Oak garden bench

A completed project in situ in the garden. There will be a shed on the rest of the hard standing that you can see.

Although not exactly as per the plan, this bench has turned out ok with a few bodges and disappointments – in other words just like all my other projects. Several of the back slats have turned out rather short, the worst being that I jigged those cuts and am therefore not quite sure how it’s happened.

The oak is a great material; so strong. If you haven’t used it and intend to, make sure that you like sharpening your tools and often. The construction is pegged mortise and tenons. I used a mix of polymite epoxy and Titebond 3 glue (not mixed together). The mortises were hand cut apart from those for the back slats; there are 11 slats making 22 mortises, which I couldn’t stand the thought of and got the router out for a change.

After bodging my way through this, I’m sure that I could now make a better bench in half the time, but at the price of the timber this one will have to do for us.

One design point, the arms have been left over-wide deliberately to make a good rest for one’s G&T (eh what!).

I have also included a pic of the family using the piece for the first time. The wife seems happy enough, but R decides that he really doesn’t want his photo taking. He has decided that the bench is a climbing frame and has been using it as such.

-- Stanley generally struggling