Fir Bench, Canadian Eh!

just wanted to know, member

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This is my first attempt at mortise and tenon joinery.  Needless to say I learned a lot.  Fir is an interesting(read challenging material).  It is widely available here in Edmonton, this stuff was destined to be a 18 wheeler truck bed.  It is cheap, comes in lots of dimensions and has a nice warm natural color.  There are parts of most boards that yield beautifully straight grained magic.  It is stringy and can be difficult to finish, at least that is my limited experience. 

The finish is 4 coats of polyurethane applied with a foam brush.

I attached the top with four aluminum brackets that I made myself.  I really enjoyed making them and I plan to use aluminum again.

All in all it was a good project and I feel like I have created something that will last a long time.

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Comments (4)

kerfwerks writes: Good first whack at m&t! Plus fashioning your own hardware is great fun. One suggestion for your next bench; try decreasing the stock thickness a bit and
you'll see an elegance that will surprise you. Your joints look just right. Oh, and never forget the power of shellac over the wily conifer.
Posted: 7:01 pm on January 6th

aceboy writes: I am in the Edmonton area also, where are buying your fir? I'd like to build a few projects with it. Thanks
Posted: 1:15 pm on March 19th

just wanted to know writes: Thanks for the complements.
I did originally have some walnut wedges cut but I was not being careful when I cut them and they didn't work as well as the fur ones I had access to. That aluminum is great stuff so soft, for metal, and you get these cool spiral thread piles when you are done drilling and counter boring.
Posted: 1:35 pm on January 31st

KRASSEL writes: You did a great job. I think you've got a future in mortise and tenon work. You are correct in stating that fir is a pain to work with sometimes. Here in the Pacific Northwest fir and pine are common woods, and can yield beautiful stuff if you can work around the warping, bending, spitting,etc. Your bench looks terrific. The only suggestion I would make is to use a contrasting wood for your wedges, brings the eye to those great joints you made. The aluminum brackets are a great idea.
Posted: 1:20 pm on January 31st

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