels. These chisels are cheap old stanley chisels that I got from my grandfather. It was fun to watch my sons enthusiastically try them out. The finish is an oil-based polyurethane finish. I applied 1 coat let that sit for 24 hours then sanded it back with 240 grit sandpaper and applied a second thin coat of finish. It should slowly grow a lovely amber color over time.

This project was inspired by a YouTuber named Chester. This is the video that he did that got me going.
   • DIY coffee table / История о том, как я на...  

Stay safe and enjoy your projects everyone. Building things by hand brings peace that few other things can match.

Thanks for watching,

Brian