The necessity: A bench that is medieval in design and construction, durable and weather-resistant, and completely collapsible.
The challenge: A bench that can be made with medieval hand tools. And, what the heck, uses mortise and tenon joinery.
The product:
Now, I didn't make this bench with medieval hand tools -- but I could. And, if I can put together a good enough inventory of period tools, I will. The design is simple in concept, but I've never made a piece of furniture that relies entirely on mortise and tenons for strength. After some consultation with a good friend, the plans came about quickly:
The mortises were easy to mark and cut with a square and chisel, and the measurements transferred well to the tenons on the side panels. Each side panel has its own mortise for the crosspiece, as well as a gothic arch at the feet. The crosspieces have round mortises and wedges. All of the joints come apart to collapse, but won't fall apart in use.
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| The first bench had passable mortises. The second, made today, had substantial improvements. |
There is a risk of the 5/4 pine splitting when fitting the tenons (which happened -- during the initial assembly). Unfortunately, pine is not very forgiving on the cross-grain. However, a few pieces of pine attached across the grain -- glued and pegged -- did the trick. The end product is a fully collapsible bench without a single piece of metal.
If all goes well, these benches will be available for purchase at the Ironwood Artisans' booth all summer long. Stop by if you're interested! Check out our website (www.ironwoodartisans.com) for a schedule of our shows. Also, make note that we are now selling products through our website!
I'll be perfecting this bench design over the next few weeks. Perhaps, soon, I'll be building them by hand at shows.
Until then, Cheers!
