Tree to outdoor furniture

[wtnhighlander]

Inching forward slowly. I got a little shop time during today's football game. Going ahead with the fox tenon idea, I made this template-shaped thing.

After shaving with the chainsaw, and touching up with the electric planer, the legs a flat enough to mark out the tenons.

It works as-is to rout the mortises.

I really need to make them a bit deeper, but at least the walls are established.

[Mark J]

Wow, this design/build is certainly something different!  Six foxed tennons for each stump leg.  That might take a lot of mallet work, but then again you'll have the weight of the stump working for you.

[wtnhighlander]

@Mark J, this is certainly an experiment. If I can somehow manage to seat 6 fox-wedged tenons per leg, I'll be convinced anything is possible!

And I might need a bigger hammer ....

[wtnhighlander]

Not much time in the shop lately, but I was able to lay out the tenons this morning, and begin roughly wasting out the material around them.

Started with the chain saw, switched to a chisel, since chunks are less breathable. Oddly, pounding the chisel with my rubber mallet disturbs my wife's sleep more than the chain saw! 

I'll refine with a router, once the bulky material is gone.

[Mark J]

How long will the tennons be?

[wtnhighlander]

9 hours ago, Mark J said:

How long will the tennons be?

The mortices are about 1-3/4" deep at the moment, so a bit less than that. Hard to go deeper with any router bit in my collection.

[wtnhighlander]

A little time during football ...

First I leveled the field around these tenons, with a spiral end mill, after roughing away most of the waste via chainsaw. The extended base lets the router cantilever out from the top of the tenons.

The end mill has no guide, so I left the tenons a bit oversize, then trimmed the ends with a chisel.

Now my template fits, correctly oriented to mirror the mortices in the seat log.

Now my bearing guided straight bit can size the tenons by riding along the top edge.

Resulting in the template sliding over like a glove.

After squaring the mortice corners to more closely match the radius on the tenons, it is time for a test fit.

Drops in with a few taps of the gentle persuader.  I didn't drive it home, as there is no extra depth to aid with glue or wedges, and I was afraid it might stick.

Maybe the second leg will go faster. As Jimmy Diresta likes to say, "You go to school on the first one."

[wtnhighlander]

Definitely faster. Stump #2 went from layout to rough milled in just 20 minutes. Once I trim the tenons to final size, it will be ready for dry fit.

[Mark J]

I'm impressed with how fast this is going.  Heck, I'm impressed you can move those stumps around to work on them.

[wtnhighlander]

Ha! I guess it might be fast if you only count hours worked, but there sure is a lot of dead time between them!

As for the stumps, cypress is pretty light, even though this is far from "dry". Well dried cypress is on par with western red cedar, or maybe paulownia. Also pretty soft, similar to white pine.

[Coop]

On 11/17/2025 at 7:56 AM, Mark J said:

I'm impressed with how fast this is going.  Heck, I'm impressed you can move those stumps around to work on them.

+1

And the accuracy of the cuts. Looking forward to a bench warming! 

[wtnhighlander]

Thinking ahead, anyone care to recommend a favored non-film outdoor protective finish? I don't expect to avoid graying, but keeping the surface from getting dry and splintery would be nice.

[Coop]

Mine has been exposed to the elements a good 20 years now and aside from an occasional good belt sanding to the top surface to expose the grain and beauty and followed by a coat of Cabot Australian Oil, it’s held up well. Not sure if the Cabot offers more than 6 months for the color but I think it’s the nature of the wood. 

[Chet]

I used to Spar Varnish a redwood picnic table and would get between 3 and 4 years.

[wtnhighlander]

And just like that, leg #2 is dry-fit.

The marked area, along with some others, gets trimmed off to eliminate snaggy points.

A couple of views, dry assembled.

Now I need to pick up a wire wheel for my grinder. That should strip any remaining bark, and softly wear away the sharp edges & cut marks. Hopefully, it will take the appearance of a bench made mostly by chain saw, but left to weather for a decade or so.

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

She's a beaut!

[Mark J]

That's looking good.  Will you be rounding the front and back edges of the seat, or will the wire wheel give enough of a relief? 

[fcschoenthal]

You say that the cypress is pretty light, but everything put together may not be. You might consider banging all of the pieces together closer to where it's final resting spot will be. Or you could find 2-3 friends to help.

[wtnhighlander]

@Mark J, after discussion with LOML, I will be sanding it a bit more vigorously than I originally intended. Yes, the cut edges will be well-rounded when I'm done.

@fcschoenthal, as it sits, I can probably lift it off my workbench alone, but it would be a strain. For the time being, I'll leave the tenons un-glued and un-wedged, so it can be moved in pieces. May never need permanent fixing.

As it ages and dries, it will lose considerable weight. I have some older cypress logs stashed, that are getting darn close to styrofoam weight!

[Coop]

Back in the 80’s and 90’s, I duck hunted in a groove of cypress trees. On one hunt when we knew the tide would be out, I took a small chain saw and cut several “knees” with the intent of using them for legs of a table which never did pan out. As I liked the looks of the trees, I bought a 8’ bald cypress that is now about 45’ tall. I’ve taken the previous cut knees which weigh little to nothing and put them around the base of my landscaped cypress tree. The lawn guys continuously mow down the knees that the tree produces. 

[Mark J]

11 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

May never need permanent fixing.

The same thought was crossing my mind. 

[wtnhighlander]

At the request of management, I soent today sculpting away all tge rough, splintery areas. Sacrificed some 'rugged charachter' for usability. I also dished out the bottom of the leg stumps,using a bowl & tray bit, free hand. This leaves just a thick rim touching the ground, reducing the surface are to adjust for leveling.

My, wast THAT fun ...

Assembled on the bench again,dropping the legs into their mortices, then flipping it over.

I tested the weight, and it is still too heavy for me to safely move alone. Apart it came, to be assembled outside.

Perfect fit in front of the shop, but not likely its final home. It is perfect for break time, though...

 

[gee-dub]

On 11/21/2025 at 1:33 PM, wtnhighlander said:

My, wast THAT fun ...

 

Hey, look!  Man glitter!

I have that same mask.  Aren't they great? Minimal peripheral vision blockage.

[Coop]

That is really cool looking Ross! Yeah, I doubt seriously that it will be allowed to continue resting in front of your shop! Or you either for that matter.

[Mark J]

It looks great.  Are you going to apply a finish coat, or leave it to weather au natural?