I recently ordered and received and assembled this bench, and therein hangs a tale. The tale centers on the fact that I had previously ordered a different teak bench from a different supplier at another site, and then returned it due multiple defects/deficiencies in manufacture. I decided to purchase this one instead, even though it was costing me 30% more than the other (and I am not made out of money). I awaited this bench with some trepidation: Unless I paid an arm and a leg, were all teak benches going to be as poorly made as that first one? As it turned out, the difference was of the night-and-day variety. [...]On to the bench itself: Made of Indonesian teak and SUPERBLY crafted. I was stunned, actually. Very easy to assemble, with deep mortise-and-tenon joinery secured by teak dowels (no metal hardware). Easy to assemble but requires some time to finish, as each of the 14 dowels has to be trimmed to near-flush and then sanded to flush. (NOTE: The instructions say to trim with a wood chisel. I, with a fair amount of wood-working experience, attempted this at first but found the dowels susceptible to tear-out even with careful use of a chisel and mallet. I switched to a fine-toothed hand saw and suggest that you do likewise. Also, the instructions say that 12 dowels are needed in total, with two extras provided. Not so with the iteration of the bench sent to me: all 14 are needed, so don't going playing fast and loose with them. One final note here: not all of the dowels came with one end beveled; be sure to sand to a bevel those that are not before attempting to pound them in. OK, while we're at it: a small piece of sandpaper (wet-or-dry, 240 grit) is provided. I soon switched to a sheet of non-clogging 150 grit, followed by finishing with 240 or 320. I suggest this as well.)In sum, this is an absolutely gorgeous--and sturdy--bench, extremely well-made, not "cheap" in the least. You will love it, as I do. Worth (to me) far, far more than the extra 30% I paid vis-a-vis the first one I bought. Also, I am very pleased with this company and would definitely buy from them again."..." Read more
- pascale in Saint Paul, MN