| Project by richgreer | posted 429 days ago | 1150 views | 4 times favorited | 9 comments |  |
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This is not a new project. I completed this about 13 years ago. Nonetheless, it looks as good as the day I built it and I thought some may find it interesting.
First I built a somewhat elaborate deck. It has 3 levels and 3 different “spaces”. I used ipé as my decking material. I liked the ipé so much that I ordered more material and built some furniture.
In the first picture you see a couple of Adirondack chairs setting in our “wine drinking” space. We love to sit there, listening to the birds, watching the woodsy backyard and drinking wine. The second picture is a small table in the same space.
The third picture is from our outdoor dining space. That bench is more than just a bench. It is also a railing to protect us from falling to the space below. It’s about 8’ down to the lower level of the deck behind this bench.
The 4th picture is of a free standing park bench that is also in the dining space.
FInally, to get a feel for the 2 upper levels, the fifth picture is taking from the dining space looking back at the wine drinking space. You will note that I put in a metal spiral staircase to the lower level.
The lower level is now a wood storage space since it is right outside of the walkout basement where the shop is.
This deck and these pieces of furniture is evidence of what you can do with very limited tools. At the time I made all of this my only power tools were: circular saw, jig saw, router and hand held drill and all were cheap, low quality tools. I didn’t even have a table saw or miter saw.
You may note that there is no table in the dinning space. That shortcoming will be rectified this year.
-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.
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9 comments so far
Monte Pittman
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7209 posts in 534 days
#1 posted 429 days ago
Dedicated enough to put the work into Ipe. Not easy. Nice job.
-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability
TopamaxSurvivor
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#2 posted 429 days ago
Looks great Rich! What wood is the deck?
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence
falegniam
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#3 posted 428 days ago
I really like the furniture style, It looks great. Matching the furniture with the decking is a great idea. Nothing feels more satisfying then when you create something from scratch, and you get to enjoy it. Excellent job.
-- If you work you eat - If you don't work, you eat, drink, and sleep.
richgreer
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#4 posted 428 days ago
In response to Topamax, the deck and all the furniture you see is done with ipé. If you are not familiar with that wood, let me make some comments about it.
Ipé comes from South America and it is a very hard, tight grained wood. It tolerates weather very well and will not rot or splinter. Insects cannot infest it. We put a protective treatment on it every 2 years, but that is optional. The treatment preserves the brown color. Otherwise, it will turn gray over time. Some people prefer that. It will dull your tools faster than most other woods. It seems to be particularly hard on drill bits.
FYI – I put the decking down with a ribbon of water proof adhesive at each joist and 3 finishing nails at each joist. My nail gun will penetrate the wood if I have the air pressure a little higher than normal (110).
Yes, it is a little expensive – about $9.00/board foot, today. However, it will last a very long time (I’m sure it will out last me) and it looks beautiful.
-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.
_Moose_
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#5 posted 428 days ago
I love the very clean lines/design on all pieces. Very nice craftsmanship.
-- _Moose_ Hooper, UT
doncutlip
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#6 posted 428 days ago
Nice work, it’s all very clean and consistent
-- Don, Royersford, PA
TopamaxSurvivor
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13179 posts in 1872 days
#7 posted 428 days ago
I thought it might be Ipe or some other hardwood. Looks like it is brand new! Cedar wouldn’t stay that nice.
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence
richgreer
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#8 posted 427 days ago
In the interest of full disclosure – - When I first built the deck and furniture they were fully exposed to the elements year round and we treated them every 2 years. About 8 years ago we built a screen room that encloses everything and, in theory, keeps the bugs out. The deck and furniture get very little direct sun and time between treatments has expanded to about 4 years.
Penofin makes a preservative designed for exotic hardwoods.
-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.
Koa
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#9 posted 418 days ago
Nice work . . . clean lines and well thought out.
But your deck is the master peace.
Love the ipe blended with the green wrought iron rails and the travertine,,, under the bench……truly timeless what a nice touch…. Thanks for sharing your projects.
Ha if you ever run into a fellow by the name of Jeffery Johnson (in the Cedar Rapids area) tell him Charles says hello.
-- An aspiring woodworker.
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