I recently finished building this English Garden Bench. The plans are
available from Rockler, and I recommend getting the version with the MDF
templates because it makes the arms, legs, and all other pieces with curves
so much easier to create. It also locates all the mortises. This project is not
complex, but it is time-consuming. Mortise-and-tenon joinery abound, which
is not too challenging, but a hollow chisel mortiser (thank you,
Makersmiths– Purcellville!) handle both the different depths required in the
upper crest rail, and the 16-degree slant required in the lower rail for each
of the dozen slats. In my opinion, a router table and a bandsaw are a
necessity, as well as a long pattern bit to follow the templates. The arms and
legs are glue-ups from doubled 8/4 stock. They were cut down to thickness.
The bench is around 5 feet long, so the pieces will start to take up some
space in almost any shop.
Is this a difficult project? No. The best support for this project is the Rockler
video on YouTube which walks one through each, and every, step in the
process, in order. I referred to this YouTube video many, many times to
verify I was on the right step at the right time. One of the best reminders
the video kept banging into me was that the left and right arm assemblies
are mirror images of each other, not duplicates. This makes the mortises fall
on opposite sides. There is also a very good written set of instructions in the
set, so between those two, I did not lose my place across the year it took to
make the bench.
Life always interferes, but if I had nothing else to do, it would probably take
40-50 hours of work, not including glue drying times or driving to the shop
that houses the hollow chisel mortiser (did I say thank you, Makersmiths –
Purcellville?) or its belt sander. I don’t remember the board feet required
for this project, but I think I purchased 8 or 10 8-foot 8/4 boards, either 6 or
8 inches wide. Yep, I have some leftover and some offcuts, but I also have a
nice outside bench. Questions? Contact me at Greg Carter.
