A table with a luminous tabletop in the dark. Homemade luminous table Luminous oak table

How to do wooden table? Everyone can make such an unusual designer table made of wood at home! This requires cypress boards, luminous powder (phosphor), wood resin, some tools and the desire to make a beautiful wooden table with your own hands.

Luminous table «Glowing table»

Mike Warren is the author of this idea unusual table, which we found on dollarstorecrafts.com. He mixed the luminous powder with tree resin and filled them with voids, which are rich in cypress wood. The result is a beautiful wooden table with patterns glowing in the dark. However, first they need to "charge" in the light.

The simple form of an unusual luminous table

If you are the proud owner necessary tools and skills, follow Mike Warren's directions. His video instruction is at the end!

The process of making the original wooden table

Thoroughly sand the surface of the design table

Cracks left untouched

Fill cracks with luminous powder mixed with resin

The original "little thing" luminous table is positioned by the author of the development as outdoor furniture. This makes a lot of sense, since evening gatherings at a luminous table are really great. However, it seems to us that the development deserves more. After all, this is uniqueness as it is - the table cannot be repeated: the idea - yes, to make a double - no. The pattern of the luminous pockets will be different each time: the tables may be similar, but not identical.

The author of the development is Mike Warren, one of the enthusiasts of the Instructables community - a fun close-knit team that changes the world with their ideas. They do it with pleasure. They share it with people. They are the first among those who sew, plan, solder, craft, fry and anything.

Mike Warren created a glowing table and gave it to people. Everyone can make this table with their own hands (or force the dearest spouse). The author of a bright idea kindly provided a whole master class.

How to make a glowing table with your own hands

The most important aspect in creating a glowing table with your own hands is the material. Mike used "pecky cypress" - cypress, affected by a fungus from the inside. The fungus multiplies in the body of the wood. From this, its segments rot. Damaged pockets must be removed (this is easy, the wood is softened), fill the formed cavities with a fluorescent composition consisting of resin and phosphor.

Rough wood is supplied to shops and markets. To assemble the table, you first need to process the boards with a jointer. This must be taken into account when choosing. It is necessary to process all the edges: the joints will be tight and even.

And here we come face to face with the Russian mentality: the photo shows good equipment, and for Americans it’s normal - such equipment is in the house (basement, garage, shed: they don’t have anything there). Our average man not only has a manual grinder, but also does not have a charger for the battery of his favorite car, what can we say about carpentry stuff? So this stage will have to be ordered: in any woodworking workshop, these boards will be brought to the desired state quickly and inexpensively. The next step, most likely, is best done right there and done, because after processing the edges, you need to fit all the boards to the same length.

Rotten wood in the lesions is carefully removed with a small improvised tool (for example, a screwdriver), and then the liberated cavities are blown with compressed air. This stage of work is dirty, dusty, so you need to use protective equipment (goggles, respirator).

The process itself

Result (before and after photos)

Now the boards need to be assembled into a table. Docking on a rail (grooves are knocked out in both boards, a rail is inserted into them with glue, the boards are connected). Mike used "cookies" (pasted slats are rectangular, triangular, and they have cookies). Next, you need to clamp the joints with everything that can be clamped (the ideal is shown in the photo), and leave for a day to dry (the glue should dry completely). If we don’t want the table to fall apart later, we don’t touch it for 24 hours (despite the hellish impatience of the creator).

After the glue dries, the surface must be sanded (in the photo it is disk, Mike writes that the fraction is 80; apparently, this is a P 80 disk, emery - electrocorundum; there is no certainty). Then thoroughly clean: impeccable cleanliness is required - not a speck of dust.

We need a super clean surface to pour the resin on.
Mike Warren

Before pouring the resin, it is necessary to secure the surface: some cavities may be through; so that the resin does not pass through and does not spread, the reverse side of the countertop must be pasted over with masking tape, fixed at the ends with acrylic strips; press the strips.

Then the mystery of the glow itself. You will need resin for pouring (just say: give resin for pouring), easy to mix (proportions 1: 1). Mike advises to use it, so as not to be mistaken with the proportions of the catalyst and resin. There will be no advice on the phosphor: just choose which one you like. There are a lot of powders, they are of different colors, and your table may not glow at all blue. Mike used 100 g of powder for 2 liters of resin, but this ratio is optional - you can take more powder, and the table will glow brighter.

The resin for pouring does not come ready-made: you need to mix it with a catalyst. Resin and catalyst must be poured into different containers. Pour the powder into the resin and mix thoroughly. Then pour in the catalyst and stir vigorously for 2 minutes. This must be done quickly, because in 5–7 minutes an irreversible chemical reaction. A homogeneous composition must be obtained up to this point. We must not forget about safety: do not work with resin without gloves.

