LumberJocks
DAILY DEALS Rockler 3-Pc. Roundover/Beading Bit Set at Rockler  |  DeWalt Gauge Narrow Crown Stapler at Tool King

Dining Bench

Project by Todd A. Clippinger posted 518 days ago 992 views 2 times favorited 36 comments Add to Favorites Watch

This bench was commissioned by the lady that placed the winning bid on my Shaker Bench for Charity

The bench was made to go with an existing dining set. The wood is cherry and it has a distressed finish with worm holes, dings, a dents.

The pattern in the apron was templated from the table. The stain was a perfect match.

Confession time. I did not make the legs. They cost me $50 each from Michael Burak Designs. They are made from cherry and they were perfect. I think the total bill came to $220 with shipping. I could not have made even one leg for the cost of all four legs and so it made good financial sense. I also could not have sold it for what I would have to charge if I made them myself. As a contractor I feel no shame in subcontracting work out.

The finished bench looks like it was ordered with the original dining set.

Here you can see the bench material laid out with the ordered out legs.

SV102747

The wood is cherry. The stain is Sherwin’s BAC Wiping Stain. It dries to topcoat in 30 minutes. The finish is Sherwin’s pre-cat lacquer T77-F37

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com


36 comments so far

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9496 posts in 867 days


posted 518 days ago

Looks good to me. Not working for profit I have always made my own legs. It’s my time to spend.
I can see you point in buying them though.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 518 days ago

Gary,

I certainly never fault anyone for making their own legs. But this was a simple piece and there was no way I could get away with charging enough to pay for my labor of making the legs.

It certainly lacks a bit on the fulfillment side when I can’t tackle all of the details myself, but the reality is I have to make money.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

3785 posts in 1193 days


posted 518 days ago

Nice they look good, but I’m betting a Clippinger designed table leg would have been awesome.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2470 posts in 647 days


posted 518 days ago

nice bench! i like the finish a lot. i don’t see any shame in buying the legs either, you don’t have to so the work and you know that all four legs will match. thanks for the post.

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 518 days ago

WoodJack,

I used a scratch awl for the worm holes. I used a wood file for stamping and roughing the edges. A couple of blocks of wood worked for “flogging” the wood. I also used a flat tip screw driver for some gouging.

SV102805

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View trifern's profile

trifern

7890 posts in 646 days


posted 518 days ago

Nice project. Thank you for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 518 days ago

Teenagewoodworker,

Your perception and understanding of how difficult it is to duplicate a design is a mature observation. It has been fun watching you grow in your knowledge and skill. You will go far with the craft.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

6065 posts in 652 days


posted 518 days ago

Very nice looking bench. You did a beautiful job on this piece. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View gizmodyne's profile

gizmodyne

1658 posts in 968 days


posted 518 days ago

Nice work again. How did you go about matching the stain?

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 518 days ago

Gizmo,

The client allowed me to take a leaf from the table. I went into Sherwin Williams with a scrap piece of cherry and we matched it in about 5 minutes.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 518 days ago

WoodJack,

Yes, I had to be careful to make the worm hole pattern natural looking. The wear marks are fairly easy because logically they occur in certain areas through daily use.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View Billp's profile

Billp

318 posts in 1078 days


posted 518 days ago

Todd your work is always first class.

-- Billp

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7467 posts in 1097 days


posted 517 days ago

Beautiful bench, Todd.

Like Gary, since I don’t woodwork for profit, I could make my own legs. Only trouble is, I’m just not there skill-wise to make these legs. <g>

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

3421 posts in 956 days


posted 517 days ago

very nice…still waiting for the Clippinger School of Woodworking to open (summer would be good!)...little Montana fishing in the early morning…followed by a first class woodworking the rest of the day? hah? ya? Of course with your wonderful work you must be very busy!

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 517 days ago

Napaman,

That sounds like a great curriculum. Fishing & woodworking.

I have thought about it.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View Karson's profile

Karson

25274 posts in 1279 days


posted 517 days ago

Todd if you had some young kids instead of dogs, you could have turned them loose in the shop with some kids toys and tools and they could have distressed it for you.

But then again tying the dogs to the piece with a chain might have worked also.

Great transformation from a new piece into an antique.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View griff's profile

griff

901 posts in 640 days


posted 517 days ago

Beautiful bench, really like the finish.

-- Mike, Bruce Mississippi = Jack of many trades master of none

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

14852 posts in 730 days


posted 517 days ago

Excellent product as usual Todd. I can understand why you bought the legs, after all time is money.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 517 days ago

Karson,

I could do that and call it my “Patented Distressing Technique.”

