I use large carriage bolts, painted black with large black fender washers as dowels (for the center support). I glue them through the piece and into the support with clear Gorila construction adhesive. Finished they look like large rustic rivets. Great decor for antiqued entrance doors. Can also add other faux rivet heads by cutting a super ball and painting black with a coat of hard clear epoxy, these can be glued on, stapled, pin nailed and can be made to look like a line of rivets in an old steamer to a castle draw bridge. Learned this trick from a set designer for the HQ base station from the movie River Watch (I was an extra in the opening credits chase scene). The river boat police station was pretty much 3/8 plastic sheeting and Styrofoam 1/2 round balls, painted navy Grey. Looked indestructible, but don't sneeze!
Dave. Thanks indeed for posting this video, it has inspired me to make one out of a slab of oak I milled from our garden. I really like the outcome and your approach of giving options for example for fixing the crossbrace. I will be thrilled if it turns out half as good as yours..
Jonny, Dave and I hope your bench turned out well. Dave has made three of these now. One from cherry, one from old barn wood and another from sycamore. Each one is very nice and we bet yours is too. How neat that it's milled from your garden. Thanks so much for writing to us and watching our video
I've been slabbing out a huge sycamore to use for similar furniture. Perhaps a better way to transfer the dowel holes is to use a sheet of paper and a carpenders pencil to etch / trace over the holes. This gives you the holes and both lines by lightly rubbing the side of the pencil over the paper. Then you can mark the exact centers instead of counting on the dowel tips.
What a great project and it looks fantastic... Im really new to woodworking and think this is going to be my first real project, Ive made bird boxes out of ply but this project is using real wood,,, You have made this look so straight forward and easyto build that a total novice like me can do it.... Thank you so much:)))
+meesha_k So awesome. Hope our video helps you make a similar bench. This one turned out just beautiful. It was used at a wedding and is now a garden bench for them.
Great job on the bench! Do you have any suggestions on what to use to treat and finish a Cedar Bench that will be outside? I have read about tungsten oil and spar urethane. I'm trying to keep it as natural looking as possible. Thanks
Thank you for watching our video. If the bench is going to be exposed to the elements, we'd suggest going with the spar urethane. It will weather and age no matter what, so periodically you will need to refinish it. Thanks for much for your question, Jonathan.
I’m really inspired by your bench video 👍🏻 , question did you have dry wood to start with or did you have to dry it . I love this project, thanks for the great idea.
Thanks for asking, Mike. Since it's a bench and not a chair, we never thought of scooping out the seat. This bench will seat two average sized people comfortably. Thank you for your compliment and watching our video.
Your technique for fitting in the center brace is ingenious! Love it! I also like the way you "naturalized" it to match the rest of the bench. Question: how would you measure to insert dowels from the outside of the two legs? I like the idea of contrasting-colored dowels. Thank you.
Dave glued the support rail to the legs and secured with clamps. After it was dry, you can drill through the leg and into the support. You want it to go into the rail 2-3 inches. You're going to measure from outside the leg into the railing. You're going to cut the dowel a little longer than you need it to be. Then once it's inserted and glued into the hole, you will cut the end of the dowel and sand it to make it flush. I hope this helps you. Thank you for writing and watching our video, Sandra.
:D 17.06 that lil squirrel.. ;) thought at first it was just lineoiled.. i like the natural touch better.. but this looks amazing.. what is this natural clear stain?
Hi Jon, Thank you for watching our video. We got the cherry at a reclaimed lumber yard, which is no longer in business - sad! But you might try a place where they mill wood. They might have a beautiful piece of cherry. We would love to find another piece like this. Thanks again for watching.
![I Can't Build a Bench More Beautiful Than This [Carpenter’s DIY]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Kp4wg9qWtmk/mqdefault.jpg)
![I Can't Build a Bench More Beautiful Than This [Carpenter’s DIY]](/img/tr.png)
I wonder if you used rectangle biscuits running long ways instead of dowels if you could have gotten away without the brace. Also inlaying the legs.
Great work!
Thank you so much!
Beautiful work,
Thank you very much!
Thank you very much!
Great little bench, it's now on my to do list. The squire at the end made for a perfect ending!
Thank you for watching our video, Vanessa. Glad you liked it!
Outstanding video! 👍🏽
Thank you! 👍
Nicely done!! Thank you for this post!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I use large carriage bolts, painted black with large black fender washers as dowels (for the center support). I glue them through the piece and into the support with clear Gorila construction adhesive. Finished they look like large rustic rivets. Great decor for antiqued entrance doors.
Can also add other faux rivet heads by cutting a super ball and painting black with a coat of hard clear epoxy, these can be glued on, stapled, pin nailed and can be made to look like a line of rivets in an old steamer to a castle draw bridge. Learned this trick from a set designer for the HQ base station from the movie River Watch (I was an extra in the opening credits chase scene). The river boat police station was pretty much 3/8 plastic sheeting and Styrofoam 1/2 round balls, painted navy Grey. Looked indestructible, but don't sneeze!
Thanks for the info; will have to try that!
Dave. Thanks indeed for posting this video, it has inspired me to make one out of a slab of oak I milled from our garden. I really like the outcome and your approach of giving options for example for fixing the crossbrace.
I will be thrilled if it turns out half as good as yours..
Jonny, Dave and I hope your bench turned out well. Dave has made three of these now. One from cherry, one from old barn wood and another from sycamore. Each one is very nice and we bet yours is too. How neat that it's milled from your garden. Thanks so much for writing to us and watching our video
Wow! Like! Wondering what it weighs? Surely quite heavy!
