Mission Style Hall Bench

[scott spencer]

Here's my first completed project of the season. A Mission style bench made as a wedding gift for a good friend. They sent a pic and I basically tried to reconstruct what I saw, plus a couple of "liberties" here and there. It's mostly red oak but there are some pieces of "wine vat" QSWO interspersed. There are 36 M&T joints. The 6 pegs are handcut from Sapele. Finish is mix of Minwax Early American and Golden Oak, and Behr's tung oil finish (which is a poly/tung oil mix). It's about 36"w x 15"d overall.

Their original plan was to add a custom made cushion but they weren't 100% positive during the early discussions, and they haven't seen the end result yet....decision pending on that aspect.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Projects/bench/100_0081.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Projects/bench/100_0079.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Projects/bench/100_0074.jpg

[gary Zimmel]

Scott

Nice job on the mission bench. I like the pinned joints, they add a nice touch.

Your freind will be very happy with the wedding present. It may not be the last piece you build for them....

[jim sauterer]

scott beautiful work on that bench.where did you get the plan or your own design.

[scott spencer]

Thanks guys.

Jim - My friends sent the pic below as an idea of a bench they liked, and I printed out an 8x10 copy of it and literally penciled in estimated dimensions across each of the structural pieces, then made a crude cut list on the back of the sheet....not very sophicated but it worked out fine. I wish I could say it was my design because I like it.

89067

[Jim Becker]

That's really nice, Scott. Great job on the project.

[randall rosenthal]

nice job!..thats a style i really like...

[Lee Koepke]

oops, I showed that to the wife ..... my list is growing !!!

Hope mine comes out as good as yours.

BTW, are those thru tenons at the bottom ?? nice touch

[glenn bradley]

Really nice job. I know they'll be pleased.

[scott spencer]

oops, I showed that to the wife ..... my list is growing !!!

Hope mine comes out as good as yours.

BTW, are those thru tenons at the bottom ?? nice touch

Nope...real blind tenons with faux thru finials. I knew someone would ask! :D

[Lee Koepke]

Nope...real blind tenons with faux thru finials. I knew someone would ask! :D
I want to try thru tenons, but I most likely would opt for 'the alternative'.

Nice work.

[Don Bullock]

That's a very nice looking bench. Great workmanship.:D

[Walt Caza]

Hi Scott,
Glad to see old man winter has finally let you back into the shop!
Great looking bench, faithful to the photo and a nice job to boot...
Myself I hope they get a cushion custom made, since you dropped the seat to accomodate one, I think it will look great!
Tight and tidy work on the m&t, I am comfortable you display the skills to have poked those tenons right through, but your cap job works too...
I'll give bonus points for honesty, you could have just fooled us,
but then again I am an easy marker for good guys!

Love the colour, generous of you to include the blend recipe.
(they say great cooks, when passing along a recipe, commonly omit a little somethin'!)

I am intrigued that you used plain sawn red and Qsawn white oak in the same project.
Might be a way to incorporate some of those scraps and offcuts I am drowning in.....well played sir.

Further bonus marks for the hand cut contrasting pegs.

Glad you are back in the shop, enjoy...
As Gary Z recently asked me...(and I loved it, feels more like we are really talkin')
So, what are you working on next?!?

As the Creek has grown bigger, I think we would do well to offset any dilution of the family feel, by asking our project posters that very question...
I gotta go, I gotta answer Zimmel now, and maybe toss that catalyst question at a few other Creekers!
Pass it on, if you wanna play along...
take care,
Walt
:)

[Jim Tobias]

Scott,
VERY NICE!!! Such a classic, home feel to that design. I really like it!

Jim

[scott spencer]

Thanks again for all the comments.

Walt, next up is a Shaker style hall table from black walnut....another wedding gift due mid June. This time for the son and future DIL of a good friend and fellow Creeker, Tom Pritchard.

I have done "real" thru tenons before...no real magic required there, but since there was an intersection of tenons at the leg on the bench, I just thought it would be simpler to go with the finials instead. (and it was :D)

[John Thompson]

Opps.. I thought I had complimented your bench and ask if we would possible be able to idenify the QS thrown in from the fleck rays... :)

But upon further review.. I do believe the compliments were on another "wave lenght". So... the compliment of very well done gets a re-run. :D

Regards...

Sarge..

[scott spencer]

Thanks Sarge! Always nice to hear from you!

[Mark Valsi]

Scott,

I hope you don't take this as a back handed compliment, but . . .

I would love to see that piece made in ALL quarter sawn White Oak !!

I'm not a fan of mixing red and white oak. I don't care much for red oak, too damn common place, and a piece like this should have been all QSWO.

Great job, though