Instructions on How to Build a Wooden Bench

A wooden bench can be as simple or complex as you want.

Building a wooden bench is easy to do and can provide a comfortable seat for an outdoor patio, deck or yard. There are various kinds of benches, some are more complex and difficult to build on your own, and others are so simple and so easy to build that anyone can build it with little materials. Whichever one you decide to build will depend largely on your skill level and the purpose of the bench.

Things You'll Need

• Four inch by one foot wooden beams
• Drill
• Screws
• Hammer
• Four feet by two feet wooden beam
• Hand plane
• Sandpaper
• Wood Stain
• Paint

Instructions

1. Decide where you want to put the bench, whether it be on a deck, patio, or the yard.

2. Make the legs of the bench by taking a short, thick wooden beam, about four inches thick by a foot long.

3. Install the legs about two feet apart from each other. If you are building a bench which will be about four feet long, then you only need two legs. If you are building the bench on a deck or patio, drill screws to the bottom of the deck or patio into the legs. You'll need at least one screw at the center of the leg. If you are building the bench in the yard, hammer the legs into the ground using a hammer, carving a pike at one end of the leg will make this process easier.

4. Take a wooden beam which matches the length and width you desire the bench to be and place it over the legs, with the legs at the center of the beam. For example, a four foot by two foot beam placed onto the legs so that the legs are at the center of the beam.

5. Drill screws over the top of the bench into the legs. You'll need at least one screw at the center of the leg.

6. Use a hand plane or sandpaper to smooth the length of the bench.

7. Finish the bench with wood stain or paint.

References

• Adding a Bench Seat to an existing deck
• Free Bench Seat Plan