The bench shown in the picture is one of the two benches I was asked to make for Jody Foster's Movie Nell in 1996. The bench is, as all of our pieces are, built from 150-200+ year old white pine and old square nails. The legs are open wedged mortise and tenoned up through the bench's seat board. The aprons are hand beaded with a late 19th Century beading plane. The aprons are open mortised into each bench leg, glued and old square nailed; there is no stronger way to build a bench. My benches come in various lengths -4' through 7'. When compared to chairs, price-wise, benches offer a very economical way to provide seating. Also the bench can be used to display potted flowers, small collectable or other small pieces of interest, early baskets maybe. Actually this bench and most benches like this one were bucket or water benches. They were usually placed by the pump. The wooden buckets were "stored" on the benches for two reasons: 1) to keep them off the ground and 2) so that they did not have to bend over so far to pick the buckets up or to put them down. My benches can also be painted in your choice of colors and surfaces/finishes.

        A mortise (hole) is cut out of the seat board so as to allow the tenon (upper part of the leg) to fit into the mortise. The tenon has a slot cut out in its top where the wedge can be placed. Once the tenon is fit through the mortise and glued, then the hardwood wedge, with glue applied, is driven into the notch in the tenon thus forcing the sides against the sides of the mortise; one very strong joint.