Popular Post Chestnut Posted December 31, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 With out small shower a bench was requested of me to make shaving legs easier. Some of you may remember me asking questions about this. This is the finished product. I didn't take many pictures working on it and it really only took me a couple days. The stand is made from Ipe and was glued together with epoxy. This wood smells terrible, i feel like i have to wear a respirator just looking at it. That being said after i got finish on it i want to make something else out of it because it is beautiful. Glueup went all in one go with the epoxy. I used my bench to get it square and built outward. I sanded to 320 and finished with some salad bowl finish. I've never used the finish before and don'tknow how well it'll work. Hopefully it'll be easy to touch up as it becomes weathered from shower use. I poured some epoxy feet to keep direct end grain to water contact down. I also squeegee out my shower after every use so hopefully that stops gunk buildup around the feet as well. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Looks good, Drew! Ipe weathers nicely outdoors, with rain and sun exposure. Not sure how it will do in a shower, as mildew is more likely to form without sunshine. Sounds like your cleaning practices will keep it good, though. Seems I recall @thewoodwhisperer doing a shower bench with CPES & Epifanes. Wonder how that is holding up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Ipe seems to be a go to wood for similar constructions in hotels, spas, specifically for its appearance and durability. I think it is an excellent choice. Good work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Excellent design. I'd copy it, but my shower has a built in seat in case as my family ages we'll have a place to park our butts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 That came out nice Drew. Clean, simple design, is it something you saw before or your own design? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted December 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 1 hour ago, wtnhighlander said: Looks good, Drew! Ipe weathers nicely outdoors, with rain and sun exposure. Not sure how it will do in a shower, as mildew is more likely to form without sunshine. Sounds like your cleaning practices will keep it good, though. Seems I recall @thewoodwhisperer doing a shower bench with CPES & Epifanes. Wonder how that is holding up? I don't know that's a good question. I thought about going that way but i didn't want to put in the effort and the cash. I used less than a shot glass of finish on this. Also from the back of the can this finish seems easy to repair and recoat as needed. I used Watco Butcher Block Oil Finish. I couldn't remember what i used and had to check. 12 minutes ago, Chet said: That came out nice Drew. Clean, simple design, is it something you saw before or your own design? I can't clam design other then to make it a triangle. I wanted a 3 leggeed thing instead of 4. With a tile floor there would be no way to level 4 legs. Inspiration for the slatted design is from benches in shower areas at campgrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Nice job Drew! Just another thing off the honey do list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keggers Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Excellent job! Not going to show my wife this one - she'll want one too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Like it a lot. Nice looking bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Great looking bench ! I hope she loves it. It should be way easy to scrub it with an abrasive pad and add another coat of that Watco finish. I've used it for years. I see no reason to worry, it's not out in the hot sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 How do the legs level out on the slope of the shower floor? Does the wedge shape, placed in the corner, allow them all to be the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisc Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 This is a nice little project. Well done. Did you use dominos in the joinery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chestnut Posted June 9, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 So almost 4 years later this project needs an update. Maybe a year after completion the rear leg let loose from the lower shelf. There was enough strength in the front joinery (domino) that allowed the stool to continue to function for another 2 years. A few days ago Megan told me the shelf broke, it's used as a foot rest for leg shaving, luckily it broke while not in use. It's started to look rough. We have a lot of minerals in our water so even trying to keep it clean there is only so much a person can do. I'm also suspecting that the white haze is the old finish de-laminating. Once on the bench i used a card scraper to return the entire piece to bare wood as best i could. There are a few small nooks and carnies that were impossible to reach with a card scraper so i used an abrasive pad. Once i had it all cleaned up i cut some dominoes in the joints that failed and epoxied it all back together. After some quick sanding with 180 grit i applied some Tried and True oil varnish. We'll see how this finish lasts, it may be best to do no finish and just sand the wood to a high grit... that'll be attempt #3. Ipe really is a beautiful wood. Too bad it's a PITA to work and smells so awful it makes me want to gag. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Now that’s neat looking! Good job on the refinish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Beautiful fix and ready for more loving use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradpotts Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 Back to new! looks good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.