Casehistory #05
MEMORIAL BENCH
ON A RECOMMENDATION from our Scottish Hardwood supplier in Dunfermline we were approached by Kincardine Community Council to design and build 3 memorial bench seats to be situated around the village of Kincardine in Fife.
Design Brief
Our client’s main concern regarding the benches was that they should be ‘weather & vandal proof’.
The Process
We selected air-dried elm for this project, it’s natural properties being such that it will not split and is extremely durable in wet conditions. In addition it has a beautiful grain structure and natural edge, giving it particularly attractive appearance.
We were able to obtain an old tree, which had been felled in Dalgety Bay, Fife, a few years earlier. We used its natural edge as the main feature on the back rails. We selected suitable narrower pieces, which we left in their natural curved shape for the arms. The legs we made 5 inches square, giving them substance and weight, into these we mortised a framework to accept a deeper than normal curved seat.
We wanted to give the seats a more flowing look, which we did by leaning the front legs forward and out by 7 degrees and the back legs out by 3 degrees. Overall this gave a very effective and unusual look.
All the joints were glued and pegged from behind leaving no visible fixing points for any ‘wood’ be vandals.
Being memorial benches it was necessary to fit small brass plaques into each bench. We organised the plaques routed a recess for them and glued them into position with contact adhesive, making them virtually impossible to remove.
On completion we presented our clients with 10 elm trees, which will be planted around the village and the local park.