Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Re: Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Thom D


>And it looks like this:

Waaay cool!

jim reed @ tallahassee


>I love a bench that stays put.

I like it!

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native now in Jax Fl.


>Very simple, and of recycled material. I'm concerned tho that it is too close to the stone wall, or is that just due to the camera angle. I'd think that you'd want at least 24" clearence between the bench and wall.

Am I to understand that you hewed this beam out of a fallen tree?

Todd O.

Re: Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Ernie Miller


>that is cool telephone pole bridge plang and a log. I can take a guess what you spent on that thing. Todd we found some one who is cheaper than you. and even makes a better bench. I love that cave he has it in.

Re: Waaay cool!

Thom D


>Now the house stays put!

I have been hoping for a larger tree to fall over for a Roubo bench, since the Landis book came out. So far one did topple in a reasonable location, but it was too rotten. Having dealt with this one I need an overhead hoist, or a revised set of expectations!

Re: I like it!

Thom D


>Thanks Todd! It is real close to the wall at both ends. There is a bay in the wall, almost looks like a collapsing bulge, but it was carefully layed in. So most of the bench gets some circulation and about a foot of clearance from the wall. I can be damp down there, but I guess there are other trees out there if need be.

I hacked the shape out of the log with an axe between chainsaw cuts last year. Just the top and front are squared, the back and bottom are still in the log and the log spent the winter outside. I spent a lot of time hewing this year, mostly because I wanted to learn how to do it. I certainly picked up some skills and some muscles, and hope to be able to more efficiently hew regular beams in the future.

I like it, too, great job.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

Re: Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Thom D


>Yup, just the cost of a little gas for the saw. It's a red oak beam, old phone pole for the post, and some tamarack rescued from a tree that surveyors toppled to get shots of our property line, pretty nice 16" tree. The other stat I like is that it's just siz pieces of wood

Some of the oak is also in this dumbhead, and the tamarack is in the bench. If I had had a piece of dry oak for the legs I would have used it. I also made a reamer for the legs out of a sawblade and some of the same oak. It does start to feel like an extension of gardening after a while.

Re: I like it, too, great job.

Thom D


>Thanks Pam, I did think of putting it at an appropriate angle, but other people may use it, and would not appreciate the rolling off to the right!

Re: Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native Now in FL. :~(


>Yeah Ernie, I've got to agree that he certainly does have a very realistic "cave" dosen't he. Looks charming to me. Heck, wouldn't surprise me to see Grandpa Munster down there!

Thom, where are you in the States?

Cheap? Me? Haaaaaaaaaarumpf!! You meant "Resourceful" didn't you?

T.O.

Re: I like it, too, great job.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX


>I couldn't tell how much slope you installed, looked a bit shallow front to back, but it doesn't take much to let it do its gravity thing.

Pam

Re: Winner - Ugly bench contest!

Thom D


>Todd, I'm in Canada, that place is in New Brunswick, down east even from your old stomping grounds, though the lake out front gets it's share of really big boats up from the the states and beyond. The house is 18th century, very similar to something from a Sobon book. If I am lucky I get to mess around there a month every year.

That is far from ugly!

Ernie Miller


>Sweet littl horse. what do you call her? I don't mind stepping in the droppings from a pony like that.

Re: That is far from ugly!

Thom D


>Thanks! I sometimes wish I had an animal that would make good use of all those shavings, back in the city I don't even have a fireplace.

Re: Loser - Ugly bench contest!

Dave Thompson


>I don't think you qualify for the ugly bench contest. Cool bench. I think when you work out the bench dog/vise thing, you'll be set. Though seven years later and much use, I still haven't gotten around to mounting the end vise I bought.

That's a very intriguing wall. Gets my imagination going as to what the rest of your shop and age of the building it belongs to are. My shop shots show walls made of OSB.

Re: Loser - Ugly bench contest!

Thom D


>Glad you like the walls they really do look primative. There won't be a vise on this bench, just planing stops and go bars, she is done other than the need to true the top, lots of thickness for that.

Those are hand layed walls from the 18th century, back when they made two dry walls and filled the center with rubble. There is some original plaster on the ceilling. And on a wall off to the right, there is a sign of what was probably the kitchen.