How to Create a DIY Lazy Susan With Epoxy and Wood

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Creating a DIY lazy susan is a rewarding project that combines functionality with personalized design and aesthetic. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through each step of building your own lazy susan, in that special Eli Tomalka fashion.

What is a DIY Lazy Susan?

A lazy susan is a rotating tray that provides easy access to items, commonly used on dining tables, in kitchen cabinets, or as part of home decor. Crafting your own DIY lazy susan allows you to customize size, design, and finish to suit your specific needs and aesthetic preferences.

Watch The Tutorial For A Visual Guide

Materials You'll Need:

1. Selecting and Prepping Your Wood

In this tutorial we are using flame maple burl slab chunks for the DIY lazy susan. If you're looking to create a round live edge lazy susan, we highly recommend finding a book match pair to work with. A direct book match means it was a bigger piece of wood that was sliced into slimmer pieces. Since we are working with a round plastic form, you'll need to make sure you shape the long edge of your slabs to fit inside the mold comfortably.

You want to capture as much of the interesting live edge burl as you can to give the piece depth. Arrange your slabs on your bench and then place your 18" mold on top. Using a pencil, trace the outline of your mold on top of your slabs creating a circle.

Once this is complete, use bar clamps to secure your slabs to the edge of your bench. Grab your router saw and cut them according to your measurements to shape them. Because your slabs will likely have some softer unstable wood inside the burl, use a chisel to remove those softer sections so the epoxy can fill those sections later in the process. You can typically tell a soft unstable section by the grayish/darker color it has compared to the rest of your slab.

2. Prep The Mold

The same mold you used to shape your slabs will need to be prepared for your epoxy pour. It needs to be dust free and lubed up with dry lubricant so your demolding process is seamless.

Using compressed air, spray all the internal surfaces of your mold to remove any dust particles that may have accumulated. If you don't, then they will be part of your final piece and decrease the clarity of your DIY lazy susan. If you don't have compressed air available, you can use isopropyl alcohol and paper towel.

Because this is a pre-set plastic mold, you don't technically have to use a mold release, but it never hurts and can make your demolding experience significantly better. We recommend using a standard dry machine lubricant. It works great for this application. Make sure to spray it over all surfaces that may get hit with epoxy so that bond isn't as strong.

3. Arrange Your Slabs In The Mold

Now that your mold is all ready to go, drop your shaped slabs into the mold and arrange them as you see fit. Using landscaping bricks, with Tyvek tape on the bottom, place them on top of your slabs to weight them down in the mold.

4. Mix Your Epoxy

If you're not in a well ventilated space wear proper PPE including a respirator designed for vapors, gloves, and safety glasses. Using a graduated mixing container, measure two parts A to one part B of Promise Deep Pour Epoxy. We'll start by first mixing up enough epoxy to create a gorgeous pigmented layer. For this mold size we used 144 oz total.

Add your mica powder pigment to your epoxy mixture and mix thoroughly using a paint stick. You have a long working time with this epoxy so take your time mixing slowly and smoothly to ensure minimal bubbles. Continue stirring by hand until both parts create one homogenous mixture with no striations. Scrapping the sides and bottom of your mixing container will help with this.

Promise Deep Pour Mixing Instructions

5. Pour Your Epoxy Layer

Pour your epoxy mixture directly into your mold from your mixing container. Pouring slowly will help minimize micro bubbles to ensure an ultra clear aesthetic. Some makers like to create swirls with a paint stick after the initial pour, but we actually recommend just letting the epoxy do it's thing for a more natural vibe. Be sure to also pour epoxy into any depressions in your wood slabs for uniform coverage.

This base layer needs to sit in a climate controlled environment for about 48 hours before proceeding. Allowing your epoxy to become rock hard before demolding will contribute to the success of your DIY lazy susan in the long run. If you demold soft resin you run the risk of creating depressions or marks in your final piece.

6. Demold Your DIY Lazy Susan

After waiting at least 48 hours for your epoxy to cure, you're ready to demold your DIY lazy susan. Make sure it's hard to the touch before proceeding. Apply tension on the edges of your preset mold by pulling the edges away from the edge of your piece. This will cause the plastic to release from the epoxy. Flip your mold over, drop it on your bench, and bam, your piece should fall right out. If it needs a little extra help, you can use a plastic hammer to tap the bottom of the mold for extra release.

