Outdoor benches for Hudson Middle School

The Rotary Club of Hudson recently completed a great civic project by providing a new, covered meeting spot for students waiting to be picked-up by their parents. The club sponsored the installation of a concrete slab with a nice roof to keep the kids dry. All they needed to finish the project were benches for the kids to sit on. I am honored that Rotary Club of Hudson, NC reached out to me and I was glad to help.

Two benches - ready for school after summer break.

I used 1.25” thick white oak for strength and durability. The wood was air-dried to around 15%, making it ideal for an exterior installation. A rabbet was machined for the cross slats to rest on.

Slots were mortised into the rails for floating tenons, also called Dominos.

All perimeter stiles and rails ready for assembly.

The slats were cut to size, mortised in the ends and then finished with multiple coats of marine grade finish prior to assembly.

The ends of the legs received a special treatment of epoxy to seal off the end grain.

To further protect the legs from soaking up water I made and installed PVC cover plates as well.

The benches were assembled with epoxy adhesive and additional coats of finish were applied over multiple days.

Steel angle brackets and concrete anchors secure the benches to the slab.

Thank you Rotary Club of Hudson for this opportunity to lend a hand.