The Morris Bench is an original design that draws from the concept of a Morris chair. The idea was, what would a Morris Chair look like if it were a bench? It is embellished with marquetry from a fox & vineyard theme. Lines of inlay decorate the back’s rim and the front stretcher. I made it for donation to a silent auction event.
This bench is made of walnut with maple accents and inlay. The marquetry details were cut using the Italian packet method, with sand shading utilized in the vine leaves. I made the chair back’s upper rail as a bent lamination. The upholstered seat cushion is faux leather, made perfectly by Wilbanks & Wolfrom of Warrenton, VA.
I chose a hand-rubbed oil finish for this piece to obtain a clean clear look with a nice tactile feel. The finish recipe began with surface preparation of sanding all parts through successive grits to 320. Chair parts one touches, like the arms, were more extensively sanded to 400 grit. I wiped on a liberal coat of Watco Danish Oil, removing the excess after 15 minutes. Each day, another coat of oil was added, after a light scrubbing with 0000 steel wool, until a nice patina emerged at 10 coats. After a few days to cure, a hand-rubbed coat of Minwax Paste Furniture Wax completed the finish.
