Waterfall Bench

This 4' long waterfall bench is crafted from a 6' Maple slab, approximately 15" deep and 18" tall. I utilized an angle grinder and a soft pad on a sander to smooth out the live edge. To stabilize some checking that occurred during the drying process, I inlaid nine Wenge bowties in the face and end grain, along with one unknown hardwood bowtie in the main knot. For aesthetic purposes, I filled the cracks and knot with black hot glue.

I utilized a track saw to trim the ends of the slab that exhibited significant checking and to cut the waterfall, setting the track saw at a 45° angle. Nonetheless, after cutting the waterfall leg, there was a minor cup in the leg that led to problems during the glue-up. To assist with alignment during the glue-up and strengthen the miter on the waterfall edge, I cut six biscuits using a biscuit joiner.

I constructed the leg with 1"x3" rectangular steel tubing and a 1/4"x3" steel plate. I machined slots in the plate to attach the legs to the bench with furniture bolts and drilled and tapped holes for adjustable feet. I used MIG welding to assemble the leg and an angle grinder to clean the welds. I installed threaded inserts for bolting the leg to the bench and for adjustable feet on the waterfall leg.

The bench is sanded to 180 grit and finished with Tried & True, a finish made from Linseed Oil and beeswax. This was the first project where I hand-cut bowties, and although it wasn't as technically demanding as some of my other projects, it was one of the larger ones I've undertaken, which extended the time needed for sanding and finishing.