Still making benches

firefighter ontheside · August 15, 2021, 04:08:29 PM

Tom, they are not thru tenons, so no wedge. A whole lot of titebond 2. Drove legs in with a hammer.

LeeB · August 15, 2021, 10:49:15 PM

You can wedge a non-through tenon. A little tricky but doable.

doc henderson · August 16, 2021, 06:56:15 AM

I flair the legs about 13° in all directions (out) . I have done the blind wedges. it takes some basic math, and a clear head. I use calipers as the slot, the wedge, and the tenon and hole have to all be made to fit. the bottom of the leg hole drives the wedge in the slot, as you drive the leg tenon in the hole, fairing the end in the blind end of the hole. with glue is will be permanent. not a good thing to do in the early morning hours, and or with too much beer.

. if your tenons are loose, the cut can be adjusted to fit.

firefighter ontheside · August 16, 2021, 08:12:41 AM

That makes sense. Someday, maybe I'll try it.

Old Greenhorn · August 16, 2021, 08:35:34 AM

Yeah, I have been thinking about it too. Sometimes shrinkage rates after build make the tenon stick up through the bench seat a little bit and this annoys me. Blind tenons would solve this but have their own challenges.

doc henderson · August 16, 2021, 09:09:03 AM

blind tenons are not bad if you cut them on a drill press and can set the depth up off the bed. As you know, I have a radial drill press with and angle tip table. makes it a compound drill press. I think you could make a false bed to sit on the table with a double 13° (what I use) angle. then set the forstner bit up and 1/8th of so off the new bed. many drill press beds and angle right and left, and then you can make a solid be to sit on top. you need a way to hit the right spot for the leg. and it will be different depending on the thickness of the bench at that spot. so I put a mark on the table and reference it, the seat of the bench down on the table to drill from the top (underneath side of the seat).

firefighter ontheside · August 16, 2021, 05:44:40 PM

Anybody think about making benches with backs using the tenon cutter for joinery. Have to make it pretty deep to make sure it doesn't tip over.

Old Greenhorn · August 16, 2021, 07:27:34 PM

I've thought about it, I just haven't figured it out yet. "Thinking' is easy and cheap, 'doing' costs a little more. :D

Downstream · August 16, 2021, 10:22:03 PM

I tried it a few times. A couple of successes and one classic fail where the edge of the half log seat split away because I was too close to the edge. You need an offset upright in my opinion to make the geometry work out for a more comfortable sitting bench. Anyone want to guess what happenned on the second log? I named it 3 blade bench if you want a hint. :D

doc henderson · August 17, 2021, 10:43:32 AM

I have done it. I used branches as the up rights. it can be tough to get the size of the natural wood pieces right both artistically and structurally, no to mention the angle for comfort. since you have a "lever" sticking higher up in the air, and a back on a bench calls out for people to "lean back" you have to kick at least the back legs farther back. IMO.

I will have to find a pick with the natural materials.

doc henderson · August 17, 2021, 10:48:09 AM

firefighter ontheside · August 17, 2021, 09:57:53 PM

I love the 3 blade bench.

That's what I was thinking of Doc. I was thinking that making it with arms would help make the back stronger.

WV Sawmiller · August 17, 2021, 10:19:01 PM

I like the arms. I'm sorry Doc, but I am not sure I am in love with the mortise and tenon backs. With the legs the strain on the legs is mostly straight up and down. With the back it is back and forth and I'd be concerned either the tenon or the back part of the bench could loosen or break. The arms help reinforce the back.

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 12:17:38 AM

people want what they want. that was for my uncle Jerry, and in his mind, they needed a back. they were reasonably comfortable and sturdy. you prob. just do not like it cause it makes it harder to cut the legs on the sawmill!!! :D :D :D 8) 8) 8)

. this is the extent of the benches with backs that I have made as I am not a fan either. but someone had asked about it so there you go.

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 12:19:18 AM

the one with the arms, but no legs, is a porch swing, so that seemed to be a good design element.

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 12:21:35 AM

the one with no arms an no legs is just a slab!

