Outdoor bench with bent lamination curved legs

[Mel Fulks]

You could put some blocks under them. Look at some pics of , I think , Chippendale chairs , I think called “block foot”. Yours would have to
be more modern ,but the precedent is set. Yours would be “The Precedent Of The United States”.

[Alan Lightstone]

So, after many months of work, I finished construction of the bench:
Completed Outdoor Bench Before Finishing.jpg
The corners of the legs are not gorgeous, but strong and functional. Lots and lots of glueing, and making all those 1" half laps all identical was clearly a challenge, even with the jig I made.

Now on to finishing. It's made of white oak. As much as I love the look of marine spar varnish over epoxy (a reasonably durable outdoor finish), this bench will be sitting outdoors in Florida. The Titanic deck chair I made had that finish and looked awesome for about 2 years, but when it degraded, refinishing it was a nightmare. This would have the same issues.

So looking forward to suggestions as to the best way to finish it.

[Mark Rainey]

Alan, you did it! Persistence. I know of no finish that will stand up to the Florida sun for any length of time. Use an outdoor oil, recoat every few months & get a cover for that bench - you worked too hard on it to let the sun ravage it.

[Christopher Charles]

Great looking bench and I agree an oil finish, not a film finish would be less disappointing in the end. The FL sun is a tough one to beat. Regardless, I’m sure you will enjoy!

[Alan Lightstone]

Recommendations for an oil finish? I'm assuming something that doesn't have a film finish that dries.

I understand some have a mildewcide built in, which would be a plus here.

First look I found Cetol Marine, but I can't tell if it's a film finish. Used on boats pretty extensively, I hear.

I have Tung Oil, but think that's not a good choice. Boiled Linseed oil?

Wondering about Rubio Monocoat also.

Really looking for something with UV protection, and mildewcide would be a big plus.

[Greg Parrish]

Great looking bench Alan. I’m also loving the nice view of the shop. Looks like an amazing setup and awesome place to spend time. Thanks for sharing this project. Lots of inspiration here.

[John Kananis]

Alan, the bench came out really nice - it's going to look really great with a finish I think. Idk about Rubio, it really doesn't like the water I think. Odie's oil and wax maybe if you're looking for that type of finish and reapply one a year or more in your geography but I would absolutely get a canvas cover for it if it's going to sit in Florida sun all day. Everything eventually turns gray out there without proper care.

[Aaron Liebling]

Love it Alan! For the record I failed at the bent laminate and went with straight legs instead. I couldn't get the right angle I needed not enough clamping. I still have a bunch of the sheets cut and I'll try some other project with them eventually.

image.jpg

[Kevin Jenness]

Consider Cetol for finish. Supposed to have good uv protection with ease of recoating.

[Carl Beckett]

subbing - curious to learn what finish you decide on.

I have done a handful of outdoor projects/woods and have yet to find a finish I can recommend. One was a replacement door on an old house - after many recommendations went with epoxy and it turned into a disaster. It didnt penetrate well and mildew under the film.

I have used BLO on white oak outside - required redoing after the first NE winter (seems to just dry out) - but maybe it will improve after regular reapplication? Tung oil did a 'little' better - those were both smaller projects and I was able to soak the pieces in oil.

A deck (mahogany decking) I did with Penofin oil based. It attracted mildew but otherwise did 'ok'. An outdoor arbor I used a water based 'nano' finish which didnt make it one winter before needing more. (Behr deck stain at the orange store is just plain awful)

Net net - I havent found any water based outdoor finish to recommend. Oil based stains had done 'better' for me and I will continue with those unless you find something that works better. An annual refresh though.

YMMV (I hope, and I hope you share that mileage so I know what to try next...!!)

[Mark Rainey]

I have been using General Finishes Outdoor Oil. It seem to work but I recoat often. And sometimes have to use bleach solution if if rains for several days in a row without sunshine to dry things out.

[Aaron Liebling]

I went with tung oil for mine. This is a bench that will be on a porch in LA. No direct sun or rain. I'm guessing it will need reapplication every year, but that's doable.

[Alan Lightstone]

Love it Alan! For the record I failed at the bent laminate and went with straight legs instead. I couldn't get the right angle I needed not enough clamping. I still have a bunch of the sheets cut and I'll try some other project with them eventually.

image.jpg

Looks great, Aaron. I was really wondering about yours. We made some different choices for joinery. I think both have a nice unique look.

Yup, doing those legs was quite an ordeal. Can't imagine what they would have been like to do bent lamination with 32+ 1/32" pieces. Yikes..

SWMBO will certainly want a matching bench. Don't know if I have that in me. Would love to move on to other projects.

Congrats, Aaron. Beautiful bench.

[Alan Lightstone]

Consider Cetol for finish. Supposed to have good uv protection with ease of recoating.

Does Cetol form a film finish, though?