After building a custom sized farmhouse table by combining and tweaking the two plans here, we knew we wanted another piece of dining furniture as substantial as the table and in the same style. The farmhouse bench was the logical choice!
After calculating our desired height and length (our table is taller, but not a long as Ana's) we jumped right into building. Other than waiting for the glue to set and the stain to dry the building itself took less than two hours.
Before we stained the table we distressed the wood by tossing a bag of screws, nails & miscellaneous cabinet hardware against the bench top, followed by random scatterings of hammer blows and a few fuax-nail punch holes to make it seem more time-worn and aged (we used the same process on our table before finishing it). The key was to not go over-board and keep it random to make it seem as if the marks had been acquired over many years.
We love how both pieces turned out, from the cost to the look to the peace of mind knowing that it won't break our hearts to see the furniture get a little scratched or banged here & there as well as the substance given by having a solid wood dining set. This is one bench that won't flip over willy nilly. :)
Comments
Mar_co (not verified)
Wed, 05/02/2012 - 15:39
Beautiful! I am debating on
Beautiful!
I am debating on using spruce or pine. how was your exeprience with spruce? did it split any?
In reply to Beautiful! I am debating on by Mar_co (not verified)
AdventuresInBu…
Thu, 05/03/2012 - 05:54
Spruce vs. Pine.
We haven't had any issues with the spruce splitting thus far, but we did pre-drill every screw and nail used as well as check the wood piece by piece at the lumber yard to look for deviances, warping, cracks and excessive knots (rule of thumb: the more knots in the wood, the more likely it will crack or split over time).
Another thing we do to condition the wood (even though it has been stained and poly'd) is to give it a good buff with [wood] oil every 6months or so; we're under the impression that this helps maintain the natural humidity of the wood.
Pine would likely have a better longevity and would probably be less apt to dry as quickly as spruce, but it depends on your price points too.
The greatest thing about the design of this bench is that any board can be replaced at any time (with a little elbow grease), including the legs--though the benchtop itself gets the most abuse. We're not gentle with our bench and so far the only 'damage' is a small chip on one corner from tools being dropped on it.
Hope that helps, happy building!