Paul’s Woven Seat Benches

At the end of the video “A Fancy Raised Panel” Marc discussed how various types of wood provide an endless palette and an infinite way for us to express ourselves and our tastes. I communicated with Marc via email as I was happy to hear someone else speak what I had long thought. At the time I was working on a woven seat bench constructed from walnut. As I was finishing that one, I looked around and saw that I had an odds and ends pile of quartersawn white oak. So I thought, I would like to see how the bench would look in a different wood. Voila! A second bench gets built.

So… are these two benches identical or are they different? I like them both for different reasons. My most appreciated critic, my wife, weighed in on the subject and found something to like for different tastes in both benches. I hope I succeeded in illustrating Marc’s point.

I Sanded to 220 before assembly. Assembled and touch up sanding done again at 220. Mixed BLO:Mineral Spirits 3:2 and applied one coat which I allowed to cure for a couple days. Top coat with 3 quick coats of brush-on lacquer with about 2 hours between coats. Allowed to dry hard and sanded with 440. Final coat with thinned brush-on lacquer.