Building Wood and Resin River-Style Tables

by Bradlyn Zimmerman

A classy and unique addition to any space, river-style tables combine artistic elegance with everyday functionality. This beginner-friendly guide will show you everything you need to know to accomplish these stunning pieces yourself!

Featuring detailed overviews and tutorials for every step of the process from start to finish, inside this book you'll learn how select the wood, prepare the slab, make an epoxy table form — whether colored or clear — prepare, color, and pour the epoxy resin, trim and sand the table, and much more, to equip you with all the skills and knowledge you need to make your own one-of-a-kind river or waterfall table!

Also included is an inspirational gallery of more than 100 images of river-style tables and furniture made by author Bradlyn Zimmerman and other woodworkers, sure to encourage your own project.

A complete guide that demystifies this amazing craft, Building Wood and Resin River-Style Tables is an absolute must-have to learn how to make it happen and do it yourself!

128 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2022

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a woman who loves handcrafts of any kind, I found this book fascinating. My husband is a retired contractor, and I am constantly trying to drag him into some hobby doing woodwork. When I saw this book preview on NetGalley I was immediately fascinated. As I have gotten older, my style has changed. Even though I still love vintage, I find I love the newer designs as well. It is not surprising when I am drawn to designs that combine antique rustic with contemporary design.

I pointed out several designs to my husband who said that he could easily learn to do something similar, but he had no desire, which is about 90% of the process.

If you are interested in this type of furniture, whether to buy or create, add this book to your collection. You will not be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. I gave it four stars.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since my husband uses resin in a lot of his woodworking projects I was excited to be given the opportunity to review this book. BUILDING WOOD AND RESIN RIVER-STYLE TABLES by Bradlyn Zimmerman.

Featuring detailed overviews and tutorials for every step of the process from start to finish, inside this book you'll learn how select the wood, prepare the slab, make an epoxy table form — whether colored or clear — prepare, color, and pour the epoxy resin, trim and sand the table, and much more, to equip you with all the skills and knowledge you need to make your own one-of-a-kind river or waterfall table!

If you a new to this craft or have already made some river-style tables, you’ll find inspiration from from the gallery of over 100 photos in this book. 5 stars!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this review and more on my blog, uncovered-books.

I received a free copy go Building Wood And Resin River-Style Tables from the publisher in exchanges for my honest opinion.

Epoxy tables are all the rage right now, and have you ever thought of making on for yourself? Well Building Wood and Resin River-Style Tables is here to break down the entire process to make it as easy for you as possible.

Seperate chapters break down the entire process from start to finish. Selecting Live Edge Slabs; Preparing Live Edge Slabs For Pouring Epoxy; Making An Epoxy Table Form; Preparing And Colouring Epoxy; Pouring A River Style Table; Cutting, Sanding, And Machining The Tabletop; Making, Mounting, And Finishing Table Legs; and Finishing The Tabletop each explain in simple but through detail how to go about each step. Also, before going into all the nitty-gritty details about how to make you resin river-style table, an important section around what tools, materials and safety when making on of these epoxy river tables is included. I have seen numerous people skim over the safety aspect of working with epoxy, so including an entire page to remind you to wear your respirator is excellent!

Aside from these chapters that directly are associated around you making your own epoxy table, include is a 55 page spread of epoxy tables for your inspiration. Each photo includes what the dimensions of the piece, what the tabletop is made out of (including the wood used and the epoxy colouring method), what the legs are constructed out of, and how it is finished. Each piece is is in a section about the person who created it, where they are located and what their woodworking company is called.

A very good book for inspiration for resin river table designs, and a good starting point for beginners.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about being married to a woodworker is that I can see a photo of nearly any wooden object, show it to the hubs, and anywhere from two days to six years later - there it is, anything from an exact copy to a reasonable facsimile, just waiting for me to do with it as I will. The one exception has been when I asked for one of these gorgeous tables.



The answer was always "No. I'm not working with resin."

So . . . when I saw this book offered for review on NetGalley, I figured if I could get him to read and review, maybe it would change his mind, and in a few months I would be wiping crumbs from my very own wood and resin table. He was game, and he thought the book was terrific: beautifully laid out, with clear, easy-to-follow instructions, and plenty of photos of finished products for inspiration.

BUT, he still has no plans to work with resin.

Sigh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for attempting to change his mind.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a crafty person and this book appealed to me since it is something new I could learn. I make all kinds of things and this book intrigued me since my brother works with epoxy and resin every day. This book explains everything so well. The photos are an excellent visual. I would say to add more because you can never have too many pictures. It even gives tips if you are a beginner, but I think in this case “beginner” refers to someone who is at least familiar with and has working knowledge of the tools required to complete this project. If that is you, then buy this book. You won’t be disappointed and you will learn some helpful tips and tricks to working with wood and resin.

4/5

Thank you to Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Michelle Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is a successful businessman along with his father, and makes river tables along with other epoxy furniture, and they have a long waiting list! There are beautiful pictures of their work, and step-by-step pictures of how to make 3 different tables! The book takes you through the history, the different tools needed. The author keeps the tool list simple, so that most people can afford to do this on any budget. Then, he explains the types of epoxies, and why he uses the one he chose. He explains how to use everything safely, and then he explains everything step-by-step with captioned photos that are numbered in order. I can't wait to make my first table with my husband! I am making my dining room table with this technique, and this book is perfect!

[Dotdala_reads (Sam R) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can handle working with resin in small ways- sealing my rocks, etc- I just can't dabble in larger scale projects like the absolutely beautiful and breathtaking pieces in this book. I thought it was very well written and detailed, but I will let the pros make any of these for me and I'd happily pay the big bucks- WHICH ARE WELL DESERVED. I appreciated the exact and precise cuts that were mentioned, the dimensions, the methods on how color was added to each one and just the overall attention to detail that Zimmerman brought into this book. The gallery pictures made my bank account go in the negative just drooling over the incredible craftsmanship, WOW-ZA.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been seeing a lot of these tables on HGTV, and in some high end furniture stores. I always wondered how they were made. Thanks to NetGalley for granting me permission to read/review this book, I now have a much better understanding of them. While it looks somewhat intensive, and messy, the process does appear to be doable. The book does a good job of explaining the process, and of giving several examples. It's probably not going to be something I ever attempt, but who knows? Maybe someday.

[Leyla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, with some beautiful examples of what can be done with resin and wood. The book starts off with lots of inspiring examples, before going into the detail of how to make a table of your own. Lots of photographs making it a very easy to follow project.. The end result come out as amazing pieces of art work, yet sturdy and useful tables. Love to try one or myself - just a little one to start with - this book certainly gives one the confidence of to try, and achieving a good result.
. Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC .

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful introduction on how to make your own River style table with wood and resin. The author puts lots of thoughts into showing examples made by people other than the author. The instructions are easy to follow, and it seems like a doable project. Maybe not for beginning woodworkers but for those with a little bit of experience. I hope anyone trying to make a table themselves would get the beautiful results seen in this book.