If you want to learn more about building an outdoor bench, we recommend you to pay attention to the instructions described in the article. Select the right outdoor bench plans for your needs and invest in proper materials. There are so many designs and plans to choose from, that we really recommend you to browse through the related plans before buying the materials and starting the assembly. Work with attention and invest in high quality materials.
If you want to get the job done in a professional manner, we recommend you to plan everything with attention, as to prevent costly mistakes and to build a professional bench. Invest in high quality materials, such as cedar, pine or redwood, as the bench will be exposed to all kinds of weather. Apply a few coats of paint over the components, to enhance their appearance and to protect them from bad weather.
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Outdoor Bench Plans
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Materials
- 1 – 4 pieces of 4×4 lumber – 16 3/4” LEGS
- 2 – 2 pieces of 2×3 lumber – 42″ SUPPORTS
- 3 – 2 pieces of 2×3 lumber – 14 1/2″, 2 pieces – 16 1/2″ SUPPORTS
- 4 – 1 pieces of 2×3 lumber – 42″, 2 pieces – 21 1/2″ STRETCHER
- 5 – 2 pieces of 1×4 lumber – 49″, 5 pieces of 1×3 lumber – 49″ SEAT
- 1 piece of 4×4 lumber – 8 ft
- 3 pieces of 2×3 lumber – 8 ft
- 1 piece of 1×4 lumber – 10 ft
- 3 pieces of 1×3 lumber – 10 ft
- wood stain
- wood glue
Tools
- Hammer, Tape measure, Carpentry square
- Miter saw, Drill machinery, Screwdriver, Sander, Router
- Safety Gloves, Safety Glasses, Respiratory Mask
Time
- One day
Building a garden bench
Building the legs
The first step of the woodworking project is to build the legs of the garden bench. Mark the cut lines on the 4×4 piece of lumber and make several parallel cuts. Remove the excess with a chisel and clean the recess with sandpaper. Make sure you repeat the process for the rest of the legs.
Building the sides of the bench
The next step of the project is to build the sides of the garden bench. Drill pocket holes at both ends of the 2×3 components and secure them to the legs with galvanized screws. Add waterproof glue to the joints in order to enhance the rigidity of the structure and check if the corners are right-angled.
Building the seat supports
The next step of the woodworking project is to build the supports for the outdoor bench. As you can easily notice in the plans, you need to make the top of the supports curved. Smooth the edges after making the cuts with a jigsaw.
Fitting the seat supports
Drill pocket holes at both ends of the bench and secure them to the frame with 2 1/2″ galvanized screws. Add glue to the joints after making sure the corners are square. Don’t leave any gaps between the components and make sure the structure is rigid.
Fitting the bottom braces
Attach the supports and the stretcher to the bottom of the bench, in order to create a really rigid structure. Make sure the corners are right-angled before inserting the screws,
Fitting the seat slats
One of the last steps of the woodworking project is to attach the slats to the outdoor bench. Therefore, we recommend you to cut the slats at the right length and width before attaching them to the frame. Drill pilot holes through the slats and secure them to the frame with 1 1/4″ screws. Place the slats equally-spaced, making sure you leave about 1/4″ between them.
Outdoor table plans
Last but not least, you should take care of the finishing touches. Therefore, we recommend you to check if the components are locked into place properly and structure is rigid enough for two people. Make sure there are no protruding screws or sharp edges. See free plans for a nice patio bench, here on my blog.
PRO TIP: Fill the holes with a good wood filler and smooth the surface with medium-grit sandpaper. Apply several coats of paint or stain over the components, in order to protect them from decay. Check out the rest of the project to learn more about building garden projects.
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