Modern Slat Bench (Nelson Platform clone)
Nov. 4, 2023
I finally finished the Nelson Platform Bench that I've been working on. I took inspiration from tutorial done by the Family Handyman back in 2019. It suggested the project would take a weekend. It took me 4 years to finish this project.
This was the first of many for me.
First time sourcing raw lumber, machining it, and build something with it.
First time using woodleather dye.
First time using pre-catalyzed lacquer.
While this was a first for many, to finish the project required a lot of hacks, but most of them can't be seen unless you look closely.
I really like this bench, I think it adds a unique perspective that you typically get from mid century modern houses.
I think the best part is the legs. They have this industrial look, almost metal-like. The legs were created with maple, dyed with leather dye, shellac'd, then polyurethane'd. The top was lacquered, in satin via a spray can. I likely would likely spray lacquer again, but only with a good PPE (respirator w/organic vapor/acid gas filters) and via a HVLP gun.
I started from raw maple 4/4 boards from my local wood supply company (Woodwerks). Trying to calculate all the board feet needed for this was tough and I estimated incorrectly and ended up purchasing more than needed. This mistake will end up helping me in the future.
As mentioned above, I took inspiration from a blog post from the Family Handyman. The tutorial is now a dead link, but I still have the PDF export of the project, I'll upload it.
Video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRGW0Lnwu0o
- dead link - https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/saturday-morning-workshop-how-to-build-a-nelson-platform-bench/
- Family Handymans's cut list
- Family Handymans's exploded view
- Family Handymans's PDF instructions
Another video that I referenced a bunch was DIY Mid-Century Modern Slatted Bench - Woodworking by Crafted Workshop. This helped understand some of the difficult cuts on the table saw. It also helped me understand the best way to finish this project.
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