DIY outside seats

Once I realised how satisfing it was to take a raw piece of wood and change it into something useful, I was hooked.

Daryl and I went back to the same lumber yard looking for wood for another project.

I had this visual image of making stools to use outside, preferably under a big shade tree. I would do the seats and Daryl could build the legs.

With our broken Spanish we were able to communicate what I wanted to do. The people who work at this lumber yard were more than accommodating. A gentleman walked around the yard with me until we found a log large enough to be used for stools.

A chain saw and twenty minutes later we had six rounds a couple of inches thick. He was going to charge me $5 for four pieces. I made a deal to get six pieces for $10.  I know! However it worked for me!

The wood was pretty rough, with some pieces better than others. We went out and bought a hand sander and I went to work.

As the only tool I had was a hand sander, I used the ‘grittiest’ sandpaper available, #40. Some of the groves were at least 1/4 inch thick.

It was so satisfying to see the grain take shape and each piece become smooth.

The sandpaper went from 40, to 80, to 100.

The edges were cleaned up and rounded off. The seats were as smooth as they were going to be. All six has a slightly different grain, and the one closest to the end had a crater in it, plus a hole straight through.

Enough sanding!

Mineral oil was used to bring out the grain. Three coats with a light sanding using #120 between coats.

Next the seats needed several layers of clear sealer. This will make them more durable to being outside and keep bugs from eating them. 

And done. Daryl will make the bases and we are good to go.

Cheers

Ruth