This project came from one of the first inquiries I got when I started running ads on Craigslist back in the Spring of '09. The client had seen an outdoor bench with the backrest made out of skis. He had some old snowboards he didn't ride anymore, but didn't want to throw away because they had sentimental value. He dropped them off with me, and said "make something", or words to that effect.
For most of six months, it stayed on the back burner. I never got excited about a design solution, for one thing, and I didn't have a deadline. I finally settled on my second or third idea, to use them as the base of a glass-top coffee table. The "X" pattern seemed less awkward than having them parallel.
Made a 1/4 scale mock -up out of 1/2" plywood, which did little to give me peace of mind as far as the design was concerned, but a month or two of additional head scratching yielded nothing.
I cut the miters with the slide saw and an angle grinder. See foreground of the top photo for the parts being assembled. I tried to epoxy the miters for a clean look, but it wasn't strong enough. Ended up putting it together like framing a house; with construction adhesive and Simpson angle brackets.
Additional strength seemed like a good idea, so I added a cross brace out of rips from the ipe bench job.
It's definitely a unique piece. I can't tell if I like it or not, but it was good to move on...
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