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Some overlapping info from here:
I have long admired George Nakashima's work and have always wanted to build something in his style.
I bought a cherry slab about 4 years ago but I couldn't decide what I wanted the base to look like. I really liked the Woodsmith garden bench and built the base from these plans using some scrap walnut.
The main construction was done in a few days in Sept 2013, but just sat in my shop waiting for me to find the guts to do the butterfly keys. The slab was already pretty flat from the seller and primarily needed sanding. The slab had a slight twist in it which I solved by scribing the base to fit. There was some dry rot on the edges which I removed using a wire wheel on a corded drill.
Pics from Sept 2013:
I've also been working on a kitchen remodel and needed a distraction. So last weekend I turned my attention back to this bench. I was also getting annoyed at having to move this slab every time I wanted to get into my shop drawers.
I've seen jigs for cutting the butterfly keys but I just drew them out on some 3/8" thick walnut I had around, cut them out on the bandsaw, and sanded the edges flat on a sheet of sandpaper laid on top of my TS. Using a small knife, I scribed around the key, then wasted away most of the slot with a trim router. Finally, I cleaned up the slot with a chisel. Applied glue to the key and pounded it home with a scrap block of wood on top. There are three keys on the bottom side, too.
The keys were set slightly proud and sanded flush with a belt sander (new tool I bought for this project). I think the fit came out pretty good. :biggrin: During the finishing process, I wet sanded the finish and pushed the slurry into any gaps.
I also agonized about how to attach the slab to the base. I've seen wedged tenons, fake plugs covering screws, etc. At this point I just wanted to git-r-done so I used the same figure 8 fasteners I'd use for a tabletop. Easy peasy and one less thing to screw up. I also installed leg levelers to raise up the base. It's never going to sit out on my patio, and will be outside on our covered porch. It's unlikely to sit in water, but why take the risk? They will also prevent the base from chipping if it ever gets dragged/pushed around.
For the finish I applied several coats of Minwax spar urethane thinned with mineral spirits. Again, it's going to be in a deep covered porch so I wasn't going to go nuts with Epifanes or some kind of epoxy finish. I only put the final coat on today. I like to finish my projects with some rubbed in beeswax with steel wool. That's going to have to wait while this hardens more.
Sorry for the bad pics. I was losing daylight.
The sapwood in the base isn't that stark in real life. You may also notice that the top to base orientation has been flipped in the final product.
The slab is 1 1/2" thick, 18" wide and 7' long. The top is about 18" off the ground.
After getting over the hump of doing this bench, I'm hooked. For not a whole lot of work (no major glue ups or machining), you get a finished piece of furniture. More are definitely in my future.
Paul
I have long admired George Nakashima's work and have always wanted to build something in his style.
I bought a cherry slab about 4 years ago but I couldn't decide what I wanted the base to look like. I really liked the Woodsmith garden bench and built the base from these plans using some scrap walnut.
The main construction was done in a few days in Sept 2013, but just sat in my shop waiting for me to find the guts to do the butterfly keys. The slab was already pretty flat from the seller and primarily needed sanding. The slab had a slight twist in it which I solved by scribing the base to fit. There was some dry rot on the edges which I removed using a wire wheel on a corded drill.
Pics from Sept 2013:
I've also been working on a kitchen remodel and needed a distraction. So last weekend I turned my attention back to this bench. I was also getting annoyed at having to move this slab every time I wanted to get into my shop drawers.
I've seen jigs for cutting the butterfly keys but I just drew them out on some 3/8" thick walnut I had around, cut them out on the bandsaw, and sanded the edges flat on a sheet of sandpaper laid on top of my TS. Using a small knife, I scribed around the key, then wasted away most of the slot with a trim router. Finally, I cleaned up the slot with a chisel. Applied glue to the key and pounded it home with a scrap block of wood on top. There are three keys on the bottom side, too.
The keys were set slightly proud and sanded flush with a belt sander (new tool I bought for this project). I think the fit came out pretty good. :biggrin: During the finishing process, I wet sanded the finish and pushed the slurry into any gaps.
I also agonized about how to attach the slab to the base. I've seen wedged tenons, fake plugs covering screws, etc. At this point I just wanted to git-r-done so I used the same figure 8 fasteners I'd use for a tabletop. Easy peasy and one less thing to screw up. I also installed leg levelers to raise up the base. It's never going to sit out on my patio, and will be outside on our covered porch. It's unlikely to sit in water, but why take the risk? They will also prevent the base from chipping if it ever gets dragged/pushed around.
For the finish I applied several coats of Minwax spar urethane thinned with mineral spirits. Again, it's going to be in a deep covered porch so I wasn't going to go nuts with Epifanes or some kind of epoxy finish. I only put the final coat on today. I like to finish my projects with some rubbed in beeswax with steel wool. That's going to have to wait while this hardens more.
Sorry for the bad pics. I was losing daylight.
The sapwood in the base isn't that stark in real life. You may also notice that the top to base orientation has been flipped in the final product.
The slab is 1 1/2" thick, 18" wide and 7' long. The top is about 18" off the ground.
After getting over the hump of doing this bench, I'm hooked. For not a whole lot of work (no major glue ups or machining), you get a finished piece of furniture. More are definitely in my future.
Paul
Black wallnut
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