Final - Independent Project

This project is a mini bench made from all natural materials except for the screws and glue. It is made of wood, pine and maple. I was trying to make a bench because the stools in the art room are not comfortable and I wanted to make something that would be comfortable to sit on and it kind of just popped in my head when I started thinking about what to do for my final project. I used few materials, but unique materials. For the part you sit on that is made of a milled piece of pine, and then the 4 legs are made of a maple tree I cut down. I used sandpaper to smooth the wood and then I used putty to fill in some crack and holes, then some screws and wood glue to hold the legs on. The legs had to sit inside the pine slab so I had to use a table sander and sand the ends down so they would fit snugly in the holes in the pine. Once that was done, I used lacquer to cover the whole thing and give it a little shine and seal it/keep it safe from the elements I also used a dremel to carve out the falcon and then used the tip of a pencil to paint the falcon black because I didn’t have a paint brush and I had to also use a skill saw to trim the legs so it would sit evenly on the ground. The project shows woodworking skills, painting skill, and skill with power tools to create details. While making this project I made sure to keep a close eye on the lacquer while I was applying it so it would be evenly spread on the bench, I also paid very close attention while carving the falcon into the seat because one mess up could have made the dremel make an unwanted line in a second. I also had to pay close attention to how the legs lined up so that it wouldn’t tip and it would sit on the ground evenly. I was hoping this bench would look like a more ‘rustic’ and ‘natural’ bench yet also look clean and nicely done. At first I was thinking of just making the bench then I wanted to make it more interesting so I decided I would carve a falcon, my school mascot, into the seat. When I carved it into the wood it wasn’t popping enough so I painted the carving with black acrylic paint to make it pop. I love the way it came out. It is strong, looks rustic but still looks nicely done and the falcon looks very good and pops. I struggled at first with the legs. I had to find a nice maple that was consistently thick for most of its length. If I made another bench or something like this I would probably use different wood because I don’t want to make another one of the same style.