New Benches ( pics )

[John Scane]

Hi all,

I just finished 1 bench made from maple and walnut and about to finish another made of mahogany and cement/steel. The mahogany bench still has a few things I need to do like cut curves on the bottom cross pieces that hold up the top and then shape, sand and finish - but it's almost done. Anyway I thought I would show them to you.

Thanks,
John

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/2_benches.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_detail.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/birt_2.jpg





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/birt_1.jpg

[David Fried]

I like them both! Some beautiful wood and I do like the arch.

[Dave Richards]

Very, very nice.

Out of curiosity, how much does the steel/cement bench seat weigh?

[Jason Tuinstra]

John, they both look teriffic!

[Dick Parr]

Both are very nice. Great job. :)

[Jeff Sudmeier]

John,

Those are both great looking benches. I really like the Maple/walnut bench!

[Jim Becker]

John, these are outstanding. I like them both, but especially the walnut piece since I'm fond of Nakashima and natural edge pieces. (The Nakashima compound is about 5 miles from here) But the contrast between the mahogany base and the metal/tile seat on the other one is wonderful visually.

[Pete Lamberty]

Very nice John. I really like the contrasting materials. You might be interested in seeing Douglas Thayers work. www.Douglasthayer.com.

[Mark Singer]

John,

Great design! Beautiful work! What is the top....metal?

[Keith Christopher]

Love the finish on the walnut, very well done. Looks like you put some kind of patina on the steel that holds the concrete ?! Also how is the concrete/steel top held in place ?



Keith

[Mike Vermeil]

Awesome work John. I love the cleaness of both design and construction. Nothing there that doesn't need to be, but more than enough for the eye to enjoy. Definitely modern, but warm and inviting!

Mike

[Jerry Olexa]

VERY Nice work!! Beautiful use of materials and design!

[Jim Dunn]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwsum!!!

[Tony Falotico]

Like 'em both John, Great finish on the Maple/walnut one, love the way you CA guys use mixed media (wood, steel, cement). Keep on inspiring us!

[Corey Hallagan]

Nice work John, those look great!!


Corey

[lou sansone]

very nice work.. the color of the maple is real good.. could you give us a hint about the finish on the maple ? thanks


lou

[Frank Bertrand]

Normally i just lurk here but I had to make a comment about this bench. VERY VERY NICE! I assume the top is just a 'gravity joint' ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_1.jpg

[Aaron Montgomery]

Me Like! Unique and classy! Both designs speak to me, but the walnut speaks to me a little more - it says "I'm easier on your backside". How much does that concrete bench weigh?

[Christopher Stahl]

Awesome work!!!

chris

[John Scane]

Thanks eveyone for the support. I'll post pics of the mahogany bench when I finish it in a few days. I made the top from welding 1/8 x 2" mild steel then I put a plywood sub-base and poured about 1/4" of a plastic cement ( it's a little lighter and more flexible ) I then ground the cement and buffed it to get it how I wanted. The patina I used was for bronze but it works ok with the mild steel. I used cupric nitrate, ferric nitrate and sulphurated potash for green, yellow and brown basically, then I let it rust for a few days. I finally coated it with deft spray then waxed the whole top. It weighs about 70 lbs ( just the top ) the base is probably another 40- 50 ? so it's not too bad.

The maple/walnut bench has an oil/varnish finish with a coat of wax. Both were fun to build but I liked making the mahogany/cement one more, mostly because it's more challenging and I feel there are more design possibilities to explore. The maple/ walnut bench is mostly like a Nakashima which is nice but not so original.

Oh yea the cement top is just help by gravity and a couple cleats to keep it in place

[Jim W. White]

I have some availability to buy some larger slabs of burled maple similar to the piece you used on the walnut/maple bench. I had never considered it for a bench applicaion, but you have inspired me. Could you offer any insight into how you fastened the top to the uprights?!

Jim in Idaho

[John Scane]

For the maple bench the grain for the "legs" and top are running similar so I was able to glue and dowel the top onto the legs. Now I know there might be some problems with the 2 woods expanding at different rates but I don't think it will be a big deal......we'll see.
I just used a router and a straight edge clamped into place on the top where I wanted the legs then routed out a 3/4" deep dado a little smaller than the thickness of the legs. As you can see the legs are at a 5 degree angle so I then clamped a board with a 5 degree bevel on it to the top as a guide and chiseled out the rest of the dado so the legs fit nice and snug, it was only about a 1/16 of material. It took a little time but I felt it was faster than building a jig for the router to cut at an angle ( If anyone has advice on that it would be much appreciated ). I HATE BUILDING JIGS!
The biggest problem with this piece was that I didn't totally flatten the top because the way the slab was I would have to waste too much to get it totally parallel on both sides. So because of that making the squared legs fit onto a unsquare top was a little tricky. But in the end I WON !;)

by the way this bench weights as much as the cement one.....it's dang heavy

[Jay Knoll]

That is great design and wonderful work, thanks for posting

Jay

[Jim W. White]

John,

Thanks for the additional construction information!! Your attention to detail is obvious when looking at the final results, but the mechanics of it are not. I think that's a real credit to your design!! ...thanks for sharing :)

..Jim in Idaho

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I like the last one the best although both are very nice. I'm a big fan of natural wood slab tables.

You have a great talent John!!

[Chad Pater]

Great design! I love them both

[Jack Hogoboom]

John,

I really like the benches, but the concrete one is my favorite. How much does something like that cost? I'd sure love to have one.

Jack

[Alan Turner]

Wonderful work; thanks for sharing. I think I would have handled the dado for the legs with a chisel also as it has to be quicker than jigging it up, at least for one or a few.

[Mark Singer]

I found John's attitude about designing the 2 benches refreshing.The one which is truly unique and original, was more rewarding and offered more design possibilities, the other was similar to Nakashima. they are both great benches, no question! John is an artist and I have know him for many years....this feeling about design is what I am often, maybe too often eluding to. The bench is simple and breaks some new ground, I can't recall another quite like it. This is the essence of combining woodworking skill and design originality....something that embodies the creative spirit of the crafstman....a great feeling , and within the grasp of each of us if we strive for it! As I may have said before...."Design , it is where everything begins"
.

The maple/walnut bench has an oil/varnish finish with a coat of wax. Both were fun to build but I liked making the mahogany/cement one more, mostly because it's more challenging and I feel there are more design possibilities to explore. The maple/ walnut bench is mostly like a Nakashima which is nice but not so original.

Oh yea the cement top is just help by gravity and a couple cleats to keep it in place

[John Scane]

Thanks everyone for the nice compliments. Here are some pics of it all sanded and finished. The main difference from the first pics are the cut out curves on the bottom of the supports and the notch so that the top fits into the supports.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_bench_top.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_bench_side.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/js040667/gold_bench_side2.jpg

[Jim Becker]

Simply awesome, John. A wonderful piece.