The Shoe Bench - Part I

    I always have a little guilt complex when I have to title a blog page "Part 1".   I think there are wood workers out there that can whip a project together like this in a couple days  For me, it seems to stretch out for two weeks (allowing a little time for glue to dry).    That is the case for this bench project that I am working on.    First excuse is that there is no plan.   I am working off of a picture from a web site.   I have done that before and I know how that turned out.  Usually it turns out okay, but I have to think through how everything will come together (and thinking through lately is kind of difficult for me.)   Second excuse is using or recycling lumber.       

It is a cheaper version of doing things, but it always takes a little longer gluing up boards.   In this particular project, my son Chad had a bunch of left over hard maple boards from a flooring project that he had done several years back.   As you can see from the picture above, the first board you are looking at the face.   The second board you are looking at the back and the other two boards show you the tongue and grove edges.   I don't think I have ever worked with a lot of hard maple before.   I wanted to make the top seat and a shelf out of these flooring boards for this bench.  (Once again, the plan is in my head along with some scratchy notes on a piece of paper - scary isn't it?  Almost feel like I could run for some government election the way I think.)     

   

The picture to the right is a jig that I had made up several years ago and just haven't used it lately.    Basically, it is a flat table that I have drilled some holes on the side to lay my pipe clamps in.    The surface on top is flat so I can lay boards on it side by side.   Once I have everything in place and glue smeared all over the edges, I just clamp everything together.    Naturally, it is all homemade with scraps that were lying around.   (I've been doing this for awhile.)  It works well, but it takes up a lot of space just to store it somewhere. 

  As you can see from the picture on the left,   I have one panel put together in the back and have another one cooking up in the clamping table.    Those maple flooring boards are 3/4 of an inch thick and have a nice finish on the top surface.   It does surprise me a little how the joints - the tongue and groove edges - don't fit together as nice as one would think.   I just have to hope that the glue holds together.   (Rethinking the plan over in my head one more time - maybe this -project will take three weeks - who knows.)

   Well, there on the right are the two panels that I have now sawed to size and rounded the edges.    I had to re-sand the surface some.   Working with hard maple is a little different from the other woods that I have worked with.   The old table saw seems to groan a  little when cutting this wood.   Plus when I pick up (my body groans) these panels, this is some heavy wood.
 Next week, Part 11.