Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
Country Bench
Build This Country BenchWoodsmithThis country bench offers an interesting challenge -- it's assembled without nails, screws, dowels, or glue. You might expect it to be a bit wobbly, but once it's assembled it stands up like a piece of granite. The strength lies in the keyed mortise and tenon joints. When the tapered keys are pushed through the mortises and tapped in tight, the seat, the shelf, and stretchers are held firmly between the two ends.

NOTE: All plan illustrations may be accessed by clicking their filenames in the text where noted. This will take you to a new browser window with a full page illustration that you may save to your hard drive. There is also a clickable list of all plan illustrations at the end of this article. A materials list
and a cutting diagram are also listed there.

ENDS: Start work on the bench by edge-gluing two blanks for the end pieces (A) from 4/4 stock (13/16" actual thickness) to a rough width of 12-1/2" and length of 23-1/2".


CUT TO SIZE: Once the blanks are dry and planed or sanded flat, trim them to a finished width of 12" and square up the ends, see GIF 1, Fig. 1. Note: Leave the blanks a little more than 23" long. The final length will be 23" after the arched top is cut.


CENTERLINE: Next, to make it easier to locate all of the cuts in the end pieces, lay out a centerline down the complete length of each blank.


THROUGH-MORTISES: After the centerline is marked on the blanks, lay out and cut the through-mortises on both sides of the blanks. For best results, you might want to build a jig to help lay out or "set out" the mortises.


JIG: To help set out the mortises, build a simple jig, see GIF 1, Fig. 2. Start with a couple pieces of stock that are the same thickness as the stock used for the stretcher (13/16").
Edge-glue the pieces between the side boards to create a window in the center that's the length of the mortise (1-1/2").
Now cut one of the side boards so the distance from the window to the edge of the side board equals the distance from the mortise to the edge of the end blank (5-19/32").
Next, glue a fence on the outside edge to hook over the edge of the blank. To use the jig, clamp it in place on the end blank and set out the mortise with a chisel, see GIF 1, Fig. 3. Then turn over the blank, hook the fence over the same edge, and set out the matching mortise on the other face.
After setting out the mortises, work from both faces to cut the all the way through the blank.


STRETCHERS: Once all the mortises are cut in the end pieces, cut two stretchers (B) from 4/4 stock to a finished width of 2-1/4" and a length of 27-1/2", see GIF 2, FIG. 6.
TENONS: Next cut 2"-long tenons centered on the ends of each stretcher to match the mortise, see GIF 2, Fig. 4.


KEY MORTISES: After the tenons are cut, chisel an angled key mortise through each tenon. An angled key mortise is a through mortise that's larger one side than the other. Be sure to lay out the cuts so one mortise angles from the front and the other angles from the back, see GIF 2, Fig. 5.


KEYS: Now push the tenons through the mortises in the end pieces and cut tapered keys (C) to fit the key mortises. After the keys fit tightly in the mortises, cut the keys 3" long, see GIF 2, Fig. 7. Shop Note: Because there may be inconsistencies from one angled mortise to another, cut each individual key to match each key mortises and then label them.


SEAT AND SHELF: Once the keys are cut, work can begin on the seat (D) and the shelf (E). Start by edge gluing the seat and shelf from 4/4/ stock to a rough length of 24-1/2" and rough widths of 11" for the seat and 7" for the shelf.


CUT TO SIZE: After the blanks are planed or sanded flat, cut the seat 10" wide and the shelf 6" wide, see GIF 2, Fig 6.
To determine the length of the seat and shelf, measure the shoulder-to-shoulder distance of the stretchers (about 23-1/2") and add 1/2" for the 1/4"-long tongues that will be cut on each end, see GIF 2, Fig. 6.


STOPPED DADOES: The tongues on the ends of the seat and shelf fit into stopped dadoes routed on the inside face of the end pieces. It's worth it to spend a few extra minutes at this point to determine which face of the end pieces to cut these dadoes in.
If the end pieces are cupped (warped), a gap will show between the inside face and the edges of the seat. To prevent this, face the concave side toward the inside, see GIF 2, Fig. 7. Then the key will force the end pieces tight against the outside edges of the seat.


LOCATE DADOES: Once the inside and the outside faces are decided, temporarily assemble the stretchers to the end pieces. Now you can determine the location of the top of the 1/2"-wide stopped dadoes.
To do this, lay the seat side sideways on top of the stretcher (B) and against the end piece (A). The use a chisel to scribe a short line onto the end piece right at the top of the seat, see Detail in GIF 3, Fig. 8. Now do the same on the other end and above the shelf (E) at both ends.


LAY OUT THE DADOES: Next, use a pencil to extend these marks across the board. Then lay out the bottom of the dadoes 1/2" down from the top line, see GIF 3, Fig. 9.
Now mark the ends of the dadoes so the seat is 9-1/2" long and the shelf is 5-1/2" long. Center both on the width of the end pieces.


CUT THE DADOES: To cut the dadoes, start by drilling 1/2"-dia. stop holes 5/16" deep at each end, see GIF 4, Fig. 10.
Next, mount a 1/2" straight bit in the router and position the bit in one of the stop holes. Now hold the router in the same position it will be during routing and mark a partial arc to indicate the position of the base, see GIF 4, Fig. 10. Do the same at the other stop hole.


Then, using these two arcs, align a straight board as a fence and clamp it in place. To rout the dado, lower the router bit to 5/16" deep (see Detail A in GIF 4, Fig. 10), and place the bit in one of the stop holes and rout to the other hole. (Shop Note: Hold the router securely before turning on the power.)


CLEAN OUT ENDS: The last step on the dadoes is the square up the ends with a chisel, see Detail B in GIF 4, Fig. 10.


CUT END PIECES:
After the stopped dadoes are routed, cut one end piece (A) to final shape and then use that piece to layout the other end.


PROFILE: To lay out the arch profile on the top, strike a 4" radius arc with the compass point on the centerline, 19" up from the bottom end. This will make the end piece (A) 23" long, see GIF 5, Fig. 11.
Then set the point of the compass on the right edge of the blank 3-5/8" up from the stopped dado, see GIF 5, Fig. 11. Open up the compass until the pencil end meets the 4" arc already drawn and strike another arc. Repeat this on the left edge. To form the feet, strike a 4" radius arc with the compass point on the centerline right at the bottom edge, see GIF 5, Fig. 11.


HANDLE: After the top and bottom profiles are cut, cut out the handle slot. To do this, start by drilling two 3/4" end holes, see GIF 5, Fig. 12. Then cut the slot with a sabre saw and file it smooth, see GIF 5, Fig. 13.
TONGUES ON SEAT AND SHELF: After the handle slots are cut, you can go back to working on the seat and shelf. To lock these pieces into the end pieces, cut rabbets on each end to produce the tongues that will fit into the stopped dadoes.


SET THE SAW: Begin by setting the rip fence as a stop so the outside edge of the blade is 1/4" from the fence, see GIF 6, Fig. 14. This will create a 1/4"-long tongue. (The dadoes were routed 5/16" deep. This insures that the shoulder of the tongue will seat firmly against the inside face of the end piece without the tongue bottoming out in the dado, see GIF 6, Fig. 15.


Now raise the blade high enough to produce a tongue to fit in the dado, see GIF 6, Fig. 14. (Shop Note: Try sneaking up on this height on a test scrap of the same thickness as the seat and shelf.) Once the fit is correct, cut the rabbet with a couple of passes over the blade using the miter gauge to guide the workpiece.


NOTCH ENDS: After the tongue is cut to thickness, it has to be trimmed to fit the stopped dado, see GIF 6, Fig. 16. When trimming the tongue to size, I found it easiest to rough cut it with a back saw. Then trim it to fit the dado with a chisel.


ROUT EDGES: Next, rout a bullnose profile on all the exposed edges and in the handle slots. To do this, mount a 1/2" round-over bit in the router and lower it 5/16" below the base, see GIF 7, Fig. 17. Then rout both edges of all the pieces except the stretchers.
Now, file a slight chamfer on the bottom edges of the feet to prevent splintering as it's dragged across the floor.


For a finish, apply two coats of a polyurethane finish or a tung oil/polyurethane mix. You'll want plenty of protection, as these benches see a lot of use.
Finally, put the pieces together, and tap home the keys.


LIST OF PLAN ILLUSTRATIONS:


GIF 1
GIF 2
GIF3
GIF 4
GIF 5
GIF 6
GIF 7
Materials List
Cutting Diagram

Provided by Woodsmith Magazine
August Home Publishing Co.
Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.

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