Reply To: How would you carve this bench seat?
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Thanks, it’s been very enjoyable to build. It’s the first thing I’ve made entirely by hand, so I’ve appreciated the simple joinery and the chance to try some shaping. I used a slab of oak I bought locally many years ago, which I’ve found to be of variable quality depending on where I’ve taken the components from. It seems dry and brittle, but still very useable. I tried to stick to heartwood but you can just see the colour change on the stretcher that indicates some sapwood. I’ll probably break from the original design and screw four short lengths of flat bar to the top of the legs with a 3/4 inch overhang towards the front and back edges of the seat, then rout recesses in the underside of the seat to sit over the bar. I can then screw up through the bar into the underside of the seat so the brackets won’t be seen.
I have attached a photo of the very rough plan I worked from. I had to slim down the thickness of the legs as I didn’t have the necessary thickness in my stock. The original is oak, and I used oak, but I think any timber would work. It’s a utilitarian piece, probably thrown together from what they had lying around in the workshop when it was made 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions.