Green wood furniture

The issue I have with tendonitis is still making carving difficult so I am using my woodworking time in different ways. A visit to my local wood with some friends and excellent green wood workers gave me the opportunity to try making some furniture for my garden workshop.

I decided to make a bench which looks easy but of course is not. Two of my friends were making planks from an oak tree using a chainsaw milling technique and they were kind enough to give me a large plank.

The first step was to cut the plank to a sensible size for a bench which was easy enough. I then found a chestnut log which I split into four lengthways and used a drawknife to reduce the ends of the legs to a one in section.

Back to the plank and the tricky bit was next, a hole needed to be drilled at each corner, at an angle that allowed the legs to splay in two directions. A chat with friend Will (who knows everything) and I was measuring and marking up the angles. Then to the drilling, I concentrated on one angle while Will used a sliding bevel to guide me on the other angle. Drilling was done with a brace and bit, a little effort and the holes were ready for the legs.

Making the bench left some offcuts so I made a chair, same principle but with the addition of a back fitted loose with a mortice and tenon.

I do still have to run a spokeshave around the edges, shape the back and obviously cut out a heart shape in the back :-)