Not so successful bench

On the positive side, You got one half looking pretty straight!

I think it is beautiful! I built a set of shelves recently that were supposed to fit into a window. I don’t know how I did it but the brackets that were supposed to be set back a smidge to meet the wall they were intended to mount to not only didn’t meet the wall but there was a substantial gap that couldn’t be rigged to fit. Lots of wasted lumber and time but lots of lessons learned as well.

-- "That Government is Best that Governs The Least."-Jefferson

if lumberjocks had a quota, I would probably exceed it if I tried to list all my problematic projects.
looks very nice, btw and i might steal the design.
i would have made the wedge through mortises first, dry fit and then measure the bracing in place, keeping the legs at 90 degrees.
just my 1.5c

-- The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep...

I think its interesting that the leg slants in. If it slanted out, it might pull itself apart? By slanting in, it looks like it is the better alternative of two possible errors. Of course if the first was cut too long, you could have always shortened it later. Just out of curiousity, weren’t you worried about cutting wood with concrete on it? I’d be afraid of ruining my blades.

I classify this as a ‘rustic’ beauty. Looks like a great place to sit and have a cold adult beverage after doing your yard work. And no one will say.. dont sit there.. you are covered in dirt!. I love it.

-- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

Mine came out staighter but still aint perfect. Motises are too small for the holes and the pins on the support on one side split.

It is sturdy out of Cherry and Tap hole Maple thown away pieces.

-- Measure once cut twice....oh wait....ooops.

I have a BIG stove in the shop. It not only heats the shop but makes my boo-boo’s disappear. I will soon finish my,”Don’t ever try this at home” project. I’ll post it soon. If the bench works, sit on it.

-- Thos. Angle

I really like the rough look of your bench.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Over the years I have had plenty of “reject projects” that end up laying around the yard , shop and firewood pile. They were all learning projects and some grew into the better pieces I continue to make and some were just failed attempts at an idea that never went anywhere. We learn from all the projects we make. I like the bench you have here mostly because it has true character that not only comes from the wood but the construction and it is made from salvaged lumber. It reminds me of a bench that sits in my front yard, it was a failed attempt at a table and after sitting for two years in the scrap pile my wife cut down the legs and it is now a bench that we use and keep for everyone to see.

If the bench fits, sit on it (thanks Thos. Angle).

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3 http://www.portablesawmill.biz/concrete/

I guess the moral is that even things which aren’t perfect can have some charm to them. If they are so bad that they aren’t even functional, then I suppose success is defined by how much you learned and how warm you stay burning your project.

Thanks for all the comments. I guess I am surprised how many like it. This too, I suppose, shows only that we are our own worse critics.

Mke, I actually like your bench, though it is clear that it’s not perfect either. The proportions are right, the wood looks good and the general construction is well intentioned.

Moshe, I did everything in the order you suggested. This is why I was puzzled when it turned out this way. I thought I doing things in a way which would minimize error and ‘working with the wood’.

HokieMojo, I actually used a paint scraper and other tools to scrape away the concrete as much as I could and especially from where I was going to cut. I did only use handtools though, which are easily resharpened. No tools were harmed in the making of this bench!

Treebones, I can’t bring myself to get throw out any wood until the offcuts are so small that they won’t even make toothpicks. True, all project are learning experiences, that’s why I try to make so many different things.

I guess I’ll refine my definition of success. It’s true that the bench in the end is ‘sittable’ and serves the purpose.

Thanks for all the comments!

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

A true slice of Kiwi ingenuity!

-- JR.