On the main deck stood a bench. A wreck, perhaps, but a bench to which many on board felt a strong attachment. This is how ship’s carpenter David Höglund gave it a new life.
When you are sailing across the seven seas, you cannot simply run to the store if something breaks. It has to be repaired, and that work often falls to the carpenter.
On the voyage from Newfoundland to Bermuda, it was Swedish David Höglund who handled chisel, hammer, and saw.
On this leg, the ship was running on engine power and sailing without voyage crew, which left time for a little extra maintenance. That gave David the chance to fix the old bench on the main deck.
A gift
The bench was built and gifted to Statsraad Lehmkuhl by the father of Captain Marc Seidl. It has accompanied the ship on countless adventures, and the crew are very fond of it.
But after many years in all kinds of weather, it was close to giving up.
– When I came on board, it was completely broken. The legs were off, and it had cracked at the ends, well ... cracks in every direction, says David.
Precision work
He decided to give the bench a new life.
– So I built new legs for it and tried to stop the cracks with what we call “butterfly joints,” David explains.
Butterfly joints are a technique where small inserts are fitted into the timber. The blocks resemble butterflies, and are also known as bow tie joints and dovetail key. The blocks can be wooden or metal, the trick is that their shape keeps the old wood together and prevents cracks from spreading.
Making a butterfly joint is precision work done by hand only, showing how skilled David is.
Old decking
When the ship received a new deck many years ago, the old timber was kept and stored.
– Since we are at sea, we want to take care of as much as possible of what we already have on board. Especially the old, fine materials that are not so easy to find anymore.
So, the new legs were once part of the ship’s deck.
– Oregon pine of fantastic quality, and now it has been given a new life, David explains.
Carries the history
The bench top is original, but to save it David had to shorten it by half a meter.
– I wasn’t sure at all if it would be possible to save the bench. It was either throw it away or try to give it a few more years on deck. I’m very glad we chose to try, says David.
The result is a bench that is practically new, yet still carries with it the history and materials of the original.
Original techniques, old wood. Photo: André Marton Pedersen
As good as new. Photo: André Marton Pedersen
– Now I think it will last at least as long as before. Maybe we’ll have to rebuild it again in 15 years, but we’ll see, says the carpenter with a smile.
– It feels really good to give new life to something so special, something that is useful, appreciated, and used every day.
