More Hearth Benches

I've made a series of benches that have become my best sellers at the Wake Forest Farmer's market.  These are inspired by the bench that my wife's grandfather made, see my earlier post.  The first few had legs that are octagonal in cross section, shaped on the shaving horse with only the tenon turned on the lathe.  For my recent benches I've been turning the legs and being very careful with the angles for what I think is an elegant solution. I call these hearth benches because I have one in front of my fireplace.  They also make great coffee tables or just a place to sit down and put on your boots.

White oak bench with a scalloped seat.

Ambrosia maple bench with white oak legs.

Walnut bench with white oak legs and a maple dovetail key.

The tops are 2" - 3" thick, rough sawn sections of white oak, walnut, maple or cherry often with at least one "live" edge.  I cull through my lumber suppliers stash of unusual or cast off stock that can't be milled to 8/4 s4s standards.  I'm being a bit sarcastic.  As woodworkers, we pride ourselves on precision and accumulate expensive machinery to mill boards to be flat, square and regular.  Sometimes, following that process of refinement and regularity, we end up with products made of wood that eradicate all character except the rectilinear extrusion that we made it into.  I like to leave the wood for the bench top with vestiges of it's former life and be very precise about the form, rake and splay of the tapered tenon leg.

One of my early benches in use by my family, walnut  with white oak legs.

Faceted carving on the bench top ends.

Top of the tapered tenon in the bench top.

Splits and checks when encountered in otherwise suitable wood, are also left in place.  I stabilize the splits with dovetail keys recessed into the benchtop.  This detail was utilized to great effect by George Nakashima, a great Japanese American architect and furniture maker.  I encourage you to look him up and appreciate his designs which are still being made by his family.  His philosophy that trees are noble organisms and can be given a second life in furniture is one that I can appreciate.

Maple dovetail key in a walnut bench top, stabilizing a split.