I ordered a cushion for my bench off the internet. I’m going to give this cushion a C-, but I think having a cushion is the way to go. I’ll see if this cushion fills out its case anymore. Might need to buy one from a better source.
@Iammikecohen hows your progress?
@lukeg lets wrap your bench up.
I stink at finishing and I’m blaming the maple, in part.
My base has a coat of Rubio, it’s pretty blotchy and yellow. The top is ready for Rubio but I haven’t applied it yet. I used Starbond CA glue to fill the knot that ran through the top over the weekend, it should be ready for finish tonight.
This is the first time I’ve used Rubio on a project (on the bench). But after looking up how to apply Rubio to Maple, it looks like they may not be all that compatible.
https://www.reddit.com/r/finishing/comments/vacb68/rubio_monocoat_on_maple/
@Iammikecohen
I saw that and took away that Rubio tints and any attempt to stain maple was bad. I used Rubio Pure which a poster said worked well. Also Woodcraft has a sample of maple treated with Rubio Pure and it looks amazing.
It’s functional and I’m happy with the construction. Maybe in ten years I’ll sand it down and refinish it when I’m better at woodworking.
Looks great! Well done
@Iammikecohen Nice. Let’s get a little booth setup at Asmbly and take some pictures.
Looks fantastic! Congratulations on a beautiful build.
Let’s get all three in and take a photo @jiggliemon @Iammikecohen @lukeg
I should have my threaded inserts done tomorrow if you want a pre-finished photo. Wasn’t planning on doing the finish until this weekend.
Actually can we borrow them for the Texas Woodworking Festival booth?
Not mine.
In keeping with my slow pace on the bench, I would like to say a belated thank you to @jiggliemon for running this project. I had a blast and learned a lot, and Chase was generous with his time and experience the whole way. And I have a new bench, too!
Experiences like this and the people that make them happen are why I like Asmbly so much!
~Luke
I still have yet to see your bench @lukeg
I’m glad you got a lot out of it.
Just don’t look underneath 
it was a learning experience applying the finish. The first pass was real splotchy, so I sanded the whole thing back to bare wood. The second finish, I tried a one-coat product, but it still looked uneven. Third try, I was running out of time for TWF, so I only sanded the top. Alder sure is an interesting wood.
It has been fun to see people sit on it.
My bench is very splotchy, unfortunately. I’m telling myself that once I’m more experienced with finishing I will do what you did, sand it down and try again.
I sat on it; it’s a comfortable height and feels rock solid, just like mine. Thanks again to @jiggliemon for making the benches happen.
Ditto what @Iammikecohen said, very nice bench. I’ve been walking by it and it’s been catching my eye. Impressive.
@jiggliemon deserves credit for the design and also helped a lot with the build, but I appreciate the compliments
The design is really Jens Risom’s. It was a fun and informative exercise running through this bench project.
I’m probably going to do another one of these Build-a-X projects in the near future but I’ll do it at my house. It will be a little bit more complicated in scope. Doing it at my home shop provides a lot of advantages to myself and also to the folks participating. Doing it at Asmbly for the bench didn’t really provide any benefits - but was more friction than anything.
I’m making a dining table, a desk, 8+ cabinets+ shelves for a monster builtin… a bar, a console table, a breeze/divider wall, a couple beds, barn door… Do any of these strike someones fancy? Maybe a record/record player console?
Consider this a call for feedback on what type of project would be interesting, and the whole not-doing-it-at-asmbly aspect.
