should bark be left on or taken off of “live Edge” furniture?

That is a very good question and there are a lot of opinions on it. When I first started dealing with Live Edge the rule of thumb of probably most in the woodworking world was to take the bark off. Why, often, the thought was that over time the bark would break off. And, I think that could well be the case. Also, if one were to bump the edge hard, or whatever, it could break off, or loosen in time and then break off.

However, I have discovered a lot of people like the bark and want it left on. I like leaving the bark on and have done so several times. I like the look, but i need to know that it is solid and that even in the stand of time, it will stay solid.

I often epoxy my live edge, and put up to three coats on it, (two sealed coats and a deep pour.) If it is solid going into that then more than likely it will be solid for a long time.

The answer to the original question actually can therefore go either way. Just make sure that the bark is solid on that slab or it more than likely could be a problem later.