Traditional Empire Bench
Bring an elegant piece of European history into your own home with this classic, comfortable bench that’s fit for a king.
Known for its tall, graceful arms with sweeping curves, the empire bench gained its name due to its popularity among European rulers in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. This version of the classic bench features many of the same notes as the traditional ones — elegant lines, gentle curves, and time-tested construction — but with a more down-to-earth design that’ll look great in your home, even if it’s not a palace. The bench has a stout, sturdy appearance due to the use of thick,quartersawn white oak throughout. And rock-solid mortise and tenon joinery ensures that the bench will stay together for the long haul. Of course, the first element that likely draws your eye are the end assemblies. With curved legs and slats and rounded crest rails at the top, they certainly lend a distinctive look to the bench.
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What You Get:
- 21 printable (digital) pages of step-by-step instructions
- 97 full-color photos and illustrations and exploded views
- Cutting diagram and materials list
- Full-size pattern for the curved parts
- Retail sources for project supplies
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Similar Woodsmith Plans
Imperial Plans
The United States Customary System of Units (USCS or USC), more commonly referred to as the English or Imperial system, is the standard set of units for our plans. It uses inches and feet for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are in the United States, and it is the one we have traditionally offered on this website.
Metric Plans
The International System of Units (SI), more commonly referred to as the metric system, is the alternative set of units that we have available for some of our plans. It uses millimeters, centimeters, and meters for measurement. This is the one you probably want if you are outside the United States. These plans are provided by our business partner, Australian Woodsmith, and are based on the original Woodsmith plan. However, dimensions and other elements of the plan may vary between the metric and standard versions. Be sure to double-check the plan before building.
Premium Plans
All of the information that you need to build our plans can be found in the standard plan. However, if you want even more granular detail to make your job easier, you should consider our premium plans. These come with additional shop diagrams that we drew when creating the prototypes. Shop drawings are not available for every plan.