Outdoor Bench Building Instructions

Treated plywood is made to withstand exposure to rain.

Building your own outdoor bench can be easy and inexpensive, and it won't require much time. What makes an outdoor bench last are the materials used to build it. The wood must be treated so it can withstand exposure to rain and sun over time. Treated pine is an inexpensive option for these building applications, and is easy to work with compared to hardwoods.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• 4 Treated pine boards, 4-by-4-by-16 inches
• 2 Treated plywood boards, 3/4-by-12-by-48 inches
• 2 Treated plywood boards, 3/4-by-12-by-24 inches
• Treated plywood, 3/4-by-24-by-48 inches
• Screw gun
• 40 Corrosion resistant screws, 2-inch

Instructions

1. Lay two 16-inch boards flat, parallel and 41 inches apart. Lay a 48-inch piece of plywood on top of the boards. A 48-inch edge should be flush with the ends of the boards, and the 12-inch edges should be flush with the sides of the boards. Screw the plywood to the boards at this location, using 6 screws. Repeat this process with the other two boards, and with the last 12-by-48-inch plywood sheet. These are the two long sides of your bench.

2. Position the two long sides of your bench that you constructed in step 1 so they are standing on the 16-inch boards (the "legs" of your bench). The plywood sheets should be parallel with the boards between them, and so that the outside edges of the plywood are 24-inches apart. Screw the 24-inch sheets of plywood to both pairs of 16-inch boards. The edges of the plywood sheets should be flush at the corners. This is your bench frame.

3. Screw your last sheet of plywood to the top of your bench frame. Screw directly into the plywood sheets that are screwed to the legs of the bench.

References

• Wayne of the Woods: Free Bench Seat Plan