Sunday, June 10, 2012

a custom curved built in bench

here was a fun one ... a curved couch, not exactly built in, but close. it has to fit really nicely in a clearly defined space ... click the photos to enlarge them ..
we started out with a 1/8th scale model, which you might remember from a post earlier in the year ...

the cad drawing, from which we made the model, was made from a paper template that the builder sent us ... it was a little rough, but surprise,surprise, when we checked our cardboard cuts in the space, they fit not closely, but exactly. you don't often get stuff like this on the first shot ...
from the elevation in the cad drawing above, trevor made the cardboard parts for the model and we had at it.
he cut the seat planks on the cnc after altering the cardboard pattern drawing and then we created a framework for the bench seat to sit on ... it has a slight angle for comfort (about 1.5 degrees ) and the back is angled at 8 degrees from the seat face. it's surprisingly comfortable even with no cushions ... we fooled with various concepts for the tapered, angled, (part of a cone) backboards on the front and in the end chose a simple butt joint with a combination of construction adhesive and micro pins. sort of carpentry like, but the options were limited and in the end, since the wood is reclaimed and there are other distressings, it looks great.
the backboards were vertical, and not tapered, and we made them narrow and since they are against the wall, nailed them on.
neatly fitted and applied by trevor ..
we had a brief study on the 'table' which will stick off the end and made it 18.5" wide, and so, even with the seat support below it. it will have a vertical support element when everything is assembled later in the week after we complete the staining and finishing, and install it on site.

1 comment:

Steve Barley said...

This looks smooth! It needs a lot of working time though, before one bench is done. However, with this kind of bench, I can wait.