Cottonwood, a dark river, and crystal clarity

The edge gives the river its shape

The irregular cottonwood edges make the boundary of the resin. Instead of cutting that character away, the composition uses the variation in the wood to define the river between the pieces. The outdoor photographs also show the surface reflecting the surrounding light.

Dark color, crystal-clear resin

The resin is darkly colored, but its crystal-clear appearance is an important part of the finished top. Clarity and color are different qualities here: the river can read dark while still looking exceptionally clear, rather than cloudy.

That clarity is worth looking at alongside the grain and natural edge. It lets the resin read as a deliberate material in its own right, not simply as a dark filler between boards.

My work and the collaborators

My contribution is the tabletop fabrication and finishing. Motor City Slabs supplied the lumber, and the original post credited Hudson Industrial for the planned custom legs. The photographs preserved here show the completed top before that later assembly.