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Is it furniture
or sculpture? Master craftsman Thomas Louthen combines art
with function
to create beautiful natural accents for your home and
garden.
How do you make
a bench like this? Here, briefly, is the pertinent
information to start. Use boards that resist rot; teak,
cypress, Osage orange, black locust, etc. The bench viewed
here is at least eighteen years old. I used black locust
slabs that a local sawyer cut for me. There is plenty of
locust in Ohio, used mostly for fence posts.
The stones I used are old foundation stones made from
sandstone. You can, of course, use any stone of appropriate
size that you can stand, plumb and drill into. Sandstone,
limestone, and marble are much easier to drill than granite.
The braces I use are 3" x 3" x 1/4" angle iron cut to an
appropriate length, ground smooth, and drilled with three
staggered holes on the bottom, to be mounted flush on the
stone. The corresponding holes in the stone are drilled
large enough to receive lead anchors. The anchors are large
enough to accept 3/8" galvanized lag bolts. The angle iron
MUST fit flush against the stone. If the stone's sides are
rough, you may have to chisel it smooth enough to flush the
metal. The top flat of the iron should level at 16" from the
ground. The 2" thick planks bring the seat to a comfortable
18" height. I drilled four holes in the top side of the
metal to bolt on the wood. The metal, needs to be sanded
cleaned and two coats of high quality, rust resistant paint
applied.
Now you simply bolt everything together.
Some extras: I use bronze silicon bolts and
nuts to attach the planks. I also sanded the tops to 400
grit and applied a few coats of Tung oil. You can re-sand
and oil every few years if you want it looking spiffy, but
kept off the ground, locust will last indefinitely. Locally
the sandstones (nice ones) are going for about $100.00 a
piece. You bolt everything together on a flat level surface,
just snug the bolts down to make sure of your fit. You
should make any adjustments necessary before dismantling and
moving, in pieces, to your favorite view. Consider your spot
carefully as the typical stones from my selection weigh
200-300 pounds and more per stone. This obviously makes
moving difficult once assembled as the bench will weigh 500
pounds and up.
I make custom benches to order. I have a huge
selection of stone (been collecting for twenty five years).
I also have a great selection of locust, cedar, red oak,
cherry, walnut, and just about every local hardwood. Some of
my benches would do better indoors or at least under cover
(patio, etc). A maintenance coat or two of a good spar
varnish every couple of years will allow you to use most
hardwoods outdoors.
A finished custom bench, as described, starts around $ 400,
if you come pick it up. Custom allows you the freedom to
pick stone and wood, prices to be negotiated depending on
your choices. |
