“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.”
The five-board bench has existed for hundreds of years. With a few nails, a handsaw, a hammer, and some locally sourced timber, a bench was quickly constructed by settlers in Canada and the US. Five-board benches were made for outdoor seating, church pews, courthouse gallery seating, and homes. If inexpensive seating was needed, the five-board bench could be made quickly for virtually no cost (Mark Palma, Woodworkers’ Institute).
Five-board bench in Kings Landing, New Brunswick
The benches you design and make will range from just as rustic as the originals to ones that are more finely constructed. And they can be used in just as many ways. Perhaps not as church pews or courthouse gallery seating these days, but certainly for extra portable seating, or positioned next to the back door (great way to put on winter boots) — to say nothing of placing one under a window ledge for leaping cats.
Your benches will be created with simple tools that are readily available. This decision is based on the principles of democratic woodworking—the idea being that woodworking should be accessible to everyone, not just the people with amazing workshops!
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
| 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM | Arrival | |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Welcome and opening | |
| 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Basics of woodworking and bench cutting and assembly | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM – 3:45 PM | Continuing work on the bench; staining if desired | |
| 3:45 PM – 4:00 PM | Wrap up, group photo, and departure |
We’ll start the day with a brief introduction to the five-board bench style and some design considerations. Then we will spend the morning cutting the pieces and beginning the assembly of the benches.
After a break for a delicious Wintergreen lunch, we’ll complete the benches, including staining as desired. We will provide several types of paint, including milk paint, as well as different stains for you to choose from. Feel free to bring a stain of your own, if you have a particular colour in mind.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
PETER BEDOUKIAN worked for over 40 years in Information Technology, starting with IBM in 1966. His roles were related to the technical and operational side of IT, starting with deep ‘techie’ stuff, then management, then executive positions. As an employee he worked at IBM, Bell Canada and CP Rail. As a consultant he worked at the TSE, ING Canada, CIBC, Glaxo Smith-Kline, HP (Ireland), Bombardier, and Manulife Financial.
He now satisfies his 'techie' side by building and maintaining websites for businesses and community organizations. He has volunteered in various roles at The Stop Community Centre, Habitat for Humanity, South Frontenac Community Services, his local Road and Lake Associations, the Cataraqui Canoe Club, and taught chess to Grade 6 students. He is currently a member of the Verona Lions Club, and has also become a regular at Wintergreen, helping with all kinds of carpentry projects, including the construction of the Phoenix House. Peter has also been supporting Wintergreen's woodworking workshops (build-a-bench, festival chairs and little libraries) from the outset.
RENA UPITIS is a self-taught carpenter. Her first major renovation project of an old stone school house was in 1984, and she has been learning ever since! She designed the lodge at Wintergreen and played a major role in its construction, including stuffing hundreds of straw bales into the walls. She studied with Rob Roy in 2006, where she first learned about cordwood construction and living roofs, techniques she has incorporated in many Wintergreen buildings.
Rena also likes to make simple and functional furniture, including willow benches and projects like this one. Her creations are both whimsical and rooted to the earth. She loves teaching and treats the building process as a creative interaction of materials and function.
LUKE HOWIE has worked at the intersection of experiential education, nature connection, and ecology for the duration of his career. As a place-based educator, he loves to learn from the land and those who know it best.
Luke completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and his BEd at Trent University. He has an AQ in Outdoor Experiential Education from Lakehead University and his Forest and Nature School Practitioner Certification from the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada.
Prior to joining Wintergreen Studios as Program Director in the Fall of 2023, Luke led outdoor education programming at the Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto for nearly a decade. He now lives on an old farmstead in the Frontenac Arch with his family. On the farmstead, he has developed many skills, including carpentry skills. He looks forward to working along with the workshop participants as we all learn from one another.
COST & REGISTRATION
This workshop is limited to 12 participants.
Payment in full is required upon registration.
$165 + HST includes instruction and use of tools, materials for a bench to take home, and a gourmet lunch.
If registering for more than one person, please enter the number of tickets as the “Quantity” and you will be charged accordingly.
HST is included in the checkout price.