7. Sand Your Demolded Piece

For a smooth sand to level your piece and get rid of any extra epoxy on either side of your DIY lazy susan, we recommend running it through a drum sander. This will take a few passes with the grit set at 80. Be sure to repeat this multiple times on each side to expose the wood grain and get a smooth surface.

8. Shape Your Edges

Using a router, shape the edges of your round to your desired style to give your DIY lazy susan a higher quality overall look. By removing these sharp edges, not only will you create a more seamless lazy susan, but it will also be functionally safer to use.

9. Sand Your Faces - Part One

By using a drum sander, you save a lot of time, but each face of your lazy susan will have lines from the machinery. You'll want to remove these before applying your finish to prevent them from showing in your final reveal. Starting with a 60 grit and working your way to 180 grit, use an orbital sander to sand all surfaces of your DIY lazy susan. If you are not using a dust collecting set up, make sure to wear a respirator to protect yourself from harmful particles.

10. Fill Your Pin Holes With CA Glue

We want our DIY lazy susan to be multi-functional and in order to give it a food safe finish you'll need to fill in any exposed pin holes so meat or cheese doesn't get stuck down there. With burl slabs there is a lot of tension in the grain, so the grain will open up creating pin holes as you work with it. We recommend using CA glue and an activator to fill these.

Using a standard CA glue, fill all pin holes, and then spray an activator over top of each pin hole.

11. The Alcohol Pop

Once you've sanded your piece to 180 grit and have filled in all your pin holes, you're ready for the "alcohol pop" or "grain pop".

Grain Pop - the practice of introducing isopropyl alcohol to unfinished wood to open or "pop" the smooth, flat wood grain.

Spray your DIY lazy susan with isopropyl alcohol and rub it all over your piece. This will give you an idea of what your finished piece will look like with a raised grain. This is our favorite step in the whole process!

12. Sand Your Faces - Part Two

Continue sanding your piece until you reach a 240 grit. The higher grit you sand to the more you'll be able to see through your piece. Overall, this will give your lazy susan the appearance of more depth. And who doesn't love more depth.

13. Apply a Food Safe Finish

In order to create a food safe surface, you need to finish your piece with a food rated mineral oil. We recommend using a white label mineral oil. Spray off your work piece with compressed air before applying the oil. Then apply a small amount of oil to your surface and spread around with gloved hands. Be sure to work this oil into all edges and surfaces of your DIY lazy susan. This will reveal the highly figured nature of the maple burl.

Let it soak up overnight and then after 12 hours wipe off any extra oil you may have.

14. Apply Board Butter

Eli's Board Butter is a mineral oil, beeswax, Vitamin E, and coconut oil mix that can be applied to your lazy susan to give it an incredible finish (and smell)! A little bit goes a long way so apply a small amount and then using gloved hands work it into all the pours of your wood and epoxy. Make sure all surfaces are covered and let it sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, buff it with a wool pad and drill. Wipe away any excess.

15. Finalize Your DIY Lazy Susan With Hardware

Find the center of your piece and then apply the hardware of your choice so it is an actual lazy susan and not just a charcuterie board. Make sure you're not drilling through the top of your piece by marking with a bit or piece of tape. Finish applying the hardware, and then give it a good spin to make sure it's to your liking!

Maintenance Tips For Your DIY Lazy Susan

To keep your lazy susan in optimal condition:

Cleaning: Wipe the surface with a damp cloth after use.
Avoid Direct Sunlight: Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause the finish to fade. Place your lazy susan in a shaded area when not in use.
Regular Inspection: Periodically check the screws and bearing to ensure they are remaining tight and functional.
Reapply Finish: Depending on usage, reapply the mineral oil finish every few years to maintain its appearance and protection.

Safety Considerations

When working on your DIY lazy susan project (or epoxy and wood in general), keep the following safety tips in mind:

Proper PPE: Always wear safety glasses and gloves when handling tools and hazardous materials such as epoxy resin.
Proper Ventilation: Work in a well-ventilated area, especially when pouring epoxy, to avoid inhaling chemical fumes. If this is not possible always wear a respirator designed for vapors to protect yourself.
Tool Safety: Follow the manufacturer's instructions for all tools and handle them with care to prevent accidents.
Dispose of Materials Properly: Dispose of any waste materials, such as used sandpaper or empty resin containers, according to local regulations.

By following these steps and considerations, you'll create a functional and personalized DIY lazy susan that enhances your home's convenience and style. Enjoy your making!