Story
Fitting the bench
Through tenons and a patient dry fit
The bench started as a board and a drawing. White oak, quartersawn where it mattered for the seat.
Dry fitting the through tenons took longer than cutting them. Each shoulder had to meet flush without force — sashimono patience more than clamp pressure. When the joints closed by hand, the glue was almost an afterthought: a thin film, not a crutch.
No fasteners in the frame. The wedges lock the tenons; the grain does the rest. That is the point of venerable grain — structure you can see, and trust.