Sanding
Sand away tool marks and make the surfaces smooth. I took care of the inside curves using a large drum in my oscillating spindle sander, but the curved roller on the end of your stationary sander will achieve similar results. Your best option for the outside curves is a belt sander or the flat section of your stationary sander. Proceed with caution when sanding near the ends to avoid rounding over the joint edges. Also, don’t spend a lot of time sanding the interior face of the curves. These sections won’t be seen after assembly.
Finishing touches
Once again, I used dowels to assemble parts for the base. Three fluted dowel pins per joint are more than enough to guarantee that the pieces never come apart. It’s much easier if you finish-sand all of the components prior to final assembly. Don’t forget to ease the crisp corners of the legs with a little light sanding. You’re going to face the same clamping issues that you had with the seat, so complete a dry run to come up with a solution that works for you. When you’re ready, apply glue to the dowel holes and the ends of the joints and bring all the parts together to assemble the base. Be prepared with a damp rag to wipe up glue squeeze-out.
Once the base has had an opportunity to dry overnight, attach the seat to the frame rails with stainless-steel screws. Predrill holes for the screws to prevent splitting the wood, and counterbore the heads 5⁄16" to accommodate tapered wooden plugs. I made my plugs from white oak to tie in with the base and to create a nice contrast to the deep violet shade of the seat.
To finish the bench, I wiped on three coats of Circa 1850 Tung ’n Teak oil. Once a season, I’ll reapply a fresh coat of oil to keep the wood looking fresh, and in the winter, I’ll store the bench indoors, away from snow and ice.
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