What's the quickest item of furniture you've made?

[oddsocks]

One Easter my brother Keith and family visited for a few days. Keith is not a DIY person (his wife had bought him a workmate and a year later it still wasn't assembled). In frustration on the Saturday I was instructed to 'take him to the workshop and make something'. Seeing as they were leaving the next day this did not give much time and his wife's expectation was high - she wanted a bench for her daughter!

By 2AM next morning it was built and stained mainly by use of handtools and a bandsaw. The bench is made in English oak (from Ickworth house -going tomorrow for this year's supply) and the height was aimed at preschool and primary school children, from a design I had published way back in Practical Householder!

Oh - and Keith - he stoked the woodburning fire for a few hours, made the coffee then disappeared!


So start to finish about 14 elapsed hours...

I'm interested to hear other members examples of short delivery times or how a peaceful weekend suddenly became hectic.

Dave

 

[p111dom]

It depends what you mean by quick. I usually one work for 2 hours a day when my son is at nusery and in that time I made a bed side table in 8 hours over 4 mornings.

 

[oddsocks]

It depends what you mean by quick...

good point - in this case 'quick' was from request to delivery.
At the other end of the scale my wife still complains that after 3 years our bed is an MDF and pine prototype with hardboard curved headboard (which it is and very comfortable - the slats/frame were made to final standard!). Trouble is other jobs always seem more interesting, so on the other end of the scale thats the slowest job I have. My wife is responsible for most of the projects that stop the bed from getting to the top of the list.

 

[Chris Knight]

How about the slowest..

 

[Fecn]

My quickest one was my Picnic table, which was a mere 3 days including the finsihing. Probably around 20 hours work altogether.

Slowest one has to be the two bedside tables I've been making for the last 12 months... I didn't buy enough american white oak to finish the job and I haven't been back to buy more yet... One day I'll buy some more oak and finish the job, but until then tabletops are 'stabilising'

 

[speed]

do you have any plans on the kids bench? i wouldn't mind making one

 

[mailee]

I made a Pine fire surround in one day. I started at 9am and finished it by 7pm. :wink:

 

[oddsocks]

do you have any plans on the kids bench? i wouldn't mind making one

I didn't think i had, but I've just found the original hardboard templates and the graph paper design (days before CAD!). I'll see if i can photo and interpret them - will post later - should be enough to get you going. In all i made 5 of those benches - two for a school. one for me, one for Keith and one for a neighbour

 

[Sawdust]

Not sure about the quickest but the slowest is this:

Built it in about 1990 but didn't have enough door knobs and still haven't got round to finding one so it still isn't finished after 17 years.

Mike

 

[oddsocks]

nice one Mike! Reminded me of being hassled for weeks to fix a wardrobe handle - in the end I took one off of the door next to it, thereby completing one task but getting another. I never did successfully argue that the timer should start again!

 

[speed]

do you have any plans on the kids bench? i wouldn't mind making one

I didn't think i had, but I've just found the original hardboard templates and the graph paper design (days before CAD!). I'll see if i can photo and interpret them - will post later - should be enough to get you going. In all i made 5 of those benches - two for a school. one for me, one for Keith and one for a neighbour

thanks dave looking forward to making something usefull all i have made so far is planters

 

[oddsocks]

do you have any plans on the kids bench? i wouldn't mind making one

Speed,

this is what I found:

the hardboard templates that I used to select the timber and as a rod for the joint positions

I've edited the image to be smaller to fit the forum page width, but the link to flickr if you want to download this (and view in larger detail) is http://www.flickr.com/photos/14904731@N06/1554200199/
(click the 'all sizes' and it will give you a bigger picture and the option to download it)

the graph plans that you should be able to use - I think the values reflect the accurate ones but use it as a guide for your own dimensions.
The graph paper shows the slats screwing onto the shaped seat rails - if you look at the original post photo you'll see this ended up straight and I made a slat carrier (to the shape shown on the graph paper) that was then screwed to the side rails - made it an easier assembly.
If you make it in oak remember to use brass screws not steel
If you have any questions during the making PM me - my original is still going strong after 12 + years that i can go look at. The bench can also take the weight of two adults.

 

[speed]

wow great plans thanks

i am just getting my verry small workshop set up at the mo,

i will be building out of pine for a trial run as we have just done a roof at work and i ended up with some nice 8x2 joists ofcuts that i can use

i will post a wip section once i get set up

many thanks jamie

 

[White House Workshop]

Talking of fire surrounds, I made one from MDF to an art nouveau pattern in about 2 hours, and then it took 2 days to fit it, affix the slate tiles, grout, and finally paint the surround. It does look great in our 1930 house though - far better than the ugly 1990's brick thing the previous owner had installed.

I did make an interesting coffee table in oak for my youngest in 4 hours, including all electrical work. It was designed to include an x-ray of his head, which is backlit. The top looks as if it is sliding doors that open to reveal the image (looks better in real life than this photo).

 

[Anonymous]

Jewellery boxes in a couple of hours, but anything large takes me absolutely ages.

 

[ianmelb]

A king size bed that I knocked up with some left over joists, a bit of cls a few bits of pine, carriage bolts and some faux leather. Took about 6 hours and a trip to hospital...

However, I'm more a bodger/fixer than I am a carpenter/joiner/chippie etc

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Tea Candle Stand is a design copied from a member of UKworkshop.com forum, this one is 8" long.

Three whole sawcuts & four holes drilled using a forstner bit took about half an hour including a coat of sanding sealer and wax :lol: Does it count? Ok I know it's only one bit of wood but I promise you that no clamps were misused in the making of this project. :lol:

 

[oddsocks]

I did wonder if the thread would run but it looks like it will - some very nice examples and across a wide range. Lord Nibbo has the quickest so far but Ianmelb building a bed in 6 hours is also impressive.

Keep the photos and build times coming (quickest and slowest), I know I am always on the look out for good ideas that can be done in weekend.

Dave

 

[White House Workshop]

If you want slowest, I started on a child's chair for my grandson about 4 1/2 years ago but he grew too fast and the part-finished item is still in the corner of the workshop. Waiting for the next grandchild...

 

[ianmelb]

I should point out that mine was a 'quick' build simply because it needed very little finishing work - all the faux leather hid the rough wood ...