Oak seating and shelving

We've just had an enclosed porch built and we would like to build a oak bench with some shelves for shoes underneath. Our first quote was over £1000 so I'm going for diy.

The bench will be bridging across some breeze blocks that make the porch foundation. The area of timber required is around 1.8m x 0.6m. There will be a shelf under this, same span 400mm deep.

Does anyone have any suggestions for timber. I've been looking at solid oak manufactured kitchen tops. However I'd be looking for curved profile edge to it. Does anyone know whether these manufactured tops can be routed to create a round profile.

Any other suggestions for material. It has already been commented that it shouldn't look like someone's put a kitchen top there and needs to look quality I'm pretty handy but haven't dealt with solid sheet oak before.

Thanks.

You could use oak face ply or blockboard.

mattice said:

Does anyone have any suggestions for timber. I've been looking at solid oak manufactured kitchen tops. However I'd be looking for curved profile edge to it. Does anyone know whether these manufactured tops can be routed to create a round profile.

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I think that you'd be best looking for something like oak, but as to whether or not worktop would be the best material to use I'm not so certain. Your design will need to incorporate both a support rail and legs beneath due to the length and ideally allowing for a few degrees seat rake and back rake would certainly make for more comfortable sitting. In answer to your question about routing a curved edge on the front of a worktop, yes, it's not a problem, but you would need to make a curved support rail beneath it (because 1.8 metres is far too long for unsupported seats - they would really bow badly), which might tax your skills a little (don't know). I think that if you are starting with a worktop the best approach to the seat would be to make-up a full size template in something like 10 to 12mm MR-MDF or plywood then transfer the edge shape to the top of the timber with a pencil and rough out to within a few millimetres of the line with a jigsaw before clamping on your template and trimming to shape with a router and template trim cutter, such as one of these from Wealden Tool (recommended supplier). The end grain may be an issue so be prepared to do some climb milling or (safer) work from the underside middle to the left hand end then turn over and repeat for the top (centre to right hand end) to avoid spelching of exposedc end grain, should it be an issue - this will be far safer than climb milling, especially if you are inexpert with the router. Oak is pretty heavy stuff so don't try to sidestep the rough cutting step and use a decent 1/2in router of at least 1500 watts fitted with a 1/2in shank cutter of a reasonably large diameter (say 19mm) to make the cuts and you'll have little difficulty. If you don't have or want to use the router, a curved edge can be roughed-out with a jigsaw then finished with a sharp spokeshave.

A more attractive alternative to worktop materials may be to find a local supplier of oak who can cut and plane materials to your specifications from a cutting list. In this part of the world I'd suggest British Hardwoods or John Boddy, but there must be someone like that in your area as well.

any saw mills near you? They are the best place to get kiln dried northern european oak.

They will finish it for you too if you aren't confident.

£1k does sound about right for something with about £400 worth of wood.

What about this?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Church-Pe...528095?hash=item360b29e19f:g:MdMAAOSwPCVYAy1p

Andy

JobAndKnock thanks some great advice there. Also investigating some local saw mills. I've found someone who can do the big cuts for me and plane a finish. Back to the drawing board.

Andy I'm very keen on your solution, it even fits! But we've just nocked down a porch that looked like a ramshackle chapel, and my wife will think I'm trying to resurrect it