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Still making benches

Started by WV Sawmiller, August 20, 2017, 08:11:35 PM

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WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

   I finished sanding all 3 of the curved benches as last shown. Used my 3X21 inch belt sander with 80 then 120 grit belts then cleaned the dust off and painted and 3 with a good coat of polyurethane and left them drying in the shed. I did not try finishing with tung oil or linseed oil like I do with my walnut or cherry and some of my ash benches. I will see what they look like in the morning. The can says one coat is all that is needed but I will see if it looks like I need another coat. I plan to take them to a flea market Saturday and advertise them as a set. They do make a nice circle.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

rjwoelk

I cut a curved Bench like yours.  I call it my Thinkin Bench. ;D Got it next to the Mill sitting on to Halves of a stump.
Lt15 palax wood processor,3020 JD 7120 CIH 36x72 hay shed for workshop coop tractor with a duetz for power plant

WV Sawmiller

   I took a load of benches to 2 flea markets this weekend. First one was a bust - lots of lookers, oohs and aaahs and people taking pictures saying they are sending them to a friend, spouse or relative but probably taking them home to try to make some themselves. Some even said "Oh, those are easy to make." They are if you have a sawmill, logs, tenon cutter, vice, a large high torque drill to run it, belt sander and time to finish them.

   Today I sold a couple. The most rewarding was just a small unfinished bench made from an ash crotch. A lady saw it and fell in love with it for a coffee table. I never thought of using one that way but should work well. She also wants me to make her a couple of matching end tables out of live edge, 2" ash. Only difference is the size and height. She is to call back with the sizes.

   One thing I noticed on my set of 3 curved benches as shown above, was that they want to tip over because he center of balance is so much off center. I decided to re-work them and brought them home and added a 5th leg in the center on the back side of the curve. I made 3 new legs from my bench leg stock and cut new mortises and installed them and trimmed the excess on top and put back on the mill and cut the new leg to the same length and angle as the others. They are much more stable now and I am no longer reluctant to sell them. I just could not stand the thought some kid might get hurt on one of them.

   When I went to sand the top around the new leg with my 3" X 21" belt sander I found the polyurethane gummed up in places. I finally ended re-sanding the whole bench. I will re-do the polyurethane later. I ran out of daylight with 2 more benches to re-finish.

   Is there an easier or better way to remove the polyurethane? Sanding a small bench like that is not an overwhelming task but...

    Any suggestions or advice on refinishing the other 2 benches?
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Re-finishing is one of the advantages of using Tung Oil because the finish is in the wood rather than on the wood.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WV Sawmiller

Lynn,

   Are you suggesting that I sand the other 2 benches then use Tung oil instead of Polyurethane next time? I don't know what Tung oil looks like on Chestnut oak. I know it does great on Cherry and Black walnut. On ash it gives it  nice shine but not make the same "Pop" that it does on the other 2.

   Ever try it on Chestnut oak? The poly looked good, any idea how Tung oil compares?
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Tung Oil will never have the "built up" glossy shine that Poly gives.  I just happen to prefer the more satin finish that Tung Oil gives, plus the ability to refinish if an accident happens.

It is all that I used back when I was doing woodworking.  I have also seen a few of Danny's benches that he finishes with Tung Oil.   :)

I would finish one with Tung Oil and see how it compares, but you are selling.  You must use what the customers want and that might very well be Poly.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WV Sawmiller

   These 3 benches were the first time I had used Poly (Except for the quart I poured into my ant nest Cherry Crotch bench which promptly leaked out). I expect there is a very good chance these 3 benches will sell as a set and will be used outside in someone's backyard around a fire ring especially since they are a white oak and more weather resistant than the other woods I have been using. I want to be sure to use the treatment that will hold up the longest/best under those conditions. Suggestions?
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

Poly will not hold up outside in the elements.  Spar varnish is better.  However, both will turn black over time and peel.  100% pure tung oil will impede water penetration into the wood and can be easily re-applied as additional coats over time to maintain the finish.  The more oil the wood can soak up, the better the weather resistance. The wood will darken to a dark gray brown due to exposure to the elements and the UV rays.  Not really anything that you can do about that. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Danny,