Thanks everyone for the great comments.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View Roger Strautman's profile

Roger Strautman

534 posts in 1012 days


posted 517 days ago

I’ll bet you would like to have more of these money makers come along more often. Very nice work as usual Todd. Thanks for sharing!

-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"

View Keni's profile

Keni

38 posts in 763 days


posted 517 days ago

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with farming out parts. If you don’t sometimes, the job would end up priced too high and the customer won’t sign because they are feeling gouged even though you are truly being fair to yourself and them. Besides, they won’t ever know the difference anyway!

—“There is no shame in making a profit… Everyone needs to eat!”

-- Making Quality Homes Better!

View Texasgaloot's profile

Texasgaloot

467 posts in 579 days


posted 517 days ago

Outsourcing is the thing to do in internet business—think of Michael Burak as your “Virtual Assistant…” In a piece like this, the economics wouldn’t give you a leg to stand on (somebody had to say that…)

You need to refill your Orange Crush, however.

Impressive as always, Todd.

-- There's no tool like an old tool...

View Roz's profile

Roz

441 posts in 665 days


posted 517 days ago

Another beautiful result.

-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."

View jeanmarc's profile

jeanmarc

1750 posts in 595 days


posted 517 days ago

splendid table very beautiful work and L workshop is very well

-- jeanmarc manosque france

View SawdustMill's profile

SawdustMill

65 posts in 611 days


posted 517 days ago

Newbie alert: What techniques do you use to flatten the tabletop ? Or do you have machinery that can handle those sizes ?

View Todd A. Clippinger's profile

Todd A. Clippinger

5590 posts in 978 days


posted 517 days ago

Sawdust Mill,

The secret in my shop is a 24” dual headed drum sander. I try to make money with my shop and so it forces me to buy the cool stuff.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

View SawdustMill's profile

SawdustMill

65 posts in 611 days


posted 517 days ago

“forces me to buy the cool stuff” ..... niiiice :)

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3415 posts in 942 days


posted 517 days ago

Great piece – happy customer. Score!
Looks to me like you spent a fair amount of time on the aprons and edges, not to mention the distressed finish and color matching.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

7222 posts in 1125 days


posted 517 days ago

Awesome Todd as usual. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

View Davesfunwoodworking's profile

Davesfunwoodworking

259 posts in 754 days


posted 517 days ago

Very nice Todd. Great job.

-- Davesfunwoodworking

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20080 posts in 700 days


posted 513 days ago

Todd,

This is a beautiful piece, as usual.

Thanks for the post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View Blake's profile

Blake

2715 posts in 753 days


posted 505 days ago

Beautiful Todd. I think that would be a great option for anybody… buying legs like that. Especially for someone like me without a lathe or carving skills/tools. Its a cool way to expand your abilities to create a range of furniture. And why not… we buy the hardware! (well, not you, you make your own actually).

Nice job. It’s not easy trying to recreate and match something. It takes a lot more effort than creating an original because you can’t just go with the flow.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

View Zuki's profile

Zuki

1219 posts in 956 days


posted 501 days ago

I took one look at the legs and said “holy cow . . . they took some time to make”. Makes perfect sence purchasing them, and like Blake said it opens a whole lot of other options for us.

Cheers

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

View Woodshopfreak's profile

Woodshopfreak

390 posts in 621 days


posted 494 days ago

Don’t feel bad for buying the legs. Norm does it lol. I know I couldn’t make them I wouldn’t have a probblem with just buying them.

-- Tyler, Illinois

View bumpnrun's profile

bumpnrun

5 posts in 447 days


posted 420 days ago

Nicely done. No need to worry about the legs. The bench looks great.

-- JoeJoe

View Rogue's profile

Rogue

87 posts in 348 days


posted 343 days ago

There is nothing like make a nice set of cabrole legs! It does add a certain something to the project for the whole peice to be made by your hands. However coming from someone who runs their own shop, I understand. Especialy if the peice is on a dead line those legs can take forever. Your work is so top knotch that you don’t even notice the perfectly matching factor legs. I’m sure yours would be just as well made. I would be honored to put you as my bubby for future insiration.

-- Rogue

You must be signed in to post the comments.

  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

DISCLAIMER: Any posts on LJ are posted by individuals acting in their own right and do not necessarily reflect the views of LJ. LJ will not be held liable for the actions of any user.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase