Duck Donuts Bench Modification
Duck Donuts Bench Modification
A sweet treat inlay
What about this bench?
While waiting for a sizeable order from the Duck Donuts located in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake Virginia, I struck up a conversation with the charismatic owner. The two of us freely discussed many topics. The local economy, how he got into the business, his love and support of the local community. Chris, the owners name, explained to me that he loves to support local, especially those in the maker community. He believed this added a warm, welcoming feel to his store. I mentioned SugarTree WoodWerks and how we can provide custom woodworking and hand-burned pyrography. I asked if there was anything I could do for him. With an excited response, he said well there is one thing.
See he had this bench made from another local maker. He wanted to add a personalized touch to his store. “Can you burn our logo into it” he asked. I looked over the bench. It was a wooden slatted pine bench . At first we discussed burning the logo into the existing slats. I mentioned how I could burn the logo onto a circle piece of wood and inlaying into the bench. We agreed on this course of action and knew this would really make his logo pop!
Pushing my boundaries
So between you and me, I did not know how I was going to perform this inlay. I had never made an inlay this large before. Besides that, this would be a very visible item in his store front. I certainly wanted to ensure that it looked awesome. The pressure was on for sure
Wait I forgot to mention, I had never cut a circle from a piece of wood, let alone create matching clean inlay.
After a delicious cup of hazelnut coffee was thrust in my hands, I returned to the shop to ponder the challenges and how crazy it was that this store wanted me to perform this project for them. I was so excited and scared to death haha.
There are some challenges with this plan.
must look good
must color match the current unknown stain
must be able to cut out for inlay
must not fall off
must cut out a round shape
I purchased a small handheld router, 2 spiral bits, and a jasper circle cutting jig from amazon. WHile I waiting for these to arrive, I purchased some basswood and got to work milling and cutting into strips. These strips were glued together to create a panel. After a long time sanding from 60 grit to 220, it was time to cut the circle.
But first I needed to eat more donuts and drink more hazelnut coffee.
Finally the Amazon order arrived. I attached the spiral bit and jasper jig to the new router, I was ready to cut this circle. I was nervous to say the least. I had one shot at this, so it had to count.
I have to say, it is very satisfying cutting the circle in the of wood. Using the Jasper circle Jig, It went flawlessly. I was very happy about that. I now had a circle that I would be able to Burn the Duck Donuts logo into.
Next was making the transfer template. The image needed was certainly going to be larger than a piece of paper. Using adobe illustrator, I was able to print using tiled images. I took these images, trimmed the borders and taped them together. A little tape, some lacquer thinner, and the back of a chisel. Boom, it was done and looked great!
I spent many hours burning the logo into the wood. The hot pyrography tip made quick work of the soft basswood.
With the sign cut and burned, it was router inlay time. Again, I had never done this so I knew it was about to get interesting. Once started there would be no turning back. I found a flat bottom bit and inserted it into the small Bosch router.
I traced the sign, and took note of the screws holding the bench slats in place. I would have to be careful with those. My plan was to remove the material around them, and simply tighten them down to make room for the round sign.
After setting the depth of the router, I took a deep breathe and went to work slowly removing wood from the back slats. I took my time and was especially careful around the screws. I also stopped just show of the outside boarder. I knew this had to be as close to perfect so the sign fit with no unsightly gaps. I snuck up to the line I drew, test fitting the sign several time. Soon I found that the sign slid into place and was flush with the rest of the bench.
Next was color matching the stain. I chipped a small piece off and was off to the store. I found a few that looked close. I attempted to learn from the owner, what the stain color was. He was not certain. So I rolled the dice and experimented with a few mixtures until one seemed to come close.
I took a deep breathe and applied many coats of stain. I love this part. The wood and design really come alive. The wood-burned design really popped as the wood was tinted a beautiful brown color.
I always want the recipient of my work to feel the value and quality I strive to inject into every piece. In this instance, since I was modifying an existing bench, I wanted him to receive the bench in better condition than it was given to me in. The decision was made to ensure the entire bench had an improved finish.
I installed the stained sign into the bench and thinned some satin polyurethane with mineral spirits. I spent the next few nights after work, wiping many many coats on to build up this finish. Over this time the bench had a cohesive look, with a smooth uninterrupted shine.
So it was finished. What was a stretch from my comfort zone, turned out to be amazing in every sense beyond just the bench. Besides working to create a large shape, burn a larger than normal graphic, and finally inserting the finished sign into the bench, I also formed a friendship with a a local small business owner at Duck Donuts. I think this is really neat. I was proud to deliver this bench and Chris, his staff, and their customers were very pleased with their new upgraded bench.
As thanks to this iconic local Donut Shop for allowing me to make his vision a reality, I made this video revealing the inlayed sign at 3 iconic areas of Chesapeake, Va with some drone footage..
Enjoy!
