The bench is finished

[Todd Zucker]

Thanks to some helpful replies on an earlier thread, I (finally) finished the garden bench.

It looked pretty good to me with the square edges, mainly because it matched my crude sketchup drawing pretty well.

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But based on feedback I got, I rounded the arms and top ends with a rasp and chamfered the other edges with a block plane. Tried not to chamfer the places where parts met flush, but messed up a couple of spots.

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I originally intended to put it outside without any finish and let it decay gracefully, but the better half said she liked the bright colors of the wood so I put on a light coat of teak oil. Wish I hadn't, but I give it about 3 months outside before the oil disappears and she forgets it was ever oiled.

I think the back slats were the most difficult part, but it gave me a lot of practice doing mortises and tenons and they fortunately went together easily.

[James Pallas]

Nice work Todd Nice setting for it too.
Jim

[Jim Koepke]

Looks like a comfortable place to sit on a summer afternoon.

jtk

[Ted Phillips]

Looks really nice, Todd.

[Christopher Charles]

Looks lovely! I'm sure it will age with grace.

Best,
Chris

[Todd Zucker]

Thanks, guys!

[William Fretwell]

Classy bench. Those projects to keep one's other half happy are so important! You are right about the oil, more harm than good.

[Pat Barry]

Nicely done. It looks comfortable with tbe curved seat and, I like the roundovers. No doubt that will improve the comfort. What type of wood did you use? Depending on what you used, what type of climate the bench is in (ie: frequent or prolonged moisture), how much sun exposure, etc., the wood may or may not age gracefully outdoors over time. I think oil finish such as teak oil is a great idea to preserve the appearance.

[Todd Zucker]

It is white oak. It will be outside in the almost constant Houston humidity and exposed to frequent and heavy rain, as well as bright afternoon sun.

From what I read before starting the bench, white oak is supposed to be pretty good for outdoor furniture, although cypress or teak might have been better.

The brightness of the oiled wood is actually growing on me, but I am not sure I am ready for the commitment of constant re-coating every few months.

[Mike Allen1010]

Todd, well done this looks like an excellent bench. Thanks for sharing the pics.


I'm sure you and your family will enjoy it for a long time.


Cheers, Mike

[Bill McDermott]

What a beast of a bench. That's not going to blow around in a storm. I suppose it weighs more than it's maker. Solid!
That was a lot of lumber and a large scale project. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing

[Bill Jobe]

Nice work, Todd. That'll be around for a long time. My wife would love a bench like that, though mine would not have that much class with my skills.