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by
Dave Bond
photos: Roger Yip
illustration: Len Churchill |
UKRAINIAN BENCH (part 3) |
Gluing Up
Smooth all surfaces with 120-grit sandpaper to remove mill marks
and dents, then apply glue to the tenons of the side rails and
arms, as well as their matching mortises in the legs. Clamp
the two side assemblies just as you did in the dry-fitting phase,
then set them aside to dry. While you’re waiting for the
glue to harden, mill small chamfers on the edges of the seat
slats.
Let the sides dry overnight, then
pull them out of the clamps and prepare the small scallop shapes
on the top of the front legs. They extend 1 5/8" down from
the top ends of the legs and are 3/16" deep. You can make
this cut with a bandsaw or scrollsaw, then clean up the surface
with a 150-grit belt in a handheld sander. Glue and clamp the
long rails into the side pieces, then clamp the whole arrangement
together. The main frame of your bench is now complete.
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Seat Installation
The seat slats are supported on strips of wood glued to the
inside surface of the front and back rails, 1 1/16" down
from their top edges. This positioning allows the seat surface
to rise 1/16" proud of the seat rails after they’re
installed.
Begin by marking the centre of
the seat rails area. This should be 19 7/8" from the inside
edge of the legs, but double-check by measuring in both directions.
When you’ve found the true centre on your bench, place
one seat slat centred on this line. Drill and counterbore for
a single, plug-covered #8 x 1 1/2" woodscrew on each end
of the slat, then repeat with the other slats.
Proceed outward from the middle,
making sure to leave a 1/16" space between all the slats
to allow for seasonal movement in the wood. By starting from
the centre like this, you end up with the slats being the same
width on both outer sides. As you work, you’ll find the
rabbeted edges interlock shiplap-style. All you need to do is
saw off the rabbet on the outer edges of the outer slats, then
create a small notch to accommodate the legs.
Shaping and Finishing
The next step covers detailing the arms and legs. The top surface
of the arms includes a 1/4"-tall crowned edge. I made this
by drawing lines 1/4" down from the top on both sides of
each arm, with a centre line along the top. Next, I used a sharp
block plane to remove wood in a rounded shape, planing in from
both directions to avoid causing splinters on the tops of the
legs. With this rough shaping done, sand the crowned surfaces
smooth using 120-grit paper in a palm or random-orbit sander.
The legs also need a 1/8" radius on all remaining corners.
All that’s left now is a final hand-sanding with some
180-grit paper.
Since this bench is a reproduction
of a late 1800s original, I chose a layered, rubbed paint technique
for final finishing. The technique is fairly simple and can
be achieved in a day and a half from start to finish.
After choosing your colours, brush
on the base coat. I used Benjamin-Moore pearl finish latex in
a yellow colour. I let this base coat dry overnight and the
following day, then gave the whole bench a thorough sanding
with 180-grit paper. Don’t worry if you sand through the
paint at this stage, just try to get the bench as smooth as
possible.
Next, brush on the topcoat. Again
I used Benjamin-Moore pearl latex, but this time in blue. When
this paint starts to dry, take a damp cloth and scrub areas
that would normally receive lots of wear. Work through the blue
paint down to the yellow, rinsing your cloth frequently. For
a realistic look, avoid rubbing inside corners or anywhere else
that wouldn’t normally wear.
When you’re satisfied with
the results, let things dry for a few hours, then take some
220-grit paper and polish some of the sharper edges off to expose
a little bare wood. Give the bench added protection with a coat
of furniture paste wax.
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PART 1 | PART 2 | PART
3 |
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