Good question! Not sure of the exact weight, but you're right, it's a heavy, very durable bench. Thank you for watching.
Great video .
Glad you enjoyed it
This place makes me remember Boone, NC.☺
love Boone!
awesome video! LOL, the squirrel running across at marker 16:55!
The squirrels are funny for sure. Thanks for watching, Hector.
I've been slabbing out a huge sycamore to use for similar furniture.
Perhaps a better way to transfer the dowel holes is to use a sheet of paper and a carpenders pencil to etch / trace over the holes. This gives you the holes and both lines by lightly rubbing the side of the pencil over the paper. Then you can mark the exact centers instead of counting on the dowel tips.
Great idea!
What a great project and it looks fantastic... Im really new to woodworking and think this is going to be my first real project, Ive made bird boxes out of ply but this project is using real wood,,, You have made this look so straight forward and easyto build that a total novice like me can do it.... Thank you so much:)))
We hope you tried a project like this, Steve! So glad our video inspired you.
Gostei muito, tem que colocar mais vídeos
Thank you!
nice job! You've inspired me to make my wife one! Thank you
Awesome, thank you for watching!
What a great video!!! Thank you 🙏
you are welcome
Nice design, and I'm glad you gave us options regarding the types of joinery that can be used. I'm not a fan for using pocket screws.
Thanks for watching our video, Robert, and for your comment.
i've been looking for a bench like this!!! thank you for posting :)
+meesha_k So awesome. Hope our video helps you make a similar bench. This one turned out just beautiful. It was used at a wedding and is now a garden bench for them.
Great job on the bench! Do you have any suggestions on what to use to treat and finish a Cedar Bench that will be outside? I have read about tungsten oil and spar urethane. I'm trying to keep it as natural looking as possible. Thanks
Thank you for watching our video. If the bench is going to be exposed to the elements, we'd suggest going with the spar urethane. It will weather and age no matter what, so periodically you will need to refinish it. Thanks for much for your question, Jonathan.
love the bench. Great video.
Thank you, Linda. It's a beautiful bench indeed. Dave did a fantastic job.
I’m really inspired by your bench video 👍🏻 , question did you have dry wood to start with or did you have to dry it . I love this project, thanks for the great idea.
Thanks for your kind words about our video. The wood I used was already dry. Best wishes on your projects!
Lovely bench, two questions, were you tempted to scoop the seat position out? How many people did you manage sit on it?
Thanks for asking, Mike. Since it's a bench and not a chair, we never thought of scooping out the seat. This bench will seat two average sized people comfortably. Thank you for your compliment and watching our video.
A work of art
TENNBLP You are so kind. Thank you. The bench really is a lovely piece! Dave truly appreciates your comment.
nice work
Thank you so much!
Is this your back yard? I am jealous.😊
Thank you for watching our video. It's a beautiful woods next to our home. We enjoy the trees - and the birds that visit!
very nice! epoxy works good to fill those knots i ise epoxy and saw dust or just epoxy...how many coats of poly
We think 2 coats of poly with sanding in between the layers. Thanks for watching our video, Joe.
Front Porch Ideas oh ok thanks for the reply..looks great!
Your technique for fitting in the center brace is ingenious! Love it! I also like the way you "naturalized" it to match the rest of the bench. Question: how would you measure to insert dowels from the outside of the two legs? I like the idea of contrasting-colored dowels. Thank you.
Dave glued the support rail to the legs and secured with clamps. After it was dry, you can drill through the leg and into the support. You want it to go into the rail 2-3 inches. You're going to measure from outside the leg into the railing. You're going to cut the dowel a little longer than you need it to be. Then once it's inserted and glued into the hole, you will cut the end of the dowel and sand it to make it flush. I hope this helps you. Thank you for writing and watching our video, Sandra.
:D 17.06 that lil squirrel.. ;)
thought at first it was just lineoiled.. i like the natural touch better.. but this looks amazing.. what is this natural clear stain?
Apologize for the delayed response. Yes, I use satin polyurethane applying several coats and sanding in between.
dave
Thanks. I wish I had such wood.
You can find wood like this at salvage yards sometimes. We found ours at a reclaimed lumber place. Thank you for watching our video, Starwayal.
beautiful!
Thanks a lot! We appreciate you taking the time to watch our video and to comment also.
Thanks for the video. What is the height of the legs?
Thanks for watching our vide, Tamera. The legs are about 16". Give or take a little. Dave made this as a wedding gift for our neighbor's daughter.
how do you cover the holes from the jig?
I use pocket hole dowels specifically made for the jig. You can either order them online or find them at Home Depot,etc.
HELLO, BEAUTIFUL WORK, MAY I ASK WERE COULD I FIND OR BUY A PIECE OF CHERRY WOOD, LIE THE BENCH PART THANKYOU JON
Hi Jon,
Thank you for watching our video. We got the cherry at a reclaimed lumber yard, which is no longer in business - sad! But you might try a place where they mill wood. They might have a beautiful piece of cherry. We would love to find another piece like this. Thanks again for watching.
what time of minx wood finish did you use?
He used a natural clear stain and then semi-gloss polyurethane. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching our video about making this bench.
where did you get the wood?
We got that piece of cherry from a local reclaimed lumber store. Thank you for watching our video.
Search for a local lumber mill in your area or you could glue up cherry boards.
muito bom
gracias