Building a bench (the kind you sit on)

[Jim Koepke]

For a simple project, I really like visible joinery in some areas. Arts and crafts style through tenons would be sexy in this case.

A similar thought came to me. Instead of laminating the legs why not use a mitered corner joint. But then that might take more wood and really only looks super with something like quarter sawn oak.

It looks to be a fun project.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

Sorry, I had a brain fart. I don't see why you can't cut the water-based with good ol' distilled water, though.

All good, I have those a lot. I don't if you can thin water-based stuff. I've often wondered if you could thin it with alcohol or water, but I never found any information on making a water based wiping varnish.

I just burnish Waterlox into walnut and maple. I was mostly wondering if you would do a period finish on the wood. Makes perfect sense to use a finish that can handle some alcohol spilling.

For a simple project, I really like visible joinery in some areas. Arts and crafts style through tenons would be sexy in this case.

A similar thought came to me. Instead of laminating the legs why not use a mitered corner joint. But then that might take more wood and really only looks super with something like quarter sawn oak.

It looks to be a fun project.

jtk

Those are good suggestions and actually both things I've considered some. As I went to bed last night I was thinking if there was anywhere where thru tenons might look nice. What ended up thinking though was that rather than that I'll probably add a couple other decorative details....a bead on the legs or aprons or some additional shaping on the underside of the front apron. A lot of that stuff I'll probably work out when the work pieces are in front of me and I can better visualize what it will look like to scale.


As for finishes, the more I think about it the more I think I'l just stick with T&T. I'm a big fan of those products. That stuff looks great on walnut and really an indoor bench like this doesn't need anything more. Though I'm still considering mixing up an oil varnish blend. Its actually been a really long time since I've used anything other than BLO/T&T or Shellac. I really prefer to avoid most varnishes as they stink up my whole house and shop and I don't have great ventilation. That an I love the look of simple oil finishes and shellac.

[Chris Griggs]

Oh, and thanks everyone for all the thoughts and suggestions. It one of the main reasons I post projects...I'll always get a lot of great ideas and food for thought from the comments.

Didn't get anytime in the shop last night...hopefully will get some tonight!

[James Conrad]

Its actually been a really long time since I've used anything other than BLO/T&T or Shellac.

Hey Chris, try equal parts satin poly, BLO and tung oil (not tongue) and finish with your wax. You can thin it with MS if you find it too thick as is or use gloss poly in the mix if you want a little more shine in subsequent coats. A little stinky, but makes for a bit more durable finish for a piece that is going to get use.

[Chris Griggs]

Hey Chris, try equal parts satin poly, BLO and tongue oil and finish with your wax. You can thin it with MS if you find it too thick as is or use gloss poly in the mix if you want a little more shine in subsequent coats. A little stinky, but makes for a little more durable finish for a piece that is going to get use.

Thanks for the recipe James! I think i might do that! However, I'm a vegetarian so do you think it would be ok if I substituted the tongue oil with tung oil?

(sorry, couldn't help myself!)

[Adam Cruea]

Thanks for the recipe James! I think i might do that! However, I'm a vegetarian so do you think it would be ok if I substituted the tongue oil with tung oil?

(sorry, couldn't help myself!)

*snicker*

And why not just get a scrap piece of lumber and cut some water-based poly with some water, see what happens? From my quick Google searches of "thinning water based poly", it looks like you can thin it up to 10% or so. I'd use distilled water, though, not city or well water.

[James Conrad]

Thanks for the recipe James! I think i might do that! However, I'm a vegetarian so do you think it would be ok if I substituted the tongue oil with tung oil?

(sorry, couldn't help myself!)

True tongue oil is very rare these days, mostly used in the later part the 1600's, so you often have to make your own or stumble upon an old bottle at a tool auction. It was distilled down from the pressed taste buds of the witchity grub, how they found the tongues on those things I'll never know...

Bunch of wise guys you are! that's funny! I hate auto-correct.

[Chris Griggs]

Haha. Auto correct is responsible for some of the funniest things I've read online to date.

Adam, thank for searching that out. I've never found anything like that before when I searched in the past. I'll have to do a search again. That is definitely something I'll need to experiment with.

[Hilton Ralphs]

Very sweet Chris. Are you going to put loose cushions or upholster something yourself?

Any more pics?

[Chris Griggs]

Very sweet Chris. Are you going to put loose cushions or upholster something yourself?

Any more pics?

Thanks Hilton. My mother in law knows how to upholster so I think I'll ask her to make something. She'll enjoy doing so.

Was up a little earlier than usual this morning, got some more work done, and snapped a few pics. Will post them later today.

[Prashun Patel]

Most people say the easiest is 1/3 each BLO, MS, and any oil-based varnish.
Personally, I don't add that much BLO. It just makes the mix too thick; but it does slow up the drying. In a 'chobani' yogurt cup I might add a table spoon of BLO and then the rest 50/50 ms/varnish.

The 'Maloof' mix is BLO/tung/poly, but that's just felt too complicated for me.

People complain about poly looking like plastic, but in an ov blend like this, you don't build a film. so I don't notice it.

I apply it exactly like a pure oil finish.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Prashun. That's helpful.

[Chris Griggs]

I finished planing off the rough sawn surface on all the leg pieces this morning and went about figuring out the best orientations for lamination. From the ripping down of the full sized board thru the planing I was careful to keep track of the original board orientation to help me get the best grain match in the lamination. You can just make out the large cabinet makers triangles drawn on the boards.
IMG_20131205_060145_153.jpg

I mess around with a few orientations of adjacent pieces and ultimately decided that the best route was to fold the side by side cuts onto each other. This doesn't give me the best grain match on both sides of the legs, but what it does do is give me is two not laminated faces and one laminated face with a perfect grain match...

IMG_20131205_064028_958.jpg

As you can see below the opposite laminated face doesn't match at all, so this will become the interior joinery face. 3 good looking faces is more than enough.

IMG_20131205_063952_833.jpg

With my orientations for lamination decided I managed to get the first leg in clamps before I left this morning.


This is no time to skimp on glue..
IMG_20131205_064625_357.jpg


...nor is it a time to skimp on clamping pressure.

IMG_20131205_070400_917.jpg

A bit of smooth planing should make the grain matched side of the lamination nearly invisible. There may be an inadvertent book matching effect that shows up but the grain is fairly straight so it won't be too noticeable.

[Graham Haydon]

Making love to the bandsaw :-). I could not agree more about the need to develop sensativity around machines as much as hand tools. You use all the same concepts really, if you dont it all goes wrong. And BTW no full English, man up! :-)

[Chris Griggs]

Hey Guys...wondering if you had any desgin thoughts here.

I know I said I wanted to keep it simple...and really I still am, but I've been playing with different curves in sketchup and on scraps and think I have found some simple curves just to add to the side profile of the legs (so seen only from front) that might be nice...I've also added some curve to the little uprights under the arms to match the leg curve

I doodled this up in sketchup last night and mocked up a 2D profile in a scrap of pine this morning.

There's a couple other little things in this drawing too. The wierd line just inside the borders are to give me an idea of what a littel quirk or v-groove or bead might look like scratched in and the you'll notice the aprons are deeper too...the deeper aprons will be present on either design I mistakenly undersized them on the first drawing.

Anyway, any thoughts on the slightly curving design compared to the straighter one? Again, I'll probably mock a leg up in 3D to full scale, but for now all I got is sketchup drawings.

Curves- Angled veiw.jpg
Curves- Front veiw.jpg