Building Furniture : Around the Coffee Table

Redesigning a bench .
Redesigned "the bench" and built another prototype with "Southern Yellow Pine" , -I increased the size of the legs, so the connecting tenons that support the seat could be 1 1/2 " instead of 1"- Now, the "safe working load" for one side of the bench is over 600 lbs- The "Girls" like the new design better than the first one...
It is harder to tell the difference from the pictures .... any-way.. I am very happy about the bench, it alleviates a worry ,- if I should make some, and sell them, no extra large person will break it down ,and then have to go into the hospital, and get lumber surgically removed ​. [The safe working load for one side of the first bench prototype was just over 300 lbs]...
I made a new shop drawing for the bench so i could reproduce it, if I want to, - I will need to get a price on "custom cut" thicker lumber for the bench legs [I laminated lumber together for the prototype pictured] , - I could also use the "custom cut" lumber for making other types of chairs... like the design in the picture , only they will be made from lumber instead of log.

MaggieJ wrote:Wonderful benches -- and beautiful in their simplicity.

They look beautiful, michaels4gardens! We built our dining room table last year, which I think I posted about in another thread, but our workmanship is nowhere near your level! That said, I'm kind of itching to build some patio furniture so we can do some big backyard BBQs this summer...

Thank you for sharing your wonderful benches!

I like to build another kind of chair, but log has been hard to find, so i may build one from lumber,,

These are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

I love the slant on the back. Was it tricky to do? Or did you make the back upright then tilt it to attach to the sides?

Shea wrote:I love the slant on the back. Was it tricky to do? Or did you make the back upright then tilt it to attach to the sides?

The "slant" of the back support is made by fastening the bottom back support piece into the horizontal pieces that hold up the seat. - so the top back support piece is fastened into the top of the back chair leg. the bottom piece is fastened 3 inches further forward . - this picture of a chair made the same way, shows the placement of the bottom back rest piece.
The measurements have to be precise, both for the length of the vertical back pieces, and the depth of the drilled hole they fit into.

I want one.

Me too! That would love beautiful on my front porch.

Heck, it is just plain beautiful.

You are a talented man, Michael.