LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

This is a little bench that I just completed. I made it with a slab of Figured Big Leaf Maple wood I got from LJ John Ormsby a few years back.

This is a bench that I put in the Men's Bathroom at WORK--LOL…because I was tired of walking in there with no place to set down my stuff…as a teacher I always have forms, clip boards or something else in my hands…so I wanted to put something there for a while…

Then we had the Napa Earthquake a few months back and my shop got trashed (no major damage though)...all my wood fell and I could not get in my shop…BUT…it made me sort through my wood as I cleaned up and I re-discovered this wood.

I used all wood that I had in my shop already…that was my goal…the top is a slab that is about 3 feet long…I finished it with 3 coats of poly on the top and 2 on the sides and base.

The legs are made out of the same wood--there is some really nice coloring…the support piece right below the top is a 4×4 redwood that I sanded back to life…

The bottom cross pieces are Napa Valley Wine Barrel staves….i joined them underneath with pocket screws. The are connected to the bench with large pegs underneath.

After getting it to school its a little bit large for the spot…so I may build another bench and put this one somewhere else…

Thanks for checking it out…

Matt

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
2,212 Posts
After posting I realize that the pictures are not that great…sorry.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,163 Posts
Hi Matt, Nice job on the table. It is good to see were able to take the time to do some woodworking after all of the craziness after the earthquake.

The wood is figured big Leaf Maple.

Keep up the good work, John
 

· Registered
Joined
·
924 Posts
Unique!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,212 Posts
Thanks JOHN for the wood type!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
6,953 Posts
Nice, Matt!

Hope you are getting your shop back in order and the boats weren't damaged.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
193 Posts
Looks like art, love the style.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
9,848 Posts
nice work as always… fun piece
 

· Registered
Joined
·
841 Posts
Hi Matt. Wow, the design of this bench is outstanding. The slab is beautiful and your decision to use the staves was perfect. They add a curved lines element to the piece and are pleasing to the eye. Perhaps it is serendipitous that it is too large for the men's room. Maybe it belongs in a parlor or dining room. Well done buddy.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,075 Posts
Hey Matt,

Next to boats, furniture made out of wine barrel staves is my favorite guilty pleasure. Plus, I love the live edge look in a world of finished edge furniture. Need to get my wood shop out of storage down in SF and liberate my tools, wood and staves. Glad to hear the quake didn't mess with you guys too much. What did you do about the wine stained interior?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
297 Posts
Nice looking bench Matt. This is going into a HS restroom? It should get a thorough Beta testing in that environment.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
541 Posts
Are you happy with the results of your finish choice? I have a figured big leaf maple slab that's being used for a desk (it's a little bigger than yours at 6'x3') and I'm stressing about how best to finish it and make that figure pop.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,984 Posts
Great looking bench! It'll definitely be the nicest piece of furniture in that restroom!

And I may be showing my age here, but I remember in some places, that the men's room was the Men's Lounge, and that there was an entry room with nice furniture to lounge around on, and then in the restroom itself, they had attendants who would offer you towels, to go along with the cologne and hand lotions. Anyone else remember this, or am I just too old?!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,645 Posts
Matt

That is some fantastic wood. For me as a turner I would love to get as much of it as I could. I know the Vets I teach turning to would walk over me to turn it. :)
 

· Registered
Joined
·
2,212 Posts
Thanks everyone…it was fun to build. ..i may have to build a simple table and bring this home or put somewhere else at school..

DEAN..i am too young for that era… but i have experienced in Vegas hotels…
 
Top