   Thanks for the info. I went ahead and sanded the other 2 today and put the first coast of pure Tung oil on. If first appearances hold true it promises to leave a real nice finish. There is a good but of quartersawn figure showing on the benches. I'll put a few more coats on over the next few days.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

Howard,

I only use Pure Tung Oil that I have to order on-line.  The "Tung Oil Finish" that I can get locally only has a very little bit of tung oil in it plus a bunch of other stuff.  This is where I get it.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

Danny,

   Thanks for the source. I'll check them out for my next re-supply.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   There's a big 3 day flea market coming up with potentially lots of upscale clients so my son suggested I take a load of benches over. I figured I needed more stock so spent the day working on making some more ash benches.


 
   I cut up a bunch of 3X3's into 21" leg blanks. On the right is a stack of cherry quarter round leg blanks awaiting tenons. The drill has the Lumberjack tenon cutter attached and a blank is in the vice for trimming. Everything is sitting on a stand I built on to the front of my pole barn mostly for planing lumber. I added a power plug right behind the stand. Behind and to the left you can see, Blackjack, my quality control department manager inspecting the operation.


 
I clamp a leg into the vice then partially round off one end with a drawknife so the tenon cutter will slip over. I built a few then stopped and sharpened both the drawknife and tenon cutter blades using my little Dremel tool type chain saw sharpener. They both cut much better when sharp.


 
The next step is to cut the tenon on the end while the leg is still in the vice. My cutter leaves a 3" long X 1.5" dia peg with a 60 degree shoulder as shown.


 
This took several hours but I finally finished 7 sets of legs before I ran out of blanks and stopped.


 
I moved my 3 piece curved oak set out of the shed and added another coat of Tung oil finish. Note the 5th leg I added at the back side of the curve because of the off center balance. Without this extra leg these benches wanted to tip over backward.


 
Next i went to my stock and selected some 2" thick X 14' long X 15"-18" wide live edge ash slabs and cut 4-3' long pieces. This left a 2' long piece I need for a future project.


 
I next painted the fresh cut ends with anshorseal.


 
One by one I started cutting the 1.5" mortises near each corner angled slightly outward with my drill and a spade bit. As each penetrated they tried to hang reminding me of the dangerous tool thread currently active.


 
Blackjack conducts a spot inspection. Actually he and Trigger his horsey companion are eating the white oak acorns as they fall off the overhead tree.


 
I glue and insert a set of legs using the baby sledge. If the angle is not quite right I use a large pipe wrench to rotate the leg to a better angle. The tenons and nearly always slightly angled one way or another plus the mortises are hand drilled at the best guestimated angle. The Japanese pull saw is used to trim the excess from the top - another tip from another FF member that works well.


 
Shows the typical excess tenon length to be trimmed off.


 
I finished 4 benches before I ran out of daylight. Tomorrow morning I will cut the next 14' slab and make 3 more 4' long benches.

    The only step not shown yet is to take the benches to the mill, turn them upside down on the mill, clamp them securely, set the band wide and make one pass at 17" high and this will cut all 4 legs on each bench at exactly the same height and angle.

    They are ready for sale as unfinished or for sanding and staining. One lady bought one like this for a coffee table last week and I'll use the 2' leftover pieces to make her a couple of end tables if she calls back as promised.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

The middle leg on the curved benches is a nice solution. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

grouch

That tenon cutter looks like a candidate for the scary tools thread.

Your spade bit won't hang if you stop drilling when the point first comes through and then finish the hole from the other side.
Find something to do that interests you.

WV Sawmiller

Danny,

   Yes it works well. Keep that in mind if you ever happen to make any with serious curve in the wood.

Dave,

   Had him 20 years. He was my wife's 20 year anniversary present. He is great at teaching you patience.

Grouch,

    It definitely could be a candidate. I keep thinking one of these days I will get a good deal on a big high torque drill press and mount it there. It will nearly break your wrist when it hangs in the wood although the worst danger is the spade bit hanging on those angled cuts in the slabs when they exit the backside.

