Slab Top Bench Project

Simple Joints Make This Bench Go Together Like A Puzzle 

This bench is simple, straightforward, and might I say, quite elegant! The parts interlock and are dependent on each other for strength. All of the parts are friction fit to each other so, while I've defined the dimensions in drawings, remember to measure against your parts; if they're slightly off, that's okay. Because the joinery is so intuitive, the bench can be made larger or smaller in any direction without affecting the overall composition of the planes that make up the bench.

Mill Your Parts to Size

Joint and plane lumber, and glue up the legs (A), stretcher (B) and top (C). Once the glue dries, cut each piece square to rough size.

Slab Top Bench Plan and Cutting List - download the following PDF for dimensions and cut list (slabbenchplan1409.pdf)

Photo 1. Insert a miter gauge backwards in the miter slot of your table saw to make this wide cross cut. Push against the miter gauge to square the legs.

Here's a great technique for cross cutting wide parts on your table saw. Insert a miter gauge in the miter slot of your table saw backwards.  Position the leg against the miter fence and trim it square by pushing the part through the spinning blade (Photo 1). Repeat with both legs, then use the fence to cut the legs to length. Sand or plane all of the parts to exact thickness at this point, as the thickness of the parts helps determine the dimensions of the joints.

Make the Legs

Insert a dado blade into the saw. Mark the tenon depth on the top of each leg. Rabbet the tenon using the dado blade (Photo 2). Make multiple passes to complete the tenon.

Next, scribe the slot opening for the stretcher on each leg. Define the sides of the slot on the legs using the table saw. Make the first stopped cut to define one side of the slot and then flip the piece over and make a second stopped cut to define the other side (Photo 3). Repeat with the second leg.

Photo 2. Cut the tenon on the legs with a dado blade in the table saw. Measure the length of the tenon to the outside of the blades. Make multiple passes for a perfect tenon.	Photo 3. Define the outside of the stretcher slot in the leg using the table saw. Make a stopped cut, flip the part over across the width and make a second stopped cut.

Finish the stopped cuts on the band saw and cut out the waste (Photo 4)

While you're at the band saw, define the shoulders of the tenon (Photo 5).

Photo 4. Clear the waste from the slot on the band saw.	Photo 5. Form the shoulders of the tenons on the bandsaw. Cut straight into the tenon and then cut along the width to remove the material.

Photo 6. Finish defining the shoulder of the tenon on the legs. Pare thin slices away, using the existing shoulder to help guide your chisel.

Complete the joints with hand work at your bench. Clamp the leg into your vise. Clean the tenons by paring the waste left over from the band saw, using the shoulder created by the dado to guide your chisel (Photo 6).

Photo 7. Define the leg slots on the stretcher using a dado blade. After cutting the grooves on the side of the stretcher, raise the blade and cut the bottom of the stretcher.

Make the Stretcher for the Leg Assembly

Scribe the leg position on the stretcher. Err to the small side, as this joint is crucial to the stability of the bench. With the dado blade into the table saw, set up a cross-cut fence to cut perfectly square. You will cut the sides and bottom of the stretcher. Mark the top of the stretcher with a marker so you don't cut into this face. Remove the waste from the sides and the bottom of the stretcher. Compare the slot on the stretcher to the thickness of the leg. Dry fit it into the slot of the leg. It won't go down all the way yet, but that's okay. Once it slides down into the slot perfectly, raise the dado blade and cut the bottom slot to the correct depth (Photo 7).

Fit the Leg Assembly to the Seat

Dry fit the legs and stretcher. Lay the top upside down. Flip the leg assembly over onto the bottom of the top and center it lengthwise. Scribe the position of the tenons onto the top, taking care that the top doesn't move (Photo 8).

Make a custom template for a 3/4" router bit in a plunge router. Glue a straight face of plywood to a piece of hardboard. Run the router along the fence to get a perfect straight edge (Photo 9). Clamp the custom fence to the top, aligning the straight edge with the scribe marks.

Photo 8. Scribe the exact tenon positions on the seat. Center the leg/stretcher assembly onto the bottom of the seat, and use a penknife for the most precise mark.	Photo 9.Make a custom fence for your plunge router. Attach a straight fence to an oversize board and trim the board with a 3/4" bit to define the location of the cut. This is a great simple jig to take measuring, and the chance for error, out of your project.

Make multiple plunge cuts to cut mortises for the tenons on the legs (Photo 10). Square the corners of the mortises with a chisel.

Dry fit the entire assembly (Photo 11). Disassemble the dry-fit bench and sand all of the surfaces smooth.

Final Shaping Details
Miter an angle on the ends of the stretcher. Clamp a thin, flexible piece of wood to the top to define the curved ends. Jigsaw the waste away and clean the cut with a sander. Create a slight taper on the legs. Mark a taper onto the sides of the legs, and band saw off the line. Clean the band saw marks with a hand plane.

Chamfer all of the edges with a hand plane, including those of the legs and stretcher. Lightly apply glue to the sides of the slot on the legs and to the face of the slot on the stretcher. Slide the stretcher onto the legs. Apply glue to the mortises on the bottom of the top and to the tenons on the top. Slide the tenons into their respective mortises. Clean off any glue squeeze out. Clamp until the glue is dry.

Remove the clamps and finish. If you desire the look of this particular bench, wipe on two coats of Watco Dark Walnut Danish Oil. When the Danish Oil dries, buff the bench with dark paste wax.