Lutyen's Garden Bench Build

[Brian Kent]

http://www.amazon.com/Lutyens-Bench-.../dp/B00024WAMA
http://www.finewoodworking.com/Plans...F.aspx?id=2661

I think I just had an epiphany about my next woodworking project - building a Lutyen's Garden Bench. This has been on my "someday" list for a long time. A turn of events in a friends life tells me this is probably the time to do it.

Edward Lutyen's was a British architect and designer who built this famous bench design over a century ago. If you look up "Lutyen's Bench" you will find dozens available for sale, from less expensive woods for $150 to Teak for $900 and more. I would like to build one from the plans sold by American Furniture Design Co. I expect to build it from White Oak and finish it with Epiphanes Marine Varnish.

I would like to invite any others to do a build-along with me. The plans I'll use cost $16.95. The Fine Woodworking article may be enough for some people to build from, but the American Furniture Design plans are more complete.

Let me know if you are interested. I can't even buy the wood until the beginning of the year when I can take a friend's truck to my favorite lumber yard, so there is time to order the plans and start together.

Brian

[Todd Burch]

Good idea on the group build - but I'm not too keen on the design. I'll watch this one.

Thanks, Todd

[Brian Millspaw]

I built a pair of these benches year's ago while working for a millwork company. A man brought in a pile of teak parts and said it was a ludyen's bench. I made up templates and dimensions from the original. I made them from solid african mahogany with loose round tenons in the frame and square mortised tenons for the back and arm slats.
Features to note are the width of the outer back stiles, the contour of the top back rail and the fact that the third back slat up joins the top rail flush on the bottom, unlike other I've seen. Also the back legs are angled to supply slouch to the back and rake to the back.
For your information.
Brian

[Brian Kent]

Hi Brian.
That is a beautiful bench. Congratulations.

Was the glue-up difficult?

Brian

[Brian Millspaw]

Brian,

Yes the glue up is fairly involved. The back has to be done in multiple stages to get everything in place. Basically working from the center out. I used Westsystem epoxy, so there was plenty of open time.

[David Keast]

We had our wedding reception in a Lutyens country house in sussex - complete with benches !

Will follow with interest, sorry, no time to join in on this one, more windows to build.

[Brian Kent]

I am following the wishes of a friend who is making a memorial garden for her son. As her dream turns to reality it may be Lutyen's style or something with a simpler look if she so desires, but she does still want a bench built.

[Peter Stahl]

Normy did one of them too. The look really involved. http://www.newyankee.com/getproduct.php?706