Bench finished just in time for Christmas

[WLC]

While not as good as many of the pieces I've seen here on the forum, I am quite proud of how this one turned out.  Built it for my son who is moving into his first home of his own next week.  It'll be used near the door for folks to sit down on to take their shoes off or put them on when entering or exiting the house.

I cut the tree about two years ago, milled it and the lumber has been sitting under the shed air drying ever since.  Took it into my heated shop about three weeks ago to get just a bit more dry (moisture content was close to 11% just air dried).  Started on it last weekend and just finished it up this afternoon when we got home from Church.

First time using polycrylic as a finish.  Jury is still out on it.

I've got the other half of the slab still in the shop to make him a coffee table.  It should be prettier as that end has the fork and crotchwood in it.  Probably be after the first of the year when I get it done.



Excuse the blur on the right side.  My 14 year old English Setter is a ham and wanted in the pic....

[DPatton]

You should be proud of it, as it is beautiful and will make a very nice gift for your son.

[samandothers]

It looks very nice and should be a hit!

Nice use of pipe for legs.  What did you use on the feet to keep them from marring the floor?

[WLC]

It looks very nice and should be a hit!

Nice use of pipe for legs.  What did you use on the feet to keep them from marring the floor?

Mom still has to find me some of that felt stuff made for just that purpose.  I'll put it on before the move in date.

[WDH]

That bench sure looks strong and solid.  Very nice.

[thecfarm]

What kind of wood it is?
He will like it. If he don't,I'll take it for the same price.  :D  :D

[69bronco]

Very nice! Looks like yellow birch?

[petefrom bearswamp]

Very nice
I Sarah invited for christmas dinner?

[WLC]

Wood is White Birch.  This slab was from the center of the log and shows just a bit of "marbling" from the QS grain.  Birch evidently doesn't have the rays that a lot of other species have.

Haven't actually seen Sarah in a while, so no, she's not coming to Christmas dinner.  Did eat Christmas dinner with her and Todd a few years back.......but then so did half of Wasilla.( they have a big community dinner in town each year and one year we helped prepare food.  She was there in the serving line helping serve when she was governor.

[Downstream]

I think it looks great.  I like the leg spacing because it makes the bench look solid and stable.  You just can't go wrong with a live edge slab top no matter what the tree.  Have fun with the coffee table follow-up project.

[starmac]

I am happy to see something made out of genuine Alaska birch, and it came out great to boot.

[cbla]

looks nice!

[AlaskaLes]

I think it came out very nice!!  I've been thinking about using the pipe leg base idea.  I like the industrial look with slabs.

Birch evidently doesn't have the rays that a lot of other species have.

I have found quite a bit of the rays in our Birch.  It is more commonly located in and adjacent to
lumps, knots and burls.
About a year and a half back, I came across a tree in our woods that was completely covered with lumps.
Looked like someone had cut a whole truckload of oranges; grapefruit; cantaloupes in half and stuck them all over the tree from the ground, up to the 25 foot level.
I logged it in the GPS as "Lumpy Tree" and we collected it about a month later.

That thing is so full of Rays; birdseye; fleck; twisted grain...it's hard to believe!!
Anyway, now our friends around here are all looking for these trees for us.  I've got 3 or 4 right now that we've located that we'll take down this Spring or Summer.

[WLC]

Good to know Les, I'll keep an eye out.  This tree was fairly "plain", straight more or less till it forked.  I'm hoping that the coffee table will show a little more character.  That part of the slab has the fork area in it.

Thanks for the compliment!  My son liked it with the pipe legs as well.  Wants the coffee table with slab legs though.

[starmac]

If you had described the table to me, I would have had my doubts on the pipe legs, but after seeing it I like it.

[PA_Walnut]

Nice piece! Pipe legs just work...and plenty strong, no doubt!

In this area, it would be a no-no to have the bark remaining as that's likely where the bugs like to roost. Does cedar repel them?

On the rare occasion that I build something with sapwood or holes where critters are/were, I like to poor denatured alcohol or mineral spirits in hopes that they couldn't survive that. Has worked so far...I think.  ;D