Thread: Aussie Style House Build

Teak Bench on Teak Door

As it was too hot to do anything in the sun today, I set about giving a 60+ year old teak bench a birthday. See image below.
This belongs to Yuri's parents and was used for a variety of purposes, including dining table, seat, bed for Yuri's mother while nursing her four children and finally as a store for Yuri's father's cow shed. He kept all manner of items on it including tins of paint, rice straw bales, tools, rolls of wire and bags of feed supplement. It has withstood the ravages of time well - the timber is in beautiful condition and still retains its oily texture. It wasn't built by a craftsman: the timber deserved to be made by someone sympathetic to the teak's quality. However a good sanding back, some caulking compound and finished with teak protector will see it last another 60+ years. Wish I had the skill to do a full restoration on it, not just a quick refurbishment. Timber this good deserves a craftsman's touch. To be fair to the person who made it, the village they lived in probably didn't even have electricity when it was made. Yuri's mum advised "It was cheap too." Not these days. Similar ones from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar cost a small fortune.
It will look good on the verandah of our new house. Ideal for somewhere to sit and enjoy a quite beer.