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Thread: a bench for the table

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    a bench for the table

    I recently posted a table that I built for the wife... She liked it so much she wanted a new bench and chairs to go with it - thus far I have completed the bench, and am moving onto the chairs next.

    I actually had an old bench design that I had come up with that we really liked for the most part. That design was really best suited for outdoor picnic tables etc. because it was made of dimensional lumber.. fast to build, cheap, sturdy as can be, and comfortable. I've made at least 10 of them for our own use, and friends/neighbors have made countless more. Here's that original bench next to the outdoor ping pong table I built a few years back.

    original bench design.jpg


    So, for the new bench, I decided to pay tribute to that original design, but upgrade to furniture joinery, and do a bit of refinement. I blended the joints, added some curves, contoured the back rest. In a separate thread, the guys here helped me figure out a stretcher approach that would be fairly well-hidden while also providing a lot of lateral stability.

    Poplar with danish oil and poly top coat.

    dining bench 6.jpg dining bench 7.jpg dining bench 8.jpg


    The wife is really happy now (but still wants the chairs).
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    That has a wonderful organic feel that's a perfect compliment to your table!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #3
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    Thanks Jim! I had a lot of fun with this one, and am excited to think through the chairs next.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
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    I like it too. I don’t see poplar used for tables and chairs very often. I’m guilty of using it for secondary parts that are not seen.
    Aj

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    I actually enjoy working with poplar. It's one of those species that's really adaptable...clear (which is most prevalent) can be colored to resemble other close grained woods and if you have knotty material, it can be "pine" with the right coloration, etc. The price is also generally very attractive.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Poplar in this case was chosen due to a previous table design for a customer. She had insisted on a painted base so I selected poplar as the cost effective choice. During lumber prep I found a nice pocket of mineral staining which I thought too cool to paint. So I saved that, built a new base for the customer.

    Since the saved poplar became the base of my wife’s new sunroom dining table, it felt fitting to keep with it for the seating. It’s actually nice to work with and looks bright in the space.
    - Bob R.
    Collegeville PA (30 minutes west of Philly)

  7. #7
    Looks nice Bob. That will show well in so many spots!

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