First attempt at a bench

I bought on EBay what is called a "Draw Knife."  The reason I used eBay is that draw knives are not sold in local hardware stores.  The closest one I could find was at a specialty woodworking store and they wanted 80 bucks.  So I went to the Internet to find what I wanted.  I used to use a draw knife when I worked at a scout camp back in high school.  The knives are great for making log cabin furniture and preparing fence posts.

I actually purchased three draw knives on EBay.  All three cost me 27 bucks and they are used but really nice.  The reason I wanted a draw knife is recently I have been trimming the low branches off some cedar trees on my property in east Texas and with all these limbs I decided it would be nice to replace some of my wire fence posts.

Here is my sons first attempt at making a cedar bench.  He took our axe and split the log (he wanted to use the chainsaw but I told him the wood grain would not look natural).  Then he drilled the holes for the legs.  The legs were rounded with the draw knife and then the log was cleaned up on the bottom and top with the large draw knife.

The legs are a little off and the top could use a little more work.  For the first bench made without much measurements and just eyeballing everything, it looks pretty good to me.  The red cedar of the log really makes it stand out.  I told him it is easier to start with a three legged stool because the legs are easier to work with than the four legged type.