It is better to knead the resin in small portions, since its viscosity is insufficient, and the powder may settle, as a result of which the glow will not be uniform. The finished mixture needs to fill the cavity. They can behave differently: some resin will be absorbed, and some will not - this is normal; you just need to add the resin to where it has been absorbed. Mike spent an hour filling his pockets in the wood. Waxed paper cups can be used as a container for resin (easy to make a spout, convenient to pour).

After the resin has dried (the next day), you need to remove the acrylic strips and masking tape. Acrylic peels off easily, but with tape you have to tinker a bit.

The reverse side of the countertop also needs to be sanded. Grinding of both sides should be carried out in several stages, changing the abrasive to a finer one on each (Mike used discs: P 120, P 180, P 220, P 320, P 400). After the surfaces, it is necessary to process the ends.

After sanding, the countertop must be varnished (Mike used a glossy polyurethane; applied with a foam brush) and allow the layer to dry completely.

After the layer dries, it must be sprinkled with water and walked with fine sandpaper, and then thoroughly cleaned, dried and again applied a layer of varnish. And so several times to achieve maximum gloss. Each layer of varnish must be dried completely.

On this they finish with the table top and then they are already engaged in fittings - they screw the legs. And here everyone is already going their own way: someone can make the same simple ones to use the table on the site, and someone can screw something fantastic and turn this table into the center of the room in the house.

We all know very well that shashels, termites, bark beetles and other “lovers” of wood food are one of the main destroyers of roofs, furniture, wooden floors, etc.

If you find the right approach to the damaged material and process it a little, you can get an excellent original luminous table, which, for example, costs about 780-800 dollars on some sites. Therefore, let's get started.

1. To make such a table, try to choose boards that are most damaged by bark beetles. But, most importantly, do not forget to process all the material with chemical or heat treatment. Otherwise, the bugs will not stop, and will continue to do their gnawing work. Fig.1

2. After that, plan the board on all sides. And then cut into pieces. Which will be equal to the length of the table. Rice. 2

3. If you want to get a wide table top, then here you will have to splice several boards together. This procedure is performed using wood glue and spikes. Glue must be applied along the entire length of the board. Once you've done this, clamp the boards together and let them dry. Rice. 3

4. All passages along which the woodworms moved must be processed by removing dust and rot (for this, it is recommended to simply blow it out with compressed air). Rice. 4

5. Next, you need to sand the surface of the countertop itself to such a state that it is smooth and even.
6. The next step is to prepare the countertop for pouring with epoxy. Be sure to put waxed paper under the bottom side of the tabletop itself, and make a special plexiglass side on the sides. This procedure is mandatory, since bugs can make through moves.

7. Next, you need to prepare the resin for pouring. To do this, it is tedious to measure out a certain amount of resin and hardener. Phosphor powder must be added to the epoxy resin (it is what provides glow in the dark). As for the amount of phosphor itself, there are no certain proportions here. You have to guess, so to speak. After you have already mixed the resin and the phosphor, you need to act on the resin with a flash, and then in a dark room look at the very density of the glow. If you like everything and fit - add a hardener. Rice. 5

8. Now fill all the holes with epoxy. Because of its viscosity, it will not spread on the table, so it is recommended to level it with a ruler immediately after pouring.

9. Even after the resin hardens, in any case, bumps will remain on the surface. To do this, just carefully sand all the defects. Initially, use coarse sandpaper, and then switch to fine grain (anywhere from 80 to 400).
10. The edge of the table is best processed manual router. Rice. 6

11. Well, the most crucial moment is finishing your table. Open the tabletop with varnish, and when it dries, sand it with a fine sandpaper(grit 1200). This procedure must be carried out a couple of times so that the table shines well.

12. Due to the fact that the tree was used damaged, rotten, so that the legs are securely fixed, we use sheet material. For this you need to reverse side countertops drill special holes for nuts, then apply glue to the plates and glue to the countertop. Rice. 7

13. It is best to use metal welded legs, and use bolts for their fastening. Rice. 8

That's all. Your table is ready. But know that it will glow only in the evening or at night. Rice. 9

Let there be light! Always and everywhere! Transparent, white, blue. May it illuminate our path to a miracle. May it warm our peace. The road is bright for those who hold it, their thoughts and dreams are bright. Let there be light that gives goodness to those who seek the light of purity.

And here is the light: soft, mysterious, calm, evening. Reminds me of a night cricket in the fragrant raspberry bushes, chirping about the peaceful, kind, eternal and illuminating its appeal with a gentle flicker. So that it was not only heard, but also seen that EVERYTHING WILL BE GOOD! Well, everyone already, of course, is aware that creativity is the most The best way come to good in the right and pleasant way! This incredible tabletop is very easy to make thanks to modern materials. Of course for working surface kitchen table best option- this is a table top natural stone Here you can choose the best option for yourself. They chose, installed, prepared to eat - now you can relax, enjoy a pleasant meal at a luminous table.

