Natural walnut bench

Lucky parents ! Nice slab of walnut on your addition. Is it Black or Claro ?

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""

I think it was black walnut. My parents actually brought the slab back with them from Asheville, NC – where they have a friend who does professional woodworking. They also brought a few other slabs of different woods, figuring I could turn them into something nice. I used a slab of laurel to make them an end table, and I plan on using some additional walnut slabs to make a console for holding a DVR, Blu-Ray, etc. under a wall-mounted TV.

I’ve been doing these projects with my dad, which has been fun and interesting. He has no real woodworking experience, so it’s a bit of a role-reversal from when I was a kid and would help him with projects – now he has to do what I tell him :-).

-- Dan in Minneapolis, woodworking since 11/11.

A very nice bench

Go easy on Dad. :)

jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I wouldnt worry too much about your skill level. This bench is very well done.

Ain’t it fun having a helper?

-- Use it up, Wear it out --------------- Make it do, Or do without!

Thanks! I’m not really that hard on my dad, just need to keep reminding him that the table saw is a one-man operation (at least in my shop). He’s extremely helpful when we’re multitasking; I’ll work the wood on a bench tool, he’ll take an ROS to the output.

-- Dan in Minneapolis, woodworking since 11/11.

You’ve created a nice addition to your parents Nakashima collection. Great looking bench, well done.

-- Peter, Woodbridge, Ontario

Thanks! Had I more time I would’ve used fancier joinery, but with a brand new baby I have to rely more and more on biscuits and pocket screws.

-- Dan in Minneapolis, woodworking since 11/11.

super long pocket screws? the plugs look kinda low (not that I really know anything about where they should be)

Not sure how long they were, I think maybe 2” or 2.5”. The bench slab is very thick.

-- Dan in Minneapolis, woodworking since 11/11.