Dutchman Keys or Bow-Ties - call them what you like - are used to help stabilize a crack in wood. In this case, I poured a small layer of epoxy at the very bottom of the crack to prevent it from spreading. From there, I made asymmetrical Dutchman Keys to continue the organic shaped theme of the slab. After using a forstner bit and chisel to make room for the Dutchman Keys, I glued them in place before filling the rest of the crack with epoxy.

This slab was warped liked a potato chip which is why it was originally called unusable. After stabilizing the cracks and voids I brought it over to my router slab table. Luckily, due to its thickness I was able to mill both sides flat without losing too much mass.

Like I said this is a work in progress but I am already proud of myself for taking something that is “unusable” and turning it into an awesome piece of furniture. Still to come is the base that will have two closed-loops-legs made from flat bar steel at each end. One will be rectangular and the other, you guessed it, will be more of an organic shape.