A customer recently commissioned this solid red oak bench. It features a thick 1-5/8″ top, half blind dovetail joints to hold the arched back rail on, and a mortise and tenon front rail. Very strong, it can stand on it’s own as a durable chair, but it will be screwed to a wall so that the drawers can be used without tipping the unit. The drawers are also made with solid oak with birch plywood as a bottom. It is finished with UV curing hard wax oil and features lightly chamfered edges.

I was given a fair bit of leeway in the construction of this project, but I had to make sure the solid oak was able to expand and contract with the seasonal temperature and humidity changes without any damage occuring. For the purpose, I made sure all pieces were connected with good traditional joinery, that none of the panels were too large, and that the grain direction was the same throughout the project.

Below is a video of the whole process of making it, then two shorts of the joinery. Check out this project and others on Youtube!