meditation bench- other hobbies

[DirtyCoconuts]

A while back a neighbor had a huge branch break off a monster old growth hard wood.

(it unfortunately was the beginning of the end as the entire tree was later felled due to hurricane concerns)

but i took this massive 300+ lb piece because i saw something in it.


it sat in various places in my driveway and adjacent until i finally saw the goal.


the end result is a bench for one. or one and a many kiddos as you like. the brace side is a simple half lap joint on two 4x4s and the "leg" side is a trick. i drilled 10" into the leg and set a 24" galvanized pipe in the branch and then drove the whole thing 16" into the ground



the top was cut, planed, sanded and polyed and the rest got a light brushing to clear any loose bark and clear spray paint on any area where it was exposed wood

it is the perfect height and it makes me sit perfectly straight.....after 12 it is in full shade of the mango tree and I am pretty pleased with the end result


i will eventually re surface the top with marine epoxy but that is $$$ and i wanted to keep this from losing its awesome color

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr



so, i am a SUPER amateur at this woodworking thing - i have built things for years but never cared about anything beyond function, never form or finish.


i welcome all comments and critiques as i want to get better......not the rough planer lines.....it was very hard to smooth and non-level plane lol


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


stay mindful, yall

[wisdomseeker]

Very cool, and creative. I like natural woodwork creations. That one fits into an outdoor setting perfectly. Looks like it would also be a 'fun-magnet" for the kiddos.

Really like the fact it did not break the bank to create something, from almost nothing, and viola: something useful that looks good, too.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

A while back a neighbor had a huge branch break off a monster old growth hard wood.

(it unfortunately was the beginning of the end as the entire tree was later felled due to hurricane concerns)

but i took this massive 300+ lb piece because i saw something in it.


it sat in various places in my driveway and adjacent until i finally saw the goal.


the end result is a bench for one. or one and a many kiddos as you like. the brace side is a simple half lap joint on two 4x4s and the "leg" side is a trick. i drilled 10" into the leg and set a 24" galvanized pipe in the branch and then drove the whole thing 16" into the ground



the top was cut, planed, sanded and polyed and the rest got a light brushing to clear any loose bark and clear spray paint on any area where it was exposed wood

it is the perfect height and it makes me sit perfectly straight.....after 12 it is in full shade of the mango tree and I am pretty pleased with the end result


i will eventually re surface the top with marine epoxy but that is $$$ and i wanted to keep this from losing its awesome color

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr



so, i am a SUPER amateur at this woodworking thing - i have built things for years but never cared about anything beyond function, never form or finish.


i welcome all comments and critiques as i want to get better......not the rough planer lines.....it was very hard to smooth and non-level plane lol


Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr


stay mindful, yall

Two questions and one suggestion. First, what did you use to remove wood on the seat area?
Second, how did you attach the legs on the left to the branch?
The 4x4 legs would be more stable if a third leg was attached. If you need ideas for this, I have a couple. PM me for more discussion. I like the idea. Looks good.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i was really hoping you would chime in!!!!

the wood that was removed or "skinned" as i was trying to make it look, was a 2 steps forward, one step back process, i found no good instructions

first step was to use a chainsaw and make cuts into the top (level as possible to the earth) about 1" deep....i did that about ever 1/2 and was hoping to easily chisel the leftovers out......nope....the wood was way too wet and tough and the gouges that were left were deep.

i switched to an electric planer (first time using it....mistake lol) and got it really close but i was getting to the point that i was making a new mark everytime i successfully removed another.

at that point i switched back to the chisels for the rough transitions and then sanded a lot with a palm sander....my dad (way monday morning quarterback) casually mentions "oh you should have borrowed my belt sander"........(annoyed look, stunned silence)

and then i priced out the west systems epoxy, picked myself up off the floor and bought a tin of UV stable poly




the "X" is two 4x4s with basically a half lap joint in the middle and that is glued and screwed (not at the dowels stage of my abilities yet)

i used four 4" deck screws through the inside edges of the "X" and into the log, they are hidden but removable.

the cool thing about the bench (in my opinion) is the way it look precarious. it is not only because of the limited ways it would be able to move- there is approximately 17" of 1' steel pipe in the ground at close to a 45 degree angle to the seating surface.

the log cannot move left to right at all- i am large (6'4" 200+ pounds, i ran at this and jumped into the side repeatedly to set the pipe in the ground. once i could not move it at all i did it about 12 more times. it has zero play side to side.

it is also really stable front to back for the same reason but i would not do any jump tests only due to the sandy soil - so, the only thing i wanted the x to do was hold it up.


i will admit i thought about a third leg but i had zero idea how to execute that so i would LOVE to know what you had in mind

when you are a beginner and the MASSIVE universe of the tricks and tools is just opening, you find a way to make due with what is in the "toolbox" but that is not how one learns.....


lay it on me, sir!!

---------- Post added at 11:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:13 AM ----------

i meant to put this in the first post- here is the seat

Untitled by J Solo, on Flickr

[Dusty Ol' Man]

If, as you say, the wood is wet, your dad's belt sander could still be an option. An 80 grit belt would smooth things out. I'm not sure about the longevity of the poly on wet wood outdoors. That remains to be seen.

For the third leg, if you are handy with a hand saw, lay out lines for cuts to make another 4x4 fit at a 45° angle from the lower crotch of the 'X'. Fit that into said crotch and glue and screw. Use Gorilla glue. It is made for outdoor applications and is waterproof. Just an idea. All the saw cuts are straight and shallow to make the angles.

I love the look of the wood as it is. I would suggest you let it dry out, but that could take a year. Kinda like orchids!

[DirtyCoconuts]

All awesome tips.

I talked it out with a few buddies and I am hoping (hope is a real trick) that by not sealing the ends or the bottom it will have time to still dry a bit

I kept the poly pretty shallow and I think I can remove it all in a year and re smooth and use better epoxy lol

[Dusty Ol' Man]

If you are going to replace the finish, I would invest in a good spar varnish. They are UV resistant and made for sailboat spars and other woodwork.

[DirtyCoconuts]

West marine 2 part epoxy is what i have used for finishing teak spearguns....

id bet a sailboat spar and a speargun are about equal when it comes to abuse LOL


i will look into it bc it might be a lot cheaper