Benches



Last year or the year before I made some benches to hold potted flowers and such and they worked very well for the purpose.  Nothing fancy, just useful.

Here's one doing it's job last summer. 

 

Well things change and the butterfly bushes are in the ground and I found the roses, still in pots, do better in a different place in the yard.  I didn't need the benches anymore and I offered them to Samantha and David who will likely use them for similar purposes in their new yard.  Much to my dismay the benches got attention from Samantha's father, which is high praise indeed coming from a craftsman, and also from a good friend of theirs.  I came home with an 'order' for 2 benches to be delivered my next time visiting NC.  As I've been noting my projects here I figured I'll put the 'bench project' up.

 

They're not fancy and I just use construction 2x4's to make them.  First step, sand off the mill marks and such.  They're not fancy but I don't want them looking tacky!

 

I split the 2x4's down the middle.  I don't use 2x2's because it's hard to find a straight one and I also need one flat edge.  As you know, the edges (corners) of a 2x4 or 2x2 are rounded a bit.  This isn't Garry's incredible word-working barn but it worked pretty well.  I purposely made the height of the new workbench the same height as the saw table just to hold long/large lumber pieces like this.  So, it goes in this end...

 

... and it comes out this end.  Notice the brilliant use of an old grill stand as a run-out table.  I can turn it sideways when cutting large sheets of plywood.  Doesn't look like much but it's sturdy, it works, and it was already on wheels :)  This set up really worked well and I never had to hold up a piece of wood... just slid it through the saw.

 

All the lumber ripped down and ready to be finished and, as if by magic...

 

... it's all done.  I used a different finish than I did last time and although this is quite pretty, it took 2 coats and was a bit hard to work with.  We'll see if I use it again.  It's a lot of finishing... 512 feet of surface to be covered... twice.  By far this step requires the most time to both get the finish on and then drying time between and after coats.  This ate up parts of 3 days.  Did I mention it's incredibly boring as well ???

 

All the pieces cut to size and ready to assemble.  You can probably tell it's enough for 4 benches.  That long piece is leftover... about $1.87 worth :)  I bought 8 2x4's and only needed 7 1/2.  I'm rather sure I'll come up with some use for it, practical or not.

 

Voila!!  Two the completed benches.  One is 2" shorter than the other because that's what the requestor asked for so that's what she's getting.

 

That's it... the bench project!  I really, really like doing this stuff and making these 4 benches had me working on them for 5 days, some days longer than others, and it was 5 great days of pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Little Camping/Tent Table

One thing I found myself wanting when I went overnighting in the van last fall was a little table to set my phone, clock, and little lantern on next to the cot.  I made do with a plastic container but this is a new year and I deserve a little folding table for myself.  I looked around on the internet off and on for the last few months and the closest I could come was a folding table from REI but they wanted $38 for the thing, it wasn't the 'perfect' dimensions, and when folded it was 4 1/2 inches thick.  Give me a break!  So I set about to make myself one and I kind of like it :)

Started like this.  Two pieces of wood I had laying around just waiting to be turned into my new table.

 

And this is how it ended up!

 

Instead of folding up to a bulky 4 1/2 inches, my little table folds down to 1 3/4 inches, slick as a whistle.

 

And of course it's exactly the right dimensions, including the height, to set up along side my new cot.  Happiness is having something exactly like you wanted it to be :)

 

Building Stuff

There was a time, starting about 40 years ago, when I really had myself a nice woodworking shop.  I very much enjoyed making all kinds of things.  Through the years I sold off some of the big tools, some were stolen, and some I have no idea where they went to.  Lately I've gotten back into it again and it just makes me feel good to be doing it.  As I began to make things I really missed having a good workbench.  I haven't had one for a very long time.  Through the years I have had various work 'places' but not a good bench.  So, I've spent the last few days making myself one.  As I did so I tried to remember all the things I always forgot to include in previous benches and well as tried to remember to leave off the crap I never needed.  With my vision in my mind I set off and I'm rather happy with the results.

I'm rather fortunate to have a 3-car garage which means I wasn't hurting for work space as I got going.  I'd gotten a bench saw and it had a very clever setup for the wheels.  I duplicated it for the workbench although it's a bet tough to see in this shot.

 

The sucker had to be strong and this one would make a good house foundation.

 

Used the new table saw to rip the plywood.  Worked quite well.

 

Got a few coats of spar urethane on the top and although you can't see them I came up with the neatest set of swiveling handles ever invented.  Well, at least invented by me.  The thing is rock solid when in place and then very easy to move when I want to.

 

Had to have drawers and I made some as simply as I could with a couple of plastic totes.  This was one of the things I've learned along the way.  You need somewhere to put the tools you're using at the moment but need them off the work top.  These will do the trick.

 

Tried to get a shot of the handles but this is the best I can do because if you're not using them they swing down along the table leg.  I wanted to see how easy I could move it fully loaded with the miter saw stored underneath so I just walked it around the garage, smiling all the while I was doing it.  I crack myself up :)  OK... now I gotta figure out something to build!