Garden Bench Materials SelectionPart 2 of 5In this second part of a five part series we will consider garden bench materials selection to make the bench structure and also the floral element that will be placed in the center of the lower support frame. This was truly a trial and error endeavor. A lot of guesswork went in to the first purchase of materials. A local metal by the foot supplier was able to cut some of the pieces to my specifications saving time spent in the studio in the process. The bulk of material used was mild steel bar stock which can be rolled round or flat into bars thus the term "bar stock".
© Sage Garden Style It's probably appropriate to stop here and make the point that in any artistic process there is a lot time and work spent figuring out how the design in your head can be translated into a physical,tangible piece. I think somewhere between the two is where the art resides. Patience and persistence go a long way toward the end goal. Mastering the tools is equally important and suffice it to say, the topic of welding, braising, and torching, is a whole other subject to be tackled in more depth later. If you are not up to the totally hands on approach, try searching your local machine shop. Many are willing to weld to your specifications. 
© Sage Garden Style Mild steel bar stock comes in various thicknesses and eventually thicker pieces were chosen as the basic garden bench materials. This was used for the legs of the bench for obvious support while thinner and narrower pieces worked well for the floral "leaves" in the sculpture. For the "pistils" of the flower, I chose round bar stock and small steel balls. The top was banded with thin straps every 6-8 inches to provide a support for what was to be a french mattress cushion on top. Hollow metal spheres were used for the feet and decorative smaller balls were used to conceal some of the welding on the sculpture. A flat steel plate was purchased as a support for the floral bouquet and as you will see worked well as a kind of platform for the piece. Project Notes: Garden Bench Sculpture Part 3 of 5 Return from Garden Bench Materials to DIY Garden Furniture 
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