WV Sawmiller · August 18, 2021, 09:24:02 AM

Doc,

You found me out. :( Actually I figure I could cut the legs before putting the back on and still use the mill. I guess if you offset the uprights for the backs you could still turn them over and cut off the excess but really, if it did not show you could just leave the extra length and possibly gain some extra support. Of course I am basing my decisions on using 2" LE slabs and my tenon cutter leaves a 3" tenon on the end so I cut off the excess 1". I assume you are using some thicker wood and burying the tenon inside the wood. I used to do that but changed to the thinner slabs to reduce the weight and I do not feel I sacrifice and strength. I do find I need the full 2" to properly hold the tenon in the mortise. Your finish work and engraving far exceeds anything I can do and maybe I am just jealous but I'll put my sawmill cut legs up against anything you have to a level test.

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 12:15:56 PM

I still want to see a "linchenberger" thread to see how that is done. the electric one, not the cheese

. will your buddy let you take some pics? I do not want to get anyone in over their head. just find it interesting.

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 12:18:56 PM

Happy Birthday Howard!!!

WDH · August 18, 2021, 04:54:31 PM

The Rite Leg Co uprights for a bench back are really nice. Very affordable and Kevin has the angles worked out perfect. Here is a walnut bench with the back rest brackets. They attach solidify under the bottom of the bench. This is a memorial bench that I made from walnut for a family to honor a long standing very loved Judge in Wheeler County, Georgia.

WV Sawmiller · August 18, 2021, 06:46:42 PM

Thanks Doc. We had a real good day spending most of it with FF member Ellmoe and wife and tomorrow is scheduled for a boat trip with them.

I don't do video and my friend who does the Lichtenburg burning/engraving is 15-20 miles away from where I live and I just see him at the flea markets. If I'm ever over there I'll try to take come pictures of his equipment and him in operations. You can look it up on line as there are lots of examples out there.

Lichtenberg Wood Burning With Green Epoxy - Bing video

Fractal Lichtenberg Figure Wood Burning with Electricity - Bing video

doc henderson · August 18, 2021, 07:02:30 PM

I guess the key is to see if the video maker comes back and makes yet a "second video". not sure I will do this but would like to know more. your buddy also does it in a very artistic way. I can see that some might just make marks on the wood and not add to the interest of the piece.

WV Sawmiller · September 07, 2021, 08:18:13 PM

I had a couple come buy an unfinished 4' long ash bench last week and today we stopped by our local bait, rafting and outfitters shop and the young man there said he'd just sold another 4' unfinished ash bench I had there on consignment so he paid me for that. I asked if he wanted another and he did . They use my bench back in their footwear department for people to try on boots and such. He said this customer had a spot on their campground and had been watching and thinking about the bench for weeks before finally buying it. Anyway I cut 4 - 2' long legs off some 3" square stock and looked through my ash slabs till I found a likely candidate and sanded the top pretty smooth, mostly to clean it up as it was pretty dusty. I planed the legs down to 2.5" square, cut the corners off to make octagons, cut the tenons on the end, drilled my 4 mortises in the slab, glued and drove the legs on and cut the excess off the top then threw it on the mill, set it to 17" and sliced all the legs off.

4' long, about 8" on the narrow end, 14" or so on the wide end, some curve and plenty of EAB tracks on the LE sides and 17" tall. After I took the picture I went ahead and added a metal sledge hammer wedge in each tenon to tighten them securely. It is ready to be dropped off. I'm pretty much locked in to these octagon legs too.

Old Greenhorn · September 07, 2021, 08:29:16 PM

That bench has a nice shape, and yeah, those legs are a winner all day long.

WV Sawmiller · September 07, 2021, 08:52:25 PM

One other tip I suggest when adding the metal wedges is to drive them in perpendicular to the length of the bench (I.e Parallel to the end of the bench). It seems to me when you insert them parallel to the length of the bench you are spreading the tenon at the weak spot on the mortise and are more likely to split the bench from the end to the mortise at the thin spot there. I could be wrong but this seems a stronger way to install them and still tighten the tenon in the mortise.