# modern bench



## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

i have had a couple pieces of 8/4 walnut for awhile that i got for near free. it was sitting in a half covered pile of lumber outside for who knows how long. it's been in my shop for 18 months now and i decided i wanted to make something with it. this is the second piece of furniture i have made and the only all wood piece so i wanted to keep it simple with straight lines. also i wanted to use only joinery to hold it together, no glue, nails, or screws. so i used sketchup and came up with this.















i know its not going to be for everyone. even i am not 100% on the look. but i am proud of it. especially considering the top originally looked like this.








i still need to complete the sanding and give it a finish. it will probably be a week or so till i get to it but i will post some pics of it when i'm done.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I like it.




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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

If I show this to my wife, I'm pretty sure she'll ask me to build on for the shoe area by the front door. Nice!


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

If you make one for Steve and I show this to my wife, I'm pretty sure I'll have to go to his house in the middle of the night and unclutter their shoe area by the front door. 



I can't remember seeing through-tenons that kept the outside of the member full length and stopped at the top like that before in a piece of furniture. There's similar TF joints but don't believe I've seen a piece of furniture with it. Very nice, thanks for showing us. 











.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Very unique, I like the look. Looks like the sketchup you posted. WTG.












 







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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Awesome bench. Thanks for sharing.


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## haugerm (Nov 19, 2009)

Very cool. I like it. 
--Matt


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Nice Gus*

It has an Oriental feel to me, which I like for its simplicity and pure joinery. I have a question regarding the feet it's sitting on. Are they part of the table or just props to get it off the ground since one is short the other is long as in this photo. Hopefully they are not the finished project, JMO, since they are oriented horizontal rather than vertical like the other support members... doesn't work for me. Hope I'm not being too picky cause I really like the overall design and proportions. :thumbsup: bill


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## BassBlaster (Nov 21, 2010)

I love it!! Nice work!!


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

*thanks everyone*

i am glad you all like it. 

Bill, the bench is sitting on a couple 2x6p.t. scraps. when it rains hard here like it has been, water sometimes creeps under the garage door. so i've been keeping it on these just in case.

here are a few more pics of the process for those who like pics.
































oh, and the inlay of walnut in the one leg is there to fix a little mistake i made.:thumbsup:


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## midcent' dave (Dec 20, 2010)

Very cool design. And great work on it so far. Really like the jointery too. 

Looking forward to the finished piece! Nice job. :thumbsup:


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## mjdtexan (Dec 13, 2008)

Post number 10, picture number 2, I really like that picture. You have an opportunity to fill those cracks with some dutchmens from the same material the legs are made of. 

Thats a beautiful bench and I love the joinery of the top to the legs.

Post number 1, picture number 1, I see you put a peg into the leg to join it to the top, how far does that peg go? I hope you dont mind all the questions.


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

thanks MJD. and no, i don't mind questions or suggestions. 

the pegs (dowels?) on top go through the walnut and into the tenon of the maple about 1/2". the lower pegs go through the wedge (peg?) and into the stretcher again about 1/2". i turned the pegs from the same wood and got them in pretty tight. i wondered if there were any "rules" for doing this sort of thing. i.e. fluting the dowel.

i also like your suggestion about using dutchmen to repair the cracks. i was not planning on using them but am curious. is age a factor in a wood's stability? this wood was said to be fairly old. will the crack continue to open slowly without some reinforcement? i have filled the cracks and am happy with the look but would want to work on them more if it is necessary.


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

*tung oil finish*

decided to just finish this thing as is. sanded for about 4 hours yesterday. 5 coats today. maybe a few more tomorrow after work. i wish i could show the top better because it's amazing. i will get better pics eventually.


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## jstange2 (Dec 5, 2010)

Wow!! Amazing!!!


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

The bench looked good unfinished. With the finish on it is AWESOME! Very nice job.:yes:


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## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

Im really diggin this bench! Great job!


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Right up my alley with the combination/contrast of wood and the joinery, nice bench. :icon_cool:


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

That finish really does finish it! Well done.


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

Wow! The joinery is great but the finish is Fantastic!! Good Job.


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

thanks everyone.:smile:


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

That is a fine piece you made there!


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

some better pics


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## mjdtexan (Dec 13, 2008)

How tall is that bench?


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

20"-tall 12"-wide 50"-long


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## midcent' dave (Dec 20, 2010)

Gus, that is friggin' awesome. Love the whole thing. I would love to have one in our house!!


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## iceberg (Nov 20, 2010)

Dang that is looking nice!!!


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## Fudwrecker (Jan 27, 2011)

Ahh Damn!

I showed my wife (add another project to the list!)

I do not think she understands that black walnut is very valuable!


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

Fudwrecker said:


> I do not think she understands that black walnut is very valuable!


everyone in the universe knows that.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Gus well done!*

I'm seenin' this 3 X the size you made it for a table in my mind only.... The slab would have to be something Daren or someone was able to cut. 36" x 78" or so. Probably 2 pieces bookmatched.
I sure like the way you mortised the legs into the top. :thumbsup:
I'm not sure "carpenter" fits your subtitle here any longer. You might want to consider furniture maker?  bill


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I don't know what to say about this piece. I mean, I'm completely speachless. I don't know how I missed this thread but I'm glad that I got to see it. I'm really loving this bench. Everything about it. The wood choice, the joinery, the contrast the finish. A simple design that looks so natural and so right. Absolutely fantastic work. Thanks for sharing this one. Awesome stuff.

I guess I wasn't so speachless after all. :laughing:


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## DT125a (May 29, 2011)

How much does it weigh?

vic


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

well, i would guess about 50-60 lbs. it's nice and solid.


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## Chippin-in (Feb 4, 2010)

DUUUUUUUUUUDE!!! That is a beautiful piece of furniture. I like the look of Maple and Walnut together. 

Thanks for posting it.

Robert


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## eigersa (Apr 17, 2011)

that's is one of the nicest pieces I've seen for a long time. I reckon a simple project like that really shows off the workman's skills, and you certainly have skills! really well done!


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

:blush: ok, now i'm starting to blush.

but really, thank you. its nice when your peers acknowledge your work.


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## abetrman (Mar 18, 2011)

I just walked next door and smacked my neighbor...that looks too good. Very nice and another piece of work that inspires me to learn more about this! thanks for sharing.

Quick question. What did you use for finishing it?


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

abetrman said:


> Quick question. What did you use for finishing it?


tung oil.


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## [email protected] (Jun 4, 2011)

*nice job*

i think it`s great pal nice job :notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

TexasTimbers said:


> If you make one for Steve and I show this to my wife, I'm pretty sure I'll have to go to his house in the middle of the night and unclutter their shoe area by the front door.
> .



.... and since they'd all be mine, I'd thank you for saving the marriage!

The finish pics are wow!


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## HugeCow inc. (Jun 12, 2010)

that walnut top, is epic, that is awesome, Great Job!


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