Having fun with the Bench
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- This topic has 23 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 4 months ago by Sandy.
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@IanHemphill , @PaulRoxwell Thanks for the remarks — I’ll check. One problem with softwood is you cant tighten the screws too much, the head just eats into the wood. I’m going to try what Ian suggested as well as look at options to get a tighter fit.
@selva: I didn’t have the squeak problem with either one of the ones I built. Are you using a full 1″ board for the slats? I’m thinking the standard 1x from the local big box store may not be strong enough as they are only 3/4″. I used a planned down 2x so I got the full 1″. You might add another support in the middle instead of the one if your going to use thinner material.
BTW, I wouldn’t give your sitting friend anymore of that wine. He looks a little looped… 🙂
I’ll be starting another one soon..
@sandy 5/4 cedar decking was used for the slats, so its 1″ thick. But you are right, it does seem to flex more than a similar sized spruce would. I’ve reattached the slats with some glue in addition to screws and that has stopped the creaking for now.
The cocktail with my “buddy” was a test (not dry 🙂 run. This one is going to be a surprise gift to my nephew who recently bought a house — thanks to Paul and the awesome support group here.
- This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Selva.
6 December 2019 at 8:33 pm #634088Hi,
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I’m working on my garden bench and this seems related. I messed up a bit, corrected it, and now a long story short is that I’m trying to figure out how to finish with the wood I have left. To that end, I’m wondering if you folks think 3/4″ seat slats would be sufficient if they were made using white oak? If not, then I suppose it’s back to the lumber mill, which I would really rather avoid right now.
Thanks.
- This reply was modified 4 years, 4 months ago by chaywesley. Reason: Removed the quote
6 December 2019 at 10:08 pm #634116I have to admit, that if it was me, I’d try it with the 3/4” oak. There’s lots of slats to distribute the load and you have good support with the center cross rail. Might marginally change the look, but I’d be surprised if it was noticeable. In the absolute worst case if it didn’t work to your satisfaction you can always take them off and use the wood on something else, and you’re not any worse off than now. Live large and go with the experiment! 😁
8 December 2019 at 4:15 pm #634622Actually, of course, you don’t even need to go as far as fully installing the slats to see whether they would work for you just lay out the rough milled boards and see if they feel ok or feel like they have too much flex when you sit on them. If they bend more than you feel comfortable with, no harm done, use them elsewhere, but if they feel solid enough, you get to save a trip to the yard.
9 December 2019 at 1:27 pm #634846Ok… I think I’ll give the 3/4″ oak a go for the seat slats then. I suppose in the worst case I can either replace them with thicker later on as you suggest, or maybe even use two supports underneath each spaced 1/3 from the end if I’m able to determine in advance that the 3/4 will flex too much.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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