Show Us Your Bonsai Benches

BrianBay9

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I don't have much outdoor space but I use pretty much all of it. Each of the benches are cheap potting benches I got for $35 each. I couldn't buy materials to build my own for that. They may not last forever, but they suit my needs now. If I had space I'd get a few more.

IMG_1094.JPGIMG_1093.JPGIMG_1095.JPG
 

Beanwagon

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My under construction bonsai bench. This is an old couch that my dogs chewed up last year. I have stripped it and turned it upside down. Now im going to use some other recycled materials that i have laying around to built the top.

I am looking after a german shepard puppy next week im concerned that it will destroy my tree's and im too cheap at the moment to buy supplies so this will suffice.20180514_182328.jpg
 
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SU2

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Wow there are some reallly spectacular setups in here!!! Last year at this time I didn't have a bench, all specimen were on-ground or one of my 2 monkey poles (didn't have so many specimen at that point), am glad I was pushed towards getting everything off the ground by members here, although my setup is the epitome of DIY and I'm happy with it I do as you excuse the mess in my backyard, am always in the middle of a project and don't have any good shots where everything's actually cleaned (which is the case maybe 1/5th the time lol :p )

I started w/ a single modular bench, metal-mesh top (still my favorite from a practicality perspective, drainage / air-flow is virtually unrestricted) and then built my first 'real', in-ground bench and a couple modular benches:
2 - first in-ground bench.jpg3 - made another mobile bench, still in disarray, about to dissemble the raised-beds.jpg

Then I made a 'traditional' style bench, w/ two adjacent 'monkey-poles' whose legs are driftwood, look real cool IRL!

5 - first in-ground done in 'traditional' style, two monkey poles adjacent.jpg

Still needing space, I made a 2-tiered setup (later it got a full terrace backing, and I did-away with the raised rear-edge on the top shelf)

8 - Jerry's style tiered bench build.jpg

AAaaand then I built a 3rd modular unit so I could fully encircle my backyard as a 'fence' of benches (I already had a wrought-iron bench, so 7 benches total) Was great once I painted them all the same color to look far more 'finished'!

9999 finally painted everything one color so the 'fence' looks homogeneous!.jpg



Once I had the benches all setup I planted grasses and spider-plants at the bases of the 4x4's on most benches, I planted a Marigold border/under-growth under the corner section, and for the past 8 months I've been developing a thick 'mexican sunflower' hedge to act as a wind-block for the 'traditional'-style table, which has now finally started getting close to tall-enough to be effective :D

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These benches were built w/o buying *any* wood, after hurricane Irma there were broken fences on every street, so I was able to just grab as much material as I wanted basically, in fact I still have like 15 4x4's sitting out back lol!!

Thanks to whomever it was (want to say Rock but can't recall for sure, started building these late summer last year) who stressed getting my plants off the ground, it's not just about aesthetis it's so much easier to work with them, to see problems you would've missed if they were low, to keep them at a distance from bugs/etc on the ground - so glad to've gone the 'bench fence' route, made the best possible use of my (very) tiny backyard :D
 

Beanwagon

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My under construction bonsai bench. This is an old couch that my dogs chewed up last year. I have stripped it and turned it upside down. Now im going to use some other recycled materials that i have laying around to built the top.

I am looking after a german shepard puppy next week im concerned that it will destroy my tree's and im too cheap at the moment to buy supplies so this will suffice.View attachment 192183

I found some pallets to use as the benchtop. Its messy but it cost me nothing. So i am happy.Snapchat-1133805892.jpg20180519_163256.jpg20180519_084419.jpg
 

M. Frary

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Today. Don't pay attention to the rare orange Jack pine.
Now these is some benches!
This is a shot from the road. They are just 30 feet from the edge. I welcome would be thieves. My dog thinks everything here is his. He will eat a strangers ass faster than you can eat a bag of salted peanuts.20180519_122433.jpg
They hold up trees plain and simple.
Easy to add more.
Easy to rearrange.
I actually take them down in winter.
 

BrianBay9

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Today. Don't pay attention to the rare orange Jack pine.
Now these is some benches!
This is a shot from the road. They are just 30 feet from the edge. I welcome would be thieves. My dog thinks everything here is his. He will eat a strangers ass faster than you can eat a bag of salted peanuts.They hold up trees plain and simple.
Easy to add more.
Easy to rearrange.
I actually take them down in winter.

Nice. My wife won't let me get away with makeshift benches any more. I actually have to spend money on them now.
 

SU2

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Nicely done!
Thanks :)

I found some pallets to use as the benchtop. Its messy but it cost me nothing. So i am happy.

Great job with that but why not go all the way? Can't tell if it's nails or stapling (am guessing the latter) but whether it's using a claw hammer, pliers or an angle grinder you could get that thing smooth, remove the metal-mesh on the back, and paint it - would be sooo much cooler for not so much work! Am guessing that after getting it setup originally it was a "damn I'm finally done" situation, can't imagine what a PITA it must've been tearing that apart w/o damaging it!
(and that pot that's on the front shelf / 2nd from the right is just awesome, so cool!!)

Necessity breeds creativity

So damn true, I've got no way to afford being in this hobby w/o doing most stuff DIY, was lucky to find so much free lumber to make my benches, all my trees are collected or propagated, my containers are hand-made wooden boxes or hand-made mortar pots....even got >100gal capacity rainwater setup (all components were scoured for free :) ), basically spend money on fertilizer :D Only had to buy some of my tools (die-/angle-grinders), got my 8" cutters gifted by an ex-bonsai'ist....necessity breeds creativity for sure!!
 

Beanwagon

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Thanks :)



Great job with that but why not go all the way? Can't tell if it's nails or stapling (am guessing the latter) but whether it's using a claw hammer, pliers or an angle grinder you could get that thing smooth, remove the metal-mesh on the back, and paint it - would be sooo much cooler for not so much work! Am guessing that after getting it setup originally it was a "damn I'm finally done" situation, can't imagine what a PITA it must've been tearing that apart w/o damaging it!
(and that pot that's on the front shelf / 2nd from the right is just awesome, so cool!!)



So damn true, I've got no way to afford being in this hobby w/o doing most stuff DIY, was lucky to find so much free lumber to make my benches, all my trees are collected or propagated, my containers are hand-made wooden boxes or hand-made mortar pots....even got >100gal capacity rainwater setup (all components were scoured for free :) ), basically spend money on fertilizer :D Only had to buy some of my tools (die-/angle-grinders), got my 8" cutters gifted by an ex-bonsai'ist....necessity breeds creativity for sure!!


Cheers i appreciate the response! I do plan to clean it up. Most of my stuff is DIY aswell i prefer it that way. Im just using the pot temporarily to grow out an elm airlayer until i find a more refined tree to put in it.
 
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