Affiliate links; these help support this blog, allowing me to bring you more content in the future.
FAVORITE TOOLS USED (affiliate links)
• Domino 500 – https://amzn.to/2ktOH5K
• Assorted Dominos – https://amzn.to/2jqm2Nj
• Jet Parallel Clamps https://amzn.to/2kAVtmH
FINISH USED (affiliate links)
• Minwax wipe on poly satin https://amzn.to/2Le5UdO
• Finishing Technique https://bit.ly/2rVI921
Building an 18″ Wide Bench Top: My Journey with Wide Boards and Mitered Corners
When I set out to build this modern contemporary bench, I knew I wanted the top to be 18″ wide, and I was determined to minimize those glue-up seams as much as possible. Nobody likes a top that looks like a patchwork quilt, right? So I headed to the lumber yard with a mission: find boards that were at least 9″ wide.
The Lumber Selection Challenge
Here’s the thing about 9″ wide boards—they’re too wide for my jointer. That meant I couldn’t rely on my usual milling process to flatten them, so I had to be really picky at the lumber yard. I spent extra time sorting through the stacks, looking for the flattest, straightest boards they had. It’s worth taking your time on this step, trust me.
Once I got these beauties home (and they were beauties—12 feet long pieces of 8/4 lumber), I ran them through my planer in skip-planing mode. This helped clean them up and get them as flat as I could manage without the jointer. I kept them at their full 12-foot length through all the milling operations because I wanted to ensure the grain would match perfectly at the mitered corners. Let me tell you, handling 8/4 lumber at that length was quite the workout!
Setting Up for Success
I placed roller stands on both the front and back of my jointer, setting them just slightly lower than the jointer table. This is important—you don’t want the wood registering off the rollers; they’re just there as insurance in case these long boards get away from you. The stand behind the jointer also gave me a convenient place to rest these heavy boards while I positioned them.
One of the smartest things I did when setting up my shop was arranging all my stationary tools facing the bay door. For projects like this, I can just open that door and have all the room in the world to joint, plane, and rip long boards. Game changer.
The Glue-Up Process
For the glue-up, I used dominos to keep the boards aligned. If you’ve ever tried gluing up wide panels without them, you know what a difference they make. I was careful with my domino layout to avoid placing any where the legs would eventually be mitered—nothing worse than hitting a domino with your saw later!
I had one little hiccup: one of the domino mortises was slightly off left to right. Of course, I didn’t notice this until after I’d already spread the glue, so getting everything together took a bit more elbow grease than planned. But we persevere, right?
Cutting and Mitering the Legs
After the glue-up dried, I cut the pieces apart and grabbed my track saw to miter them. I double-checked that I had the right leg oriented on the right end—measure twice, cut once, as they say—and then laid out my domino positions for the corner joints.
I went with the largest dominos that would fit and placed them pretty close together. These mitered corners need to be strong, and I wasn’t taking any chances.
The Clamping Strategy
Here’s a trick I love: I used a little CA glue to attach some pine blocks to the workpiece. These blocks gave me clamping points to pull the miter closed on both the top and bottom surfaces. I also used shims underneath to align the legs flush with the top. Those shims were basically my third hand while getting everything clamped up just right.
Cleanup and Finishing
Once everything was dry, removing those glue blocks was easy—just a light tap with a mallet and chisel, and they popped right off. Then I scraped and sanded away the excess CA glue.
For the finish, I went with four coats of wipe-on satin poly. It gives a beautiful, durable finish without being too glossy.
Looking back at the finished bench, all that careful board selection and those mitered corners with matching grain were absolutely worth the effort. Sometimes the extra work on the front end makes all the difference in the final piece.
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.