New Deck #7: The first bench is done

Well is was a good day for working outside. A little cloudy, a little sunny, a few drizzles, but nothing to make it unbearable.

I failed to take pictures of the straight bench being made, but, here it is.

The seat is 14 1/2” wide (4 – 1X4’s) The straight bench was designed as 5’ long, but then trimmed to final fitting. So it’s a little longer as sitting here. The legs are 2X4’s 17” long with a 3” rail at top and bottom with 1 1/2” tenons on each rail. So all 28 legs have mortises on each end and 28 rails were made 6” long with a 1 1/2” tenon on each end. The shoulders were cut on the table saw and the tenons were trimmed with the bandsaw. They were glued together with Gorilla Glue. The aprons on the bench were 2X4’s screwed to the legs with 3” screws. The legs on the straight section were 18” apart. Giving 4 legs covering most of the straight section of the bench.

Now on to the curved bench:

I wanted the bench to have the same curve as the deck. Which was 22’ radius. I just layed the board on top of the deck and drew a line to give me the first curve. The seat slats were 1 X 4 on the straight bench but I started with 1 X 6 on the curved bench. The curve turns out to be a 1 1/4” movement in a 4’ section. So with the deck just touching the edge at the 2’ mark the ends are marked at 1 1/4” in. I cut the 8 slates needed for the two curved benches ending up with a curved 1 X 4, really a 1 X 3.5”. The 4 boards ended up being the same as the 14.5” of the straight bench. The curve was cut on the bandsaw.

The aprons on the curved bench were also made curved. I put the appropriate marks on the edge of a 2 X 4 and cut then out. I then glued and screwed them to straight 2 X 4’s

They are then changed placed and you end up with this.

I then started putting the legs in place.

I then carried it to the deck and placed it in position so that I could identify the cut lines.

The piece of the curved apron was cut off and the bench repositioned.

I then layed the curved seat slats on the bench. I knew that I needed some long seat slats and some short seats slate. Here you will notice that I installed and trimmed them in the wrong position.

Easiily fixed. trim another 1 1/2” off the length of the curve bench.

A little clean up.

and

AS of right now they are not screwed to the deck, but they are quite stable because the L sections are screwed together.

1 straight section already made, 1 more curved section to go.

Have a great night. Were ordering Pizza.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com