This project pursued trying new techniques and combining different materials and styles. The goal was to create a meditation bench that seamlessly incorporated a stone into wood, as well as my love for bridge architecture.

The inspiration for this project came from Maine architect Eric Reinholdt from 30×40 Design Workshop’s pond house.  While constructing this house, they excavated a large builder while prepping the site for construction.  They decided to use this stone within the house and turn it into a prominent feature as a fireplace.  The project intrigued me more as I listened to Eric describe the challenges of turning a large, bolder into a fireplace and getting it into the house.  I am often drawn to projects that have a lot of challenges to them. 

To source the stone for my bench project, I visited several landscape supply yards to find one that fit my vision.  Some of the yards were not interested in selling just a single stone, and some did not want me to crawl all over the stack, picking through their selections.  Something about liability, yada, yada, 

I wanted the stone leg to be the main focal point to grab people’s attention.  With many of my designs, once I have their attention and they come closer, I want there to be more for them to see.  So, the scribing of the wood around the stone needed to be perfect.  I hope the observer will appreciate the craftsmanship, attention to detail, and time spent scribing the wood.  I spent a whole day scribing the top to the wood.

To create the arch that emulates the arch support in the bridge, I used a technique called bent lamination.  This is where you rip thin strips of wood to be flexible enough to be bent around a form.  Then, glue them back together around the form so that when dry, they take on the shape of the form.  It is also best to keep the strips in order to help disguise where they were cut apart.

The horizontal cross braces that intersect the arch have a through mortise cut in them at the exact location for the arch to go through.  This keeps true to the piece's theme, having the arch pass through the cross-braces just like the stone passed through the top.