rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 A lady asked me to build her a bench for her dining room table. She wanted a "kind of rustic" feel, so we settled on this very minimalist design. She wanted "some knots" and it had to be pine to match her table. So I went with 8\4 no 1 common knotty. The bench is 72" long, 17" wide, and about 19" high (all her dimensions). To keep the design balanced, I used some proportional design. Joinery in dominos, with some braces added for further support, as the span is so long. The lady did not want a lower bar between the legs, so it needed some extra support. If three guys were sitting on the bench drinking beers, I didn't want them to end up on the floor. I left the apron extra thick, and made the legs a beefy 3" square. The stain is oil based dark walnut, with 4 coats of general high perf poly on top. I almost never work with softwood, so it was a nice change of pace. Again, very plain piece, but designed with another's taste in mind. I still need to "distress" it, and my daughter and her dinkies will help me. Enjoy! This is a cell phone photo. I'll get my wife to snap some good ones later and post em up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Very nice looking bench. Good job on the stain, too. Pine is usually hard to color evenly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Very nice looking bench. Good job on the stain, too. Pine is usually hard to color evenly. Thanks. I used a typical prestain, and waited about 30 minutes before applying the stain. The colour did turn out pretty blotch free - thank for noticing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Funny, it looks so beautiful and now you're going to "distress" it. I have mixed feelings on distressing projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Funny, it looks so beautiful and now you're going to "distress" it. I have mixed feelings on distressing projects. I know, I die a little bit inside when I need to distress a project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Super job Pug! Love the finish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Super job Pug! Love the finish! Thanks. I applied with a brush, as it was too cold in my area to spray outdoors. I sanded between coats with 400 grit. I'll "finish the finish" in a few days when the poly fully cures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 What method did you use to attach the top to the base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted November 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 What method did you use to attach the top to the base?Originally I was going to go with hardwood buttons, or perhaps z clips. In the end I created some mounting stips underneath. I routed out a channel for wood movement, and used screws with washers to hold it all together. I'll post a pic in a few mins. Here's the pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Nice! I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Darn nice bench Pug... Gonna have to be 3 "really" big guys to bust that bench! That finish looks great, now go beat it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mzdadoc Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Very nice!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Distress it and be proud ! You are creating a piece to complement the rest of her furniture so it needs to be distressed . Any shame lies with the people who made the original " distressed" piece. I have gone to great lengths to match a few pieces to truly old distressed work for clients. I taped off an area underneath and wrote my name and the date plus the process I used to " age and distress" the piece. That kinda thwarts anyone from claiming its anything other than a " reproduction " of an older style with wear. Great looking sturdy bench ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnarlywoodguy Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Very nice work indeed Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodieboy Posted November 10, 2014 Report Share Posted November 10, 2014 Just wonderful design and execution is second to none! Well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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