# Need some advice on outdoor benches



## gridlockd (Oct 1, 2014)

Hey guys!

I am making some split log benches for the local boy scout troop to have at their campground. I have taken a pine log and cut it length wise down the center to make two benches. everything is coming along nicely and the scouts are really happy with them. the problem is, that the pine log was fresh cut and is as green as it could be. I've coated it with AS to keep it from cracking til i can figure out what to do. i need to put something on it to seal it, but AS has a waxy, funky feel and i don't want to ruin any of their uniforms if they sit on it. Any and all ideas are welcomed! Thanks in advance.


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## TimR (Oct 1, 2014)

Spar urethane perhaps?


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## Kevin (Oct 1, 2014)

Did you leave the pith in it? Rustic pine log benches typically have large cracks in them. I would just saw out the pith and not seal the long grain, just seal the end grain quite thick. Let them crack. That's what half logs do and there's not much you can do to stop it.

The main concern you'll have is the pitch seeping out and getting on the clothes of the unsuspecting sitters. It will do it every time the log gets hotter than it did the time before. In order to set the pitch, you have to raise the temperature of the log higher than the hottest temperature it will see in its natural environment. One last thing, these benches won't get rainfall on them will they? Because unless they are kept protected from getting wet, then drying, then wet etc. being pine they will rot rather quickly especially at the joinery.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 1


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## gridlockd (Oct 1, 2014)

My cut line was on the pith, so i split the log right down the center then used a hand power planer to smooth the chainsaw marks. and yes, these will be exposed to the elements for duration of their lives. around a firepit at the campsite i would imagine. I kind of expected they wouldn't last forever, but I'd like them to get at least a couple years out of them.


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## Kevin (Oct 1, 2014)

You'll get a couple of years from them maybe a couple more than a couple. Hard to say really - pine and other rot-prone species will decay at varying rates depending on the region. When I first started milling years ago I didn't know ash was so prone to rot, and I built a timber framed entry way into my property out of ash and pine lol. The pine outlasted the ash! But I had to rebuild it all within 3 years.


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## justallan (Oct 1, 2014)

I agree with sawing out the pith. My reasoning is that it will peel out faster, leaving sharp splinters.


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## gridlockd (Oct 3, 2014)

thanks for the advice. I am contemplating resawing these from half logs to 3" or 4" slabs due to the ridiculous weight of the things. i dont have a bandsaw mill, but i do have an Alaskan CS mill. I will still come back in and AS the endgrain, and i guess i'll just hope for the best on the long grain and see what life i can get out of them. if i can get 3 or 4 years out of them, then that will be enough. Thanks again!


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