Porch Storage Bench

Another task I would like to partake in is building this bench (link below) which allows the seat to lift for storage and is easy to make, except my intention is to allow for the postal/carrier people to insert packages when they make their delivery. The postal dept and carrier services often leave packages on my front porch exposed for all to view. I thought of something decorative to put on the porch for those packages and thought of this bench.

The plans calls for cedar. Some of you may remember my question about cedar and finish but now I'm wondering if anyone would use another type of wood. I'm in Michigan, therefore, the weather changes daily.

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Reply to
Justin Time
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That said, ya gotta be kidding? You're going to get "postal/carrier people to insert packages when they make their delivery."??

How, by putting a sign up?

Good luck with that idea, into the second decade of the 21st century ... :)

Reply to
Swingman

May not have to worry about the postman putting packages into the bench. Worry about someone stealing the bench. Someone stole pot plants off my neighbor's screened in porch.

Sonny

Reply to
Sonny

Gee, I can't imagine why anybody would steal pot plants.

Reply to
Steve Turner

Like

Reply to
-MIKE-

I can, if they were pot pot plants.

Reply to
HeyBub

Nice looking bench. Looks like they used Ipe a pretty common porch wood that withstands weather well and looks great with some Penofin penetrating oil stain. Could also lean tpward Arts & Crafts and go with some quartersawn white oak. Does very well in weather. White Oak was what all the British ships were made of back in the day when they still had a few trees sprouting out of the big island.

Of course Mahogany or Teak are good outside woods or Redwood or Cyprus. Or you could build it out of that plastic crap that they sell for decking now but we will have to ask you to leave the group.

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

Justin, if you were living down here in Southern Alabama, I would suggest cypress. Red cedar is a good choice, but living as you do in Mitch-a-gan, why don't you make it out of white oak? I I assume your porch is covered and anyway, its good in the weather and with a good exterior oil on it it will probably last longer than you do. Then there is the advantage that it will be (in my father's words) "heavier than a dead preist." Somehow, that has a tendency to curtail folks being willing to steal it. :-)

BTW, if you can find a local (depending on where you live - rural or urban) sawmill that cuts white oak and get it green and rough cut, you can save a bundle. It will take the wood six months or so, maybe a year, to fully dry, but if you are not in a hurry, its the way to go.

Deb

Reply to
Dr. Deb

I agree, as you did use the word "wood" in place of the word "good", that the words are interchangable. wood=3Dgood

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

Earlier, I did mean potted plants, were stolen, and I took Steve's reply as a ribbing.

Do you mean Eastern Red cedar (aromatic cedar) (juniper). If so, a few good coats of shellac is recommended, then topcoat. The shellac will block the cedar resin from leaching out, especially from knotted areas or other dense wood areas. The resin in ER cedar moves like mercury in a thermometer, at the slightest temp change. I've built quite a few projects with ER cedar and found this to be the case with the resin issue. With ER cedar, the interior can be left unfinished, to further help with the resin issue.

If you ever put a piece of ER cedar in direct sunlight, within 90 seconds, or so, you can hear it start popping loudly, i.e., the wood and the resin expands, really fast!

Sonny

Reply to
Sonny

Perhaps I shouldn't tell you that idea crossed my mind.....but only for a few seconds. Please let me stay...LOL.

Reply to
Justin Time

------------------------------------- Trying to get wood to survive in this application is like pissing up a rope.

These people are in the neighborhood.

Good looking product.

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Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

Some one asked me about something similar the other day, so I made a scale Sketchup model, using the dimensions in the link, and put it on

3dWarehouse if anyone is interested:

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Reply to
Swingman

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making this thing is going to want to do something about reinforcing the back. If you take a look at the model, you will see that the 46 1/2" span is not going to very solid to lean back against for very long.

Reply to
Swingman

HEY, the guy owed me money and wouldn't return my calls. What else was I supposed to do?

-Zz

Reply to
Zz Yzx

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