This is a board of swamp cypress with very noticeable cracks, which the author of this work beat. Unfortunately, I did not find the original source, as there are a lot of reposts. If someone knows, I will be glad to have a hint and, of course, I will indicate the master.

From the photos it can be seen that the master prepares the selected board by grinding it with an orbital sander. And then covers it with a special mixture.

It's a mixture epoxy resin and luminescent paint based on phosphor, which, by the way, come in different colors and can work wonders. It must be poured into the cracks, so many times that the solution completely fills them. The tree absorbs liquid, so you need to wait until it gets drunk and stops absorbing the substance that glows in the evening.

Video for clarity. Creative success!

Luminous furniture models always attract us with their unusual view. A self-assembled luminous table can become a decoration in the living room, in the kitchen or on suburban area. In this tutorial, we will explain how to make a glowing wood table with fluorescent accents in the top.

To "make" the table glow, we need to acquire the appropriate tools and materials.

Tool

We purchase or rent the following power tool.

Electric drill, with which we make holes for the cotter pins. Using abrasive wheels, in the body of wood with a drill we create decorative recesses.
The grinder, which we bring the surface of the countertop to a perfectly even state.
Hammer.
A set of clamps that you will need to tie the boards.
Planer needed for pre-treatment of wood.
Electric jigsaw, needed for cutting the ends of the countertop.
Gas burner, which will burn the cavity in the tree.
Related tools (screwdrivers, chisels, saw, tape measure, construction knife, etc.).

materials

To make a luminous table made of wood with your own hands, we select the materials necessary for this:

4 cypress or pine boards size 1500 x 150 x 40 mm. We will need this wood to make a countertop that will emit a glow;
metal legs;
epoxy resin in two plastic bottles with a volume of 118 ml;

plastic cups - 6 pcs.;
fluorescent powder to create a light background - 100 g;
scotch;
plywood or plastic sheet - 600 x 1500 mm.

Step-by-step instructions for assembling a luminous table

We connect the boards with cotter pins and glue them together. We tighten the shield with clamps until the glue completely hardens.
We process the side edges of the tabletop with a planer and grind it.

We cut the ends of the table with an electric jigsaw to one level. Then we grind them.
The cypress tree has resin chambers in its structure. We clean them with a semicircular chisel, without violating the natural shape.
We blow the cavities with a vacuum cleaner and dry with a hairdryer.
We prepare epoxy filler. Mix resin and hardener in disposable plastic cups. We also add a phosphor there (for 100 g of resin we spend 10 g of powder).

In order to avoid leakage of resin, we glue the table around the perimeter with adhesive tape, we put pieces of plywood or plastic from below.
All cavities and cracks in the countertop are filled with a fluorescent mixture. We leave the wood material alone for a day. During this time, the solution will finally harden.
We process the entire surface with a grinder until a perfectly smooth plane is obtained.

We cover the tabletop with 3 layers of furniture varnish.
We form a support frame from a board with a width of 50 mm or more.
We attach the tabletop to the frame and install the legs. As a result, we get an original luminous table made of wood with our own hands.

Features of assembling a countertop from a pine board

If there are difficulties with the acquisition of a cypress board, we replace it with pine lumber. In order to create recesses on the surface of the pine countertop, we use a gas burner.

We burn glades on the boards with a burner desired shape. The configuration of the cavities depends on the imagination of the master. We create cuttings on the surface of wood in the form of stars and various geometric shapes. The burnt wood surface effectively emphasizes the relief of the wood structure, which gives the table top an additional appeal.

The table in complete darkness and in low light will look like an enchanting installation.

Video for step-by-step assembly of the table

Labor and material costs

Let's calculate how much a luminous table made of cypress boards measuring 600 x 1400 mm will cost. We take the average prices for materials from these online stores.

4 cypress boards 1500 x 150 x 40 mm will cost 1000 rubles.
Epoxy resin Gold Glass, 1.35 kg - 2200 rubles.
Glow powder, 200 g - 800 rubles.
Metal legs - 600 rubles.
Mounting accessories - 200 rubles.

Total costs will amount to 4800 rubles. (at the date of publication of the article).

As practice has shown, we spent no more than 16 hours on the manufacture of this table.

You can also assemble an LED table with your own hands. The invention of microbulbs provides great opportunities for the design of furniture. Unlike a fluorescent table top, this type of furniture involves a transparent table surface. How to make an LED table is a topic for a separate article. In it, we will tell you what you need to purchase from the materials, what equipment is better to use and how to make the table backlight with LED strip.