Out Door Setting Plus!
It started as a simple discussion about having family and
friends visit and using the blown plastic fold up table with only two
chairs other than the dinning chairs from indoors. The two chairs
outside sorry make that three are/were a canvas fold up Max sleeps on.
My Shower chair and my wheelchair.
We required more seats for starters! As it happened Masters announced its closing sale start we picked up six new chairs.
We both liked our son Peter and Jaclyn’s setting Merbau with two
benches, we had taken notice of the ones at both Masters and Bunnings
but like none we saw size wise or shape.
Discounted Merbau come into play a size chosen 2m long x 900mm wide
750mm high. Plus a bench being IF we ever have ALL the family here thats
12 in all.
The plan was drawn up well in my head not on paper or pc.
The job began with four or five trips to get the boards to much
weight and not enough room in the Subaru and Sue doesn’t drive with a
trailer attached.
The decking planks cut to length on the SCMS (sliding compound mitre
saw), 45^ cuts for butting a corners for rails. Legs for the table
mitred on the bandsaw
Material for legs for the bench cut………..now to make a router table
top to cut the mortice for the legs. OH damn need to machine some of the
parts………….grrrrr Myford lay shaft ceased, yet the pulley was partly
free. Thanks goes to new acquaintance Toby who came to the rescue when
the lay shaft had to be pressed through the last hanger. I had to linish
on the wood lathe the shaft to remove burs caused by grub screws and
the flared ends had been hammered hence why it would not come out easy
as it should.
Like some things time projection of a job finished date just blows
out. However the Myford is now running sweet and I have a router table
top for vastly other projects (might need to make a better stand
though).
The boards are 90mm wide x 19mm thick lengths varied, I sliced one in
half and formed the four bench legs, glued and screwed. Using the
router top mortice them to suit the plan 25mm deep one section 90mm long
the other 45mm long. This was to accommodate the post and rails of the
bench.
This has taken some two months maybe more but at last the bench has
been bench tested I have since fitted a support rail between the legs
and possibly will fit a third middle leg.
The table frame did get a dry assembly to check cuts etc during this time.
Below left table legs and rails
Below bench legs glued up
Bench leg frame glue up.
Dry fit of table main frame setting out of bench stringers and legs.
Counter bored, counter sunk holes using Stainless 10# self tappers.
On the ground at last and testing the bench. It has been oiled while
in pieces with still a last sand and coat to be done. I have ends to
trim as yet.
Edited to Add 4th November.
Thought it best to add the finished photo of the bench in situ, a middle leg and spreader rung added for support.
The Myford lay shaft fix, its simple once you’ve done it! However the
main shaft also had to come off as the belts were sadly damp with WD40
from lubing the shaft to try remove it. Thank goodness as it proved the
belts were wrong to start with. It gave me an inspection of the main
bearings and was able to clean up the bull gear etc. All back together
and used to make the parts for the router table.
The router table
19mm ply recess routed to allow router to sit into it to give greater
height adjustment of bit. I had an old SCMS fence and made two alloy
bushes to sit in these tapped to take hold down screws. Turned up two
nylon T-nuts also.