    After I sharpened the blades yesterday I tended to run it on a higher speed than manufacturer recommendations but was real careful to just feather it into the wood so it cut very small chips instead of big curlycues and less binding involved.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Howard, I admire your benches, and hopefully you will soon have to make more.    8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

samandothers

Great work and thanks for the step by step!

Could you lay the bench top on a backer board when using the spade bit to keep it from grabbing when it exits the bench?

WV Sawmiller

Sam,

   I will try that on the next ones. I have to a degree but not enough. I did find I can sharpen the spade bit and it works better. I bought a 6" file a few minutes ago which should work for my drawknife and spade bits. That ash eats up the edge on the bit pretty fast.

MM,

   Let's hope so. I finished 3 more and put all 7 on the mill this morning. Will make a couple more to take with me this weekend. Actually think I will use up one more 14' slab to make 2-5' and one more 4' ash benches. Will look through my cherry and walnut stacks for more there too. Need to cut one more ash log for leg blanks. Likely will cut a 6X6 for crib blocks out of the middle and get some 3" side lumber for legs. May be quarter round but that will be fine. Some customers prefer that over square stock.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Bruno of NH

I use linseed oil on the benches I make that are for exterior use .
You can add extra coats to get the finish you like
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

WV Sawmiller

Bruno,

   The only time I used Linseed oil was on a couple of ash benches and they turned very yellow, almost orange. I am scared to try it on walnut or cherry because I know the Tung oil does a beautiful job bringing out the chocolate color in the walnut and the red in the cherry. The Tung oil also did a good job on the Chestnut oak benches too. Have you tried it on Walnut or cherry and know what it looks like with them?

   I made another 4' walnut bench this afternoon from a slab I had in stock. I did most of the initial sanding and used part of the sawdust mixed with wood glue to fill a gap or two around the tenons. It should be ready to finish sanding in the morning. I'll complete sanding and start the first of many coats of tung oil.

   I also sawed up about a 13"X8' ash log into 3X3's for more legs so i should have enough bench leg stock to make several dozen more benches. I'll try to make at least 3 more ash benches and maybe another walnut and/or cherry bench from materials I already have on hand. First i need to confirm I can get a spot a the flea market which starts tomorrow. i just want to take a load over and come back Saturday.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

Howard, don't stack/display all of your benches at the same time.  Keep a good portion away from sight and then if someone wants to choose, let them.  An abundance of benches indicates that there is no shortage and invites bargain hunters.    :-\
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WV Sawmiller

Lynn,

   Thanks for the suggestion. The problem here is I am mostly going to be selling off my truck/trailer and need to take enough stock so I don't run out. Right now I have a couple of 4' cherry and may take my project bench with the ant nest I have not had time to fill with epoxy yet. I have several 4' and up to 6' walnut benches and several of each size from 3,4 & 6 foot and may may 2 - 5' unfinished ash benches and one finished 4' ash bench tomorrow. I also have the 3 piece oak set.

   I'll leave most on the trailer and set out a decent selection but I can't totally hide the others. I figure I'll also take several rough cherry and pine fireplace mantels. Most of the time these flea market trips are more advertising for swing than selling lumber or benches and such. This one is mostly out of my normal sawing territory and I'd prefer not to commute that far for mobile sawing jobs - although I will if they want to pay the mileage. We will see.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   I built a couple more primitive benches last week. One used one of my 4' Red Oak Lictenburg engraved slabs and this 6' walnut bench I promised to a guy I got several loads of walnut and a few spruce log a year or so back. It is about 13.5" wide at the widest point - just wide enough not to fit in my 12.5" planer. I sanded it with my 4" belt sander till it gave out (Dust bag needs repair) and I put a few coats of tung oil on it. I sawed splits in the tenons and added wooden wedges to tighten the connection. On the oak bench it was such a tight fit I could not get the wedges in so I used metal ones like you use on a sledge hammer handle. It is really a pretty piece of wood.  

   I really need to find a better way to finish the wood - I probably just need to use more elbow grease.


 
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

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