Seating Bench Under Construction #1: Lumber Selection

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Our woodworking club The Mason Dixon Woodworkers are setting up a workshop for the members to make a bench.

When the workshop committee met we were looking for a project that could be completed early in the year, and one that could get completed in one day.

The Fine Woodworking issue Possibly issue 1 for 2014 had on the back cover a picture of a few different benches. They didn’t have any plans, but one of the committee members said that he’d make a demonstration bench to show at our member meeting and ask for people wanting to make it.

So we are going to make it on Feb 2nd. The cost is going to be $35.00 for the workshop and that includes the popular wood. If you bring your own wood then the workshop is $5.00

I asked my wife if she wanted a bench and she said yes. But then she decided that she wanted a Blanket Chest bench. I found one in American Woodworker Issue 45 dated September 1993, But, I told her that was not feasible to make in a 1 day workshop. So I’m going to make a simpler bench, at the workshop, that was in Wood magazine Issue 122, July 2012.

So I went to the shop and selected the wood. I’ve selected 3 boards 14” X 10′ X 5/4, 2” X 6” X 70” and 8” X 84” X 1”. I was first going for Cherry but revised it to walnut because I found some better wood.

The bench is going to be 14” X 46” X 17 1/2” high, all from walnut. The magazine plans was 13 X 48 X 18. I have to reduce it size because the 2 X 6 is not long enough to make the stretcher and the 4 legs unless I revise it a little. This 14” piece of walnut was one of 9 similar boards that I got 20 years ago from a sawmill in NJ.

I’ve started to plane the wood at home and will cut it to size and have it where it just has to be assembled at the workshop, that way I can help the others as they work on theirs. And if I don’t get mine assembled at the workshop I’ll finish it up at home, because it will require the finish coat at home.

Source: LumberJocks.com

Seating Bench Under Construction #1: Lumber Selection