Dan’s Red Oak Inlay Bench

Viewer Project -
Added on March 7, 2011

From: Dan Paquette

Website: My Facebook Page

Location: CT

Hobbyist or Pro: Hobbyist

Finish Used: For my finish I used 7 coats of waterlox. I removed the extra oil 5 to 10 minutes after I applied it. After 24 hours I used a gray scotch pad and cleaned in between coats. To me it was the longest part of the project.

Wood Species: The bench is Red Oak. The inlay is Mahogany and White Maple (dyed black)

Project Description:
My inspiration? Spagnuolo of course! His videos are very educational, made me believe I could do it. The design was in my head and as I went through the project, I made changes to make it a true one of a kind. I spent approximately 100 hrs (give or take a few hours) in my single car garage shop. I spent about $150 on lumber, sand paper, waterlox and all those other little things. However, I spent $300 on new tools so I could do the project, all of which I’ll use again.

Here’s a little slideshow Dan made:

Discussion

Will March 7, 2011 9:51 am

This is really neat and unique. I appreciated much more what you went through to build this by watching your slideshow, that really turned it into a special piece, especially seeing how you overcame a few issues throughout the process. :-)

Reply
- Dan P. March 16, 2011 8:38 pm
  
  thank you. yes I definitely had to overcome a few problems. One of my mortises didn?t come out to pretty so I covered it up with an inlay. 60 inches of inlay. It was the most relaxing part of the project, just sat down and chiseled slowly. I build this bench to sell it, so the video is for me to have and enjoy forever. Thanks again
  
  Reply
Ronny March 7, 2011 9:52 am

Great job! I love the design.

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 8:32 pm
  
  thanks. the design came to me as i started putting it togather. I just tried to make a picture in my head look better in real life.
  
  Reply
Mark C March 7, 2011 10:17 am

Woodtastic! Cool vid. And a super attractive piece of furniture. Great job.

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Keith March 7, 2011 11:07 am

Very cool.

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Chris Jones March 7, 2011 11:10 am

That’s awesome. What exactly is the thing on the angle grinder?

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- Dan P. March 9, 2011 7:29 pm
  
  wow this is so cool i was wondering were the views on my youtube were coming from, The tool is the holey galahad disc made by King Arthur’s Tools, thanks
  
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Claude Stewart March 7, 2011 11:28 am

What a nice project!!

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Dan Drabek March 7, 2011 12:08 pm

Nice job of thinking outside the box. I like the organic, earthy look of the branching legs. And I like the robust construction. Should hold up for five hundred years or so.

DD

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Rick March 7, 2011 1:11 pm

Wow. Just . . . wow.

Wow.

Did I say, “Wow”? Seriously – Wow.

Oh yeah – thanks for the video slideshow. Someday . . . wow…

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Dom March 7, 2011 3:39 pm

That is outstanding! I love tour creativity. Keep up the excellent work.

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 9:29 pm
  
  No matter where the bench ends up, I?ll always have the video to remind me of it. It was an awesome project to work on. Thanks.
  
  Reply
Jared March 7, 2011 3:52 pm

Wow!! This is exactly the kind of furniture I want to do in the near future :) I just need a planer and jointer so that I can prep the wood.

Thank you for the inspired work!

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 8:46 pm
  
  Well thanks, marc?s video inspired me so I?m glad mine inspired you. I actually never used a planer or a jointer, the only place where I could have used a planner was the underside of the seat. The wood cupped and that?s were the bubinga filler came in to play. But I ended up getting cracks on the top because I forced the wood down, when I was gluing it up.
  
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Vic Hubbard March 7, 2011 6:06 pm

That’s very, very cool, Dan! It makes me want to try my hand at some free-form shaping!

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Emmrys March 7, 2011 6:24 pm

Awesome work. Not only did you have the patience to build it but to take pictures along the way too. Looking forward to your next project.

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Michhes March 8, 2011 5:47 am

I love the way the inlays follow the curve of the seat and the twists in the centre sections of the legs. Nice work!

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 8:52 pm
  
  :) Thank you every time I?m having a bad day I just come on here and read all these awesome comments. So thank you. i was worried the inlay wouldn’t do the curve but it did. i wish i went with a different inlay pattern so the corners would have lined up better.
  
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Terry E March 8, 2011 6:25 am

Beautiful!!! Love the twists in the legs, really sets it apart. Great Job!!!

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 9:00 pm
  
  Thank you very much. I was finished and looking at the bench and wasn?t happy with it. It was to plain so after hours of thinking, I finally figured out how to do the spiral/twist. Loved every minute of it. I used a die grinder with a router bit to clean out more material to give it a natural look. thanks again :)
  
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Darrell from Mississauga March 8, 2011 8:51 am

Great workmanship, to me, it looks like it should be displayed as a piece of art an not used as a bench.
“well done” Dan, hope to see more.

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lynxsg March 8, 2011 8:58 am

Very effective result on the legs of the bench. My first impression was that the leg was from a natural root. But quickly realized you had fashioned a pair or them. I personally would have stopped short of inlays on this piece.

lynxsg

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 9:14 pm
  
  The inlay was just a cover up for my poor mortising. It hid the sub floor glue that I used. I frame houses and anytime I have to take something apart that has that glue on it? I know the wood is weaker than the glue. Thanks a lot :)
  
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George Barry March 8, 2011 10:05 am

Whatever new tools you bought for the project were well worth it. Fantastic build…gonna have to move you from amateur to pro!

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 9:08 pm
  
  Haha my favorite comment. I am a professional carpenter but had never tried making furniture. So it was my first piece (art) and I know I can only get better. so.. Thank you
  
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Chris March 8, 2011 4:57 pm

Beautiful bench. I’m amazed that you not only constructed a great bench, but that you sculpted it into a piece of art.

Great job!!

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- Dan P. March 16, 2011 9:19 pm
  
  Art? Well thank you. Im selling the bench and marketing it as art. Now I just need to find that guy who has everything but a cool bench or his wife with there money :)
  
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Jerry S March 9, 2011 5:34 pm

Yep, very cool Dan. Very cool.

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Sherri March 10, 2011 9:05 am

Dan,
You are a true artist! I love your video. Looking forward to your next piece. You have a great vision.

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Lyle March 23, 2011 6:36 pm

Another wow here! Great video/slide show too!

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- Dan P. March 23, 2011 7:32 pm
  
  thanks. i thought my wave had died out.. thank you though i cant wait to start my next project. gonna try video next time. hopefully.
  
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Larry Clinton April 5, 2011 6:44 pm

I’ll just echo what was said before. Beautiful! Artistic! It looks comfortable to sit on, is it? I really like the legs, as well as the overall hefty size/thickness of the piece. Thanx for sharing.

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- Dan P. April 5, 2011 8:32 pm
  
  :) thank. I actually gave the bench to my girlfriends father. I did have it for a couple months and it was built for my rear. So yes it was very comfortable. When I had the bench I was wrestling with my dogs and my head hit the corner. It was like I got hit with a baseball bat. It turned out to be one solid piece. :-) Thanks
  
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Dan’s Red Oak Inlay Bench

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