Do you build your own lodgepole pine furniture?

[Sunshine Flock]

We don't have a couch or family room chair. Brand new is expensive and made with things we don't need: springs, thick arms and backs that are nothing more than plywood covered in fire retardant fabric, etc.

And our dogs and cats claw everything.

So I'm going to make my own furniture. I found a local source for straight logs. I'm not sure on the pricing yet, but it's probably within the ballpark of what we can afford. We already have three nice cushions for the couch. That's where a lot of the expense is located: foam to cushion your cushion!

Have you ever made log furniture before? I'd like to make a couch and chair without any hardware; just mortar and tenon joints. I'll use a homemade stain and hemp oil when I'm done.

I'm not sure if the logs are kiln dried. Probably not. I know with timber frame homes, green wood is used for stronger joints as they dry and lock together. But I think with furniture dry logs are probably best. Any thoughts on that?

 

[cavemanrich]

That sounds really exciting. Consider making something Rustic. Use some of the wood on your property already. Just use cushions on seat part that you can remove.
Consider something like these..

And don't waste all that hemp oil on your furniture..
High in essential fatty acids, Omega 6 and omega 3, hemp oil can be used to increase immunity, counteract aging skin and improve cardiovascularhealth. Several studies show that the linoleic acid present in hemp oil can slow down the aging process and fight psoriasis.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

That sounds really exciting. Consider making something Rustic. Use some of the wood on your property already. Just use cushions on seat part that you can remove.
Consider something like these..
View attachment 1209765
View attachment 1209766

And don't waste all that hemp oil on your furniture..
High in essential fatty acids, Omega 6 and omega 3, hemp oil can be used to increase immunity, counteract aging skin and improve cardiovascularhealth. Several studies show that the linoleic acid present in hemp oil can slow down the aging process and fight psoriasis.

Those are beautiful. If I can find a way to incorporate manzanita, I will. It has to be comfortable, though.

Before I jump in and build the couch, I'll make a bench to practice making the joints. Thanks for the inspiration. I wish I had a lumber mill. Maybe an Alaskan chainsaw mill is in my near future.

When I say hemp oil, I mean Hemp Shield. I used on the siding for the chicken coop, I've coated terra-cotta pots with it, used it on the exposed beam in the sunroom once I removed thick paint. We bought it for redoing the cedar siding and redwood deck on our home and love it.

What do you think about green versus kiln dried logs for the couch? On YouTube someone says he harvests the poles himself from dead standing trees, so they're already dry. I would think with green you're likely to get more splitting as the wood dries.

 

[cavemanrich]

You are likely to get green logs. Those on Youtube harvested from dead standing trees are dry, but likely already insect eaten. I'm sure not all.
Green logs are most likely less subject to splitting when cutting. When they dry and splits occur, it just give your furniture more character. You don't achieve a rustic look by building with plywood.
Just remember that what you make , there is only ONE like it in the world.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I figured with the old shed I converted to a chicken house, it was best to embrace rustic so I don't keel over and give up from trying to make it perfectly plumb and perfect. Everything was out of whack. Nothing square or level.

Rustic is the perfect excuse for not being perfect.

So that'll be the theme when I'm building the couch. Here's a good starter project, though, to hone my skills:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbIq-rNDvyr/?tagged=logfurniture

I could use manzanita for the entire thing.

 

[cavemanrich]

That link is a GREAT IDEA to pursue. You may end up with more pieces than originally "couch and chair"
I think using the abundant resources on your grounds will be great. Study each piece and figure the best placement, and you will end up with great art pieces.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Tools.

I need tools.

I NEED TOOLS!!!!!!!!!!

But what tools? Which tools? Just a few hand tools are needed, right?

I made a beautiful, simple Harry Potter wand for a hurting somebody from a manzanita brach earlier this year. I whittled it with silly little blades and then smoothed with sandpaper on up to 1,000 grit, and oiled it with walnut oil.

Little blades a couch does not make.

 

[cavemanrich]

Only suggestion I have is watch You tube vids on how to make wood projects. The authors usually share what tools they use. You can also see what they are using.
Using basic hand tools will be time consuming, but personally rewarding.
Hammers, Chisels, Saws. Just think how things were made in the 1800's when there were no power tools or electricity.