Finally finished the swing

[Mike Henderson]

I finally finished the swing I've been procrastinating on all summer because of the heat in the shop. Wood is white oak. I laminate bent the seat and back slats and the arms. I think the arms look nice reflecting the bend of the seat - what do you think?

Lots of mortise and tenon joints - I was really sick of cutting those by the time I got this finished. The M&T joints were glued with System 3 T88 epoxy because it has a long working time. With all those M&T joints, I needed the extra time during the glue up.

The finish is sprayed water based exterior polyurethane. I know it won't hold up outdoors but when it starts looking bad, I'll spray it with white latex - but in the meanwhile, I'll get the natural wood look.

Note the three wide slats on the back. I put those in so that I could carve some design into them but I haven't chosen a design yet. I'll eventually choose something and can carve it at any time in the future. If you have some suggestions for a carving, please send it to me.

Mike

[Doug Shepard]

Very nice. It looks a lot more comfy than the ones you normally see. What kind of wood? Are you hanging this on a porch or a frame?

[Alan DuBoff]

Mike,

Beautiful, like all of the work you've posted. Great looking bench!

[Steve Wargo]

That is very sharp. Nice piece.

[Mike Henderson]

Very nice. It looks a lot more comfy than the ones you normally see. What kind of wood? Are you hanging this on a porch or a frame?

It's made from white oak. I had a lot of trouble with shakes in the wood. I removed any shakes that I found before gluing but had a few shakes show up after I put everything together. Since it's not a piece of fine furniture, I could sand the worst of it out. I don't know if shakes are common in white oak or if I just got some bad stuff. [correction 9/24/06. It was pointed out to me that the problem I encountered is known as honeycombing and not shakes. See later in this thread for more details.]

The difficult thing, of course, is to cut the slats exactly the same length (not counting the tenons). If one or more slats are short they will show up as not fitting properly between the two pieces of wood with the mortises - there will be gaps at the top or bottom. And if one or more slats are long, they will prevent the proper fit of the rest of the slats - so great accuracy is needed in cutting the tenons on the slats.

I plan to hang it from a pergola I built a couple of years ago. It will replace a swing I built at the same time as the pergola. Problem is, I built that first swing from poplar and poplar just doesn't hold up well outdoors. Bad choice on my part.

Mike

[Roy Wall]

Mike -

That is beautiful........really nice work! I'd keep it indoors......the curves and shaping is excellent.!

[Jim Becker]

Wow...that's really an incredible piece, Mike. Exquisite curves.

BTW, for future outdoor projects that you want a clear finish that will last a little longer, try exterior oil-based alkyd deep tint base...it dries clear, has UV inhibitors and lasts longer than a varnish in the weather. Your wood will still grey out over time from exposure, but there is no stopping that!

[Maurice Metzger]

Pret-ty snazzy! Looks half in motion just sitting there. Very nice.

Maurice

[Kent Parker]

Great piece Mike!!. Obviously lots of detail in the joints. Looks like a bench you would not want to get out of! Love the curves!!

Cheers,

Kent

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Very, very nicely done Mike! I hope my wife doesn't see that piece! I couldn't begin to duplicate it! Gorgeous work!

[Dennis Peacock]

Mike,

That's very beautiful and nice work.!!!! It would look even better on the LOML's front porch though.

[Alan Turner]

Very nice. Please do not show this to my bride as I am pretty busy these days, and it would go on the TTD list in a heartbeat.

[Zahid Naqvi]

beautiful work Mike.

[Jerry Palmer]

Wow, very nice.

[Maurice Metzger]

Mike, after thinking about it some more, I have to say it's really impressive - M&T joints, just enough thickness for strength, beautifully bent form.

IMHO this should not ever end up with white latex paint. You should take steps to preserve the natural appearance, not that I know what those steps should be...

The only possible complaint I could have is - where are the construction photos? I know from your previous work that you have 3 hands, so why weren't you taking pictures during that massive glue-up?

Just kidding,

Maurice