select woods – PRAIRIE BENCH

Hemlock Bistro Bar

by Prairie BenchFebruary 21, 2014February 7, 20201

prairie bench hemlock bistro top 5 — A traditional 36″ counter bar (background right) is dwarfed by the massive Hemlock slab.

It’s big.

The piece:
Local Hemlock slab 3″ thick 60″x 20″ live edge
Local rough cut Fir timbers 4″ thick hand chiseled
Hazelnut dowels on frame
Hemlock dowels to moor slab
42″ tall
Rubber skid pads
Finished in polyurethane for easy polishing and durability

The hemlock slab was our work bench until we flipped it over and saw it had nice grain. So we polished it up with a hand planer and some high grit sand paper, and the result was stunning.

This piece is a fine example of West Coast Hemlock, and very strong. It is a soft wood, an evergreen, so the surface may get nicked and bumped—but that’s part of its story. We even left some of the original mill saw marks, and there is a compression mark from early in the tree’s history. It’s a wain cut so the slab does have a slight twist, compensated by the custom frame. Belly up to the bar, we estimate the load bearing for this unit to be about eight tons, however we only recommend the table for lattes and a few brews.

One side has a nice arc that invites patrons to sit around the server and bartender side has a convenient knot hole for tips. Each post of the fir frame is hand chiseled and joins in a locking pattern on three sides, then pinned with sturdy hazelnut hardwood dowels. Sanded smooth, the blunt dowels and over cut edges give the piece a sturdy wild west look and in the category Country Collection.

For matching chairs, we’ll shop for some nice iron ones to complement the piece.

Size: 42″ tall x 60″ long x 20″ wide
Finished in polyurethane
#270-BL-02-14

prairie bench hemlock bistro build — Frame of the Hemlock Bistro Bar being built on the new work bench, a huge cedar slab. Looking forward making something with that monolith.

Cedar Coffee Table

by Prairie BenchSeptember 11, 2013November 29, 20150

A client asked for a cedar coffee table. They brought us a large cedar plank, approximately 7 feet long, two feet wide x 4 inches thick, that was still quite wet. We decided to make it right away and the slab can dry on their patio. There was a nice knot on the cut side of the slab, so this became the center point for the design. We chopped the ends at ten degrees on the big miter saw using special rollers to handle the weight. Then we re-cut the ends of the slab from the opposite direction at twenty degrees. These two angles, one half of the other, make the design symmetrical and balanced. Because of the weight of the legs, four inch aggressive screws were used with glue to lock the wood together from below. We didn’t want dowels interrupting the beautiful grain on this specimen. Cedar has long strands and will crack and split with time and that’s part of the look. Because the wood is still carrying a lot of water, we only applied finish to the top and ends of the wood. The underside and inside legs can stay open for evaporation. A table this size will drink up lots of finish over the years.

Size: 51″ long x 22″wide x 20″ tall. Slab is 4″ thick. Image: the table was just glued together and is sitting on blocks. Wood Source: hawleyscape.com

Birch Fireplace Mantle

by Prairie BenchAugust 29, 2013November 29, 20150

At the request of a client, we found a local piece of parkland birch harvested by a certified cutter. The log was cut into two slabs, then one slab was cut again into posts. Next, ten months to dry.

Inside we found some luxurious dark chocolate heartwood. We decided to preserve the birch bark, sanding it lightly to apply an even poly finish.

The surface was ground, then sanded. The core of the heartwood had some deep crevices, which we filled with river gravel and applied a layer of 2 stage cold poly to create the look of water.

Installation was easy using a flat steel bar moored to the wall studs. The mantle was predrilled with 4″ lag bolts and the lock nuts aligned with the thickness of the drywall. The result is an eighty pound log floating on the wall securely. The pillars were fit to cedar shoes and pegged. The mantle was set on top, clicked into place, and then the lock nuts were tightened. This allowed us to install the mantle with minimal destruction to the drywall. We only had to cut a three inch strip to mount the flat bar.

The client now intends to fill the area inside the mantle with stained glass. We’ll post pics when it’s done. Wood source: hawleyscape.com

sizing up the mantle slab for the back cut

poly resin is poured into crevices containing river gravel

Steel flat bar is measured for drilling holes to bolt onto studs. This was the only worry, opening up the wall and confirming the studs were to code.The mantle was predrilled at the shop. It worked and the result is a solid, snug fit.

The pillars are set on cedar shoes with a 2×3 stud back. They sit out from the wall 2″ allowing the homeowner to paint matching trim lines and mount the stained glass. The mantle is set onto 1″ hemlock pegs on each pillar. The cedar shoes lock into a space between tiles. The pillars are 51″ tall.

finished mantle awaiting stain glass insert

birch has identifiable horizontal bark with white and red tones

birch post lightly sanded with layer of polyurethane

mantle is 4″ thick, six feet long and varies in width, about 9″ at the narrowest

Twin Cedar Benches

by Prairie BenchJuly 18, 2013November 29, 20150

Here’s two more benches to add to our Woodland Collection. A client chose two cedar slabs for patio benches. Each was approximately 7′ long x 18″ wide and 3″ thick. This enabled us to lop off the ends and stack it upright for legs and a seat. A hemlock trestle was added for stability. We split the leg, notch out the join by hand, and glue the entire piece back together with hazelnut dowels for support.

Each bench was left with live edges, saw marks and unique knots. The surface was ground with 80 grit, then 120. The edges were ground to remove any slivers and the entire bench was soaked in poly. The bench is turned upside down and poly is poured into the open grain to make it last for years outdoors. Any finish will eventually wear away with use, sun, and rain, but the client can easily wipe some on whenever they want to restore that sheen.

Cedar has long strands that like to peel away from the core. It’s a good carving wood for vertical designs, however the cut edges can remain rough no matter how much sanding. That’s just a characteristic of this wood. Hardwoods, like maple and birch, can be polished to a fine finish from any angle, but cedar is great for that rugged, outdoor style.

#137 BL 07 13
#138 BL 07 13

Approximate sizes: 42″ long 18″ deep 17″ tall.
Wood source: hawleyscape.com

Woodland Oak Bench

by Prairie BenchJuly 18, 2013November 29, 20150

This wonderful piece of English Oak came to us locally. The harvester saved it for the unique grain with a lot of character. We didn’t have enough material to do the seat and legs, so we used some sections from a dried alder round that was saved for a special purpose. The result is a very heavy boot bench for an entry way or alcove.

The live edge was left on and the entire piece is sanded to a smooth finish and coated in polyurethane in case it has stay on the patio. There are no screws or metal in the design. Each leg was notched to slide into the seat sideways with a few taps of the mallet. This final was eventually glued with PL 8x for a permanent bond. The bottoms are also sealed with a waterproof poly cement. This oak bench is big, heavy and will last a long, long time.

#135 BL 06 13
Approx: 18″ tall x 16″ deep x 48″ wide
Wood source: hawleyscape.com