Pole by Pole

Dear builder,

This week I built a bench from nine poles, which is the biggest thing I have made for the yard so far. I carried the poles up the hill myself, one by one, and put it together at the top where the evening sun comes in. I finished it on Saturday just before the light went.

The trick is to build the two ends first. Each end is a pair of legs with a rail between them, lashed at three points. When both ends are the same height, the seat poles go across and the whole thing stops wobbling. If one end is a finger’s width higher, you will feel it for years.

The first end came out slightly crooked, which is what a first end is. I had lashed the lower rail before checking the legs were level. I undid the rope, set the legs on the flat ground and lashed again. The second end took half the time.

If you want to try this, start with the stool. Three poles, three lashings and an afternoon. Next week I will show you how to count your rope before you start, which saves a trip back to the shop.