Gardening Bench

A friend one day brought a very old bench that his dad had been using for years when he worked at his vegetable gardens.

Using red cedar cut down a while back from his dad's farm I decided to improve on the old bench.

All of the cuts here can be done on the portable miter saw but a table saw was quicker though not by much.

Pocket hole joinery in action again.  It is quick and reliably accurate.  Cordless drill, a very good one, is in fact very important.  It will drill the pocket holes and drive the pocket screws.  

Cut out center finger grip is optional but a good drill will have no problem making it. If you can afford it, the high initial cost might seem a bit high but if it lasts many times longer than a cheap one, it is well worth it.  Festool from Germany makes, in my opinion, superior hand held power tools.

Hand sanding will have worked just fine for this project but an orbit sander makes quick work of it.

Note pocket hole joinery even for joining the top to the base frame.

Half of a weekend is plenty long enough to finish this project.

This is an intermediate project to introduce you to a couple but optional additional tools.

My Ultimate Back Scratcher

Back scratching is an accepted social but metaphorical symbiosis, more so in the realm of politics and business.  But in the literal sense when you are by yourself nothing can take the place of a back scratcher. So much euphoric effect towards what is a mere mild annoyance as a back itch.

These were flea-market bought a while back. I thought I can do better.

A horizontal drill setup with a tilting platform allowed for the 7 degree hole for joining the handle to the "hand".

A power tool would have made quick work of sculpting the "hand" but occasionally hand tools are more rewarding.

The following photos were of later projects after I got comfortable, somewhat, in making a few more for friends,  The technique was the same although for future ones I may have to come up with perhaps a better method.

Krenov Sawhorse

Krenov Saw Horse

James Krenov passed away in September, 2009 at the age of 88.  He was a Russian immigrant from Siberia who became a  furniture maker, designer and teacher.  He founded the College of the Redwoods at Fort Bragg, CA, a school for furniture making.  His furniture designs are very distinctive in his minimalist use of material, delicate simple lines but structurally strong.  Fine Wood Working Magazine featured in its December, 09 issue a sawhorse whose design was developed by Krenov.  Its construction was written up and demonstrated by a lady wood worker.  I was struck by its simplicity and delicate appearance that I decided to make one.  It is one of my most rewarding projects and fun to make.  Click picture for a larger image.

I constructed mine out of 1X4 (effectively 3/4 by 3 1/2 in.) oak bought from the local home center.   Apparently this sawhorse design can be constructed in as many ways as there are woodworkers, for as long as one sticks to the basic structure.  And it is like no other sawhorse that folks are familiar with.

I used pocket hole joinery where applicable...

slotted joinery for the top rail...

bolt and barrel for the cross rail.  This is a very strong mechanical fastener that allows for dis-assembly but it requires precision drilling of holes at the end of the rail pieces - three holes for each bolt and barrel assembly.

The sleek design gives it a delicate appearance but it is very stable and a pleasure to use.  Both can be carried with one hand so moving it about is easy.

And what a small footprint for storage.

Perfect for temporary work table support.

This was a fun project!