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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot as a part of The Home Depot’s ProSpective Campaign.
In September 2016, we here in Tallahassee Florida had our first direct hit from a hurricane in over 30 years. Needless to say, there were a lot of downed and damaged trees from the storm. Lucky, we received no damage but my neighbor across the street wasn't so lucky. They had a tree come down and a few days later a really large pile of cut up logs appeared curbside.
Steph and I took the opportunity to check out the pile and decided a few of them would make great DIY projects. We enlisted the help of my husband and his Honda Pilot to move the logs to her house. (Well, we got all but one log moved to Steph's--the last one is still in my driveway--too heavy to move! So classy!) We've already used three of them in projects. We made two log tables (see the post here) and a LED light table from the hollow log (see that post here). 
Like a kid in a candy store! So many to choose from!
Those logs were really heavy. But Steph and Larry could handle it!
After debarking with a rotary hammer fitted with a tile chisel bit, Steph used a belt sander with 40 grit paper to remove the fibrous material and other debris. A belt sander removes a lot of material very quickly. It's a great time saver. This Ryobi belt sander has a button on the side to lock the trigger in place while working so you don’t have to hold the trigger down the hold time. We initially had an issue with the sandpaper slipping off at first, but once Steph started using it she got the hang of it and it worked well.
The Ryobi six-port charger is really convenient. It's nice to have six batteries ready and waiting when you need them. It's easy to take one out to replace a spent one.
After the belt sander had done most of the dirty work, it was time to use the random orbit sander starting with 150 grit paper working up to 220. This gave the logs a nice smooth finish.
Steph used a Dremel with a sanding tip to sand and smooth this scar in the tree.
The logs were finished with two coats of Minwax spar urethane which is suitable for outdoor use.
We wanted the logs up off the ground and decided to use the blocks in this picture. We started with blocks stacked two high, but decided that was too tall. We used one for the shorter log and two for the longer.
The shorter log did not nestle snuggly into the block so we added some stability with rebar. We drilled two holes into the log and inserted a piece of rebar into each hole...
...we simply pushed the rebar into the ground. It added the stability the log needed.
All ready for our next backyard cookout!
There is more space in the fire pit for benches so we will be on the lookout for more freshly cut logs!
We really like how these log benches turned out. Having them up off the ground make them a comfortable height for sitting.
So, how would you use these at your house? With our without bark? We like the clean, no bark look, as there are fewer places for bugs to hide! How about the concrete block? Would you have them on the ground or elevated? Let us know in the comments below! We acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with us to participate in the The Home Depot ProSpective Campaign. As a part of the Program, we are receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own word. Our post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines. FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first! FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP! Related Projects
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