Johnnie F. of Hermiston builds live-edge benches from blue-stained Ponderosa pine slabs he buys from a local sawyer, who cuts a log top to bottom to yield 2-inch slabs. Johnnie stickers and dries the wood himself, then flattens the slabs with a router mounted in a sliding gantry system and sets them on black steel legs.
The numbers are modest: about $30 for the two slabs, $50 for the legs, $32 for a quart of Helmsman outdoor polyurethane, plus a few dollars in sanding discs. Each bench takes about a week, and Johnnie has built six of them so far — all donated to charity auctions.
In Johnnie’s words
I buy slabs of Ponderosa blue pine from a local sawyer with a sawmill. He saws a log for me horizontally top to bottom, yielding 2-inch-thick live edge slabs. I sticker and finish drying the wood.
I select 2 slabs to work with. They are planed with a router mounted in a sliding gantry system. The board ends are squared off. I fill any small cracks or knots with Starbond. It is sanded to 180 grit and finished with five coats of Helmsman outdoor polyurethane. I mount metal legs and it is ready to go.
The build
- Project type: Outdoor furniture
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Wood: Blue-stained Ponderosa pine, live edge slabs from a local sawyer
- Finish: Five coats of Helmsman outdoor polyurethane; cracks and knots filled with Starbond
- Tools: Miter saw, router with a sliding gantry system, sander
- Time: About one week per bench
- Cost: About $30 for the two slabs, $50 for the legs, $32 for a quart of polyurethane, plus a few dollars in sanding discs
- Plans: His own design
Biggest challenge
The biggest challenge was assembling the gantry system and learning how to use it. I have built six of these so far and donated them to charity auctions.
Photos
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