LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

I just finished this during the last week and installed it today. This is a slab of walnut that was reclaimed by Urban Wood Lab in Milwaukee, WI. It housed a colony of ants and they created this work of art which I then made into a bench for some very satisfied clients. The waterfall leg turned out awesome. Finish is 6 coats of wiped on spar urathane. There is a 3/4" x 1-1/4" spline routed and glued into the miter. Any comments are welcome. And yes the ants have been eradicated.

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
197 Posts
I can't say that I've heard of anyone using ant chewed wood, but I'm glad you did. This bench looks great. The waterfall effect looks good, and the ants did add something special to it. Nice job.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
8 Posts
Nice waterfall edge! How did you cut it and how much work was it to make the joint look good?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
140 Posts
Ropelie, I used a standard 7-1/4" circular saw and a clamped on straight edge. With the blade tipped at 45 degrees I wasn't able to cut all the way thru the slab so I finished with a hand saw. A little work with the belt sander and in about 15 min the joint came together. The spline is what actually allows the joint to line up so well. I had to adjust the miter about a 16th of an inch to compensate for the material lost in the saw kerf. All & all not to difficult.

farmerdude, Thanks for the comment. Nature provides us with all kinds of art work, we just have to look for it and have a clear vision of what can be done to showcase it.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
71 Posts
I think it looks great. The grain and "damage" in the wood makes it look fantastic as it flows towards, and then sharply drops off down the side of the leg… like you "waterfall".

Well done, and cool piece.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
19,753 Posts
Very cool looking and a fine fit on the joint.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
190 Posts
Beautiful bench! A few practical questions:

1. Did you fill the ant holes in the top with anything to prevent cloth from snagging?

2. How is it attached to the wall?

3. Any concerns about the air vent underneath causing warping or cracking in the future?

Thanks for posting.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
140 Posts
leafherder, I used some epoxy in some of the areas that appeared to be weakened but for the most part, no, I left them as they were. I used some "CA" in areas where it was punky and this stiffened the wood fibers nicely. The customer was not concerned with any snagging as it will be more of a show piece than an actual seating bench. It is attached to the wall with cleats that are screwed into the bench and then into to wall studs. The cleats are made out of walnut also. No concerns about the air vent it's far enough away from the slab and there is plenty of air movement in the room.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
68 Posts
Very well done. The joinery is excellent, can't see any offset in the grain.

-terry
 

· Registered
Joined
·
140 Posts
Terry, I had to adjust about a 16th of an inch to compensate for the saw kerf.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
36 Posts
Great bench! Nice workaround on the imperfections in the wood.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
191 Posts
Very cool project.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
32 Posts
Really great job. The waterfall is so good that the tree still appears to be growing!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,276 Posts
Ric, Think again about that vent in the floor … I had a wonderful antique piece that was my grandmothers, circa 1890-1900 … It had been about 5 houses that I owned over the years with no problems.
Then came the day that I moved into a condo for a while and I set my prized antique over a vent. about a month later as the heat came on I heard a loud CRACK!! and the value of my prized Antique went from valuable to a keepsake of no value.
Yeah, I thought that I had plenty of room for it to blow too. ... not considering that all that air from the furnace is very, very dry. ... just food for thought.

Might try one of those plastic deflectors that moves the air 90° out along the floor.

Nice project, and I like the texture of the mined out wood … looks good.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
140 Posts
Thanks Greg, That's probably about the best comment I could have asked for.
Grumpy, It's in a house that is owned by an HVAC engineer, the air is mixed so that it is humidified when it is discharged into the house.
 

· In Loving Memory
Joined
·
10,077 Posts
I have built several projects from "ant sculpted" wood so I appreciate the problems involved. You did a very nice job and the waterfall joint is perfect.
 

· Premium Member
Joined
·
8,024 Posts
Beautifully done, Ric! I, too, have ant sculpted wood projects. They are among my favorite finished works! What are the dimensions of this piece and from which side did you cut the 45? Thanks for sharing.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
140 Posts
Candy, The piece is 40" long, 19" high because the client is a fairly tall man and wanted it a little higher than normal, and 23" deep. The miter was cut on the face side using a new 60T Freud blade. I did not have any problem with chip out. I cut it with a standard 7-1/4" circular saw but with the saw tilted 45 degrees it didn't cut all the way thru so I had to finish the cut with a hand saw. This was one of my most enjoyable projects to work on in 30 yrs of woodworking. And best of all it's loved by the client and has already generated more work.
 
Top