Coop Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 I made this bench several years ago based on a The Woodwhisper’s online purchase projects. I donated it to my sister-in-laws church to be raffled off for a fundraiser. A family friend who has a better memory than me, remembered it and asked if I would build her one for her church’s fall bizarre. Not one to turn down a pretty lady, I agreed. The original was built from cypress and has held up well, according to the lady that purchased it. I had bought 16 bf of 4/4 cypress earlier this year for a bird house that I never got around to, and purchased an additional 31 bf of 8/4 today for the legs and thicker parts. After handing my hw dealer my credit card, I realized that I would probably be way ahead of the game had I just donated that amount to her church. Oh well, this will keep me off the streets and out of trouble! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 I remember that project! Fun build and I love the feet on it! Looking forward to watching the progress! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 The feet were an afterthought. As I remember, Marc warned us that he was a little short and that we may need to make adjustments in the height. I didn’t pay heed and built according to his plans. Ended up adding an inch or so of walnut as a contrast and dowled the pieces with 1/4”s/s rods with epoxy. May do the same with this time with some teak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olie Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 I was just sitting on this bench waiting for a food pickup when I clicked on your post. Your bench is much nicer! Will be cool to see your build. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 24 Author Share Posted July 24 After a couple of medical setbacks (Mohs procedure on my scalp and Saturday discovering my wife and I both have Covid), I figured I couldn’t possibly feel worse in the shop as I did sitting in front of the tv. As I’m pretty sure the dermatologist said not to lift anything heavier than 30# (or was it 5#?) I was able to break down the 8/4 stock for the legs, arm rests and rails to approx width and lengths. The armrest and legs final dimension will be 1 3/4” and the rails and back rest will be 1 1/4” so I milled them down to about 1/4” over and will let them rest a day. I wasn’t planning on making templates but I think I will for the legs and arm rests. I think it will make final shaping a little easier. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 25 Share Posted July 25 Damn Coop! Hope you're feeling better! Looks like a real nice pile of lumber! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 25 Author Share Posted July 25 I didn’t want to not push my luck and feel bad tomorrow so I cut the remaining pieces except for the butt slats. Got everything stacked and stickered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 It has been a pretty good weekend. Our two weeks of rain following a hurricane has finally come to an end. And on top of that, my wife and I tested negative twice and both of us are feeling half way human again. This allowed me to get some shop time in. All parts are milled to the required thickness with the exception of the back slats. I also got the legs cut to final and shaped. Using my mortiser, I cut the required 16 mortises. If they aren’t in the right spots, this will be one wonky looking bench!😁 Now to start cutting the tenons to fit these holes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Glad to hear you're feeling better! Nice work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 If I were a real journalist, I would have lost my job by now! Each leg assy gets three pieces connecting the front leg to the back. An arm rest, seat support and a lower rail. To connect the front leg to the arm rest, I cut a tenon on the top of the leg on the ts. Since it will be centered it was easily done. I did have to use a spacer on two of the cuts to allow for the offset in the leg. Next, I cut the seat rest and lower rail to length and cut the tenons for these. I then cut the curve in the seat rest and cleaned them up. A couple of these pieces intersect the legs at the same height, 90* from each other. To accommodate the adjoining tenons, I chose to miter these ends. Next, I addressed the arm rest. There was a paper template with the plans and I printed it and glued it to a piece of 1/4” mdf and rough cut it on the band saw. I then traced it onto the side of the arm rest blank. As there are curves on both the top and bottom of the arm rest, I chose not to use it with the router, going against the grain in several places. Instead, I cut them out on the band saw and finesse them to final shape using a rasp and cabinet scraper. With that done, we have a final dry fit leg assembly. Times two. Next up will be working on the back. The next four pics got into here by mistake and not sure how to delete them.😳 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 10 hours ago, Coop said: If I were a real journalist, I would have lost my job by now! Fortunately, the standards aren't too high 😂 Really looking good Coop! You may have mentioned it earlier but, I probably missed it. What's the finish of choice going to be? Also, will be using epoxy or glue for this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 7 Author Share Posted August 7 I was going to throw the finish question out there for ideas as I haven’t decided yet. Due to the complexity of the bench back, I will use epoxy for a little extra drying time. For the others, probably Titebond III. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye (Bryan) Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Looking good Coop! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted August 7 Share Posted August 7 Very nice! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 About the finish. I’ve used Cabot Australian Timber Oil on several cypress Adirondack chairs and a cedar gate and it gives an orangish finish. The chairs and gate have been exposed to the elements for about 8 years and have held up well with a second application to both after about 4 years. I don’t remember what I used on the first bench. Any recommendations for a finish without the discoloration? Also, due to limited space, I’d rather not prefinish the parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 10 Share Posted August 10 13 minutes ago, Coop said: About the finish. I’ve used Cabot Australian Timber Oil on several cypress Adirondack chairs and a cedar gate and it gives an orangish finish. The chairs and gate have been exposed to the elements for about 8 years and have held up well with a second application to both after about 4 years. I don’t remember what I used on the first bench. Any recommendations for a finish without the discoloration? Also, due to limited space, I’d rather not prefinish the parts. It's a bit of a dual edged sword.. Regardless of color, things that are easy to repair and refinish require more frequent applications. Things that have to be refinished or maintained less frequently, require more work. I like Epiphanes marine varnish for outdoor stuff. It's thick and will require a lot of work at refinish time but, holds up well. As for color, it does tend to darken things a bit but, doesn't tend to yellow the wood. I also think the Woodwhisperer had good success with CPES so, might be worth a look. Whatever you choose, test on some scrap first and see if you like the look of the finish. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 13 Author Share Posted August 13 Not counting the seat slats, there are 4 pieces that connect the two end sections. The upper backrest, lower back rest and front and back rails. The lower back rest and the back rail are joined at a 9* cut to make one piece. The angle will allow both to align to the slope of the back. Angle shown by the pencil mark. Using a draw bow, I shaped the upper back rest, cut the tenon and fine tuned it. The original plans call for the bottom of the upper back rest to match the curvature of the top but since I will be using the Domino, I selected to make it horizontal. Next, to layout the locations of the back slats. The 14 back slats were milled to size and mortises cut in the ends to receive the tenons. The mortises are close to center but not exact so I marked the show side of each to assure correct orientation. I then cut the mortises in the upper and lower back rest. And we have a dry fit of the back assy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Looking really good @Coop! Nice job on the grain matching! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olie Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 Wow, that is looking good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 Several of the pieces required 8/4 lumber. I found a good straight clear 14’ x 9” board and had the lumber yard cut it half for me. After laying the parts out, I cut them into manageable pieces and started the milling. After planing the back rest and arms, I noticed a hairline crack in these. They are very shallow and definately don't go all the way thru. As a precaution, I cleaned them out and made them wider with my marking knife and filled them with epoxy. As an added precaution, I se cured them with screws from the bottom and will add plugs to the holes. Probably an overkill but couldn’t hurt. I’ll do the same to the upper backrest. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Being outdoor furniture, probably a wise precaution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 There’s probably a few steps that failed to document but: headboard with slats are glued up with the rest dry fitted. Prior to gluing the leg assemblies, I need to mark the location of the seat slats on the supports. These will be screwed from below, thru the supports into the slats. I’ll be darned if I didn’t cut these legs the same as my first so I guess 2” walnut extensions will be added to this bench as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 Really looking good @Coop! Looks like you're on the home stretch with this one! Would sure look great at my place! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 Thanks. Still have not decided on a finish and as the seat slats will be so close together, I need to pre-finish them before attaching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted August 19 Author Share Posted August 19 Kev and all. As this will be donated to a church and raffled off, I have no idea who the recipient will be, much less where it will live. Even less likely that a woodworker with finishing knowledge will own it. Given that, what finish would you apply? Not sure what CPES is or how to apply it but have watched Marc’s video where he touched upon it and I bet there are videos on the tube that elaborate on it. Having said this, I know what my material cost is and I will put a bid in for this amount so, it may end up back on my two sided enclosed patio and that won’t bother me a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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