DIY

How to make a wooden bench

A wooden bench can be a very practical element, since it can be used inside the house, but there are also wooden garden benches, which are not only useful, but also decorative. However, these products can be expensive, so it is worth considering the option of making one with your own hands.

The bank’s history may have begun between 1600 and 1100 BC. C., since similar stone elements have been found in the archaeological sites of Crete and Mycenae, attached to the interior walls of some buildings. Also, many of the theaters, circuses and hippodromes were created with benches in ancient Greece and Rome.

It was later, in the eleventh century AD. C. that the bench became a real piece of furniture. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, there were already wooden benches for interiors as we know them today and little by little they were replacing the chests inside the houses. For their part, wooden benches with backs have been traditionally used in different religious centers.

If you are wondering how to make wooden benches, you should know that there are some of a certain complexity for which experience in carpentry is needed. However, there are also other very simple and easy to build ones that, however, are quite useful. In this opportunity, we will give you the keys to make a bench to sit or place objects, with few materials and without the need to spend on professional labor.

Materials to make a simple wooden bench

You can make a bench with pallets, both to sit on and to decorate spaces. Also, it is possible to use any type of wood that you have at home, including soft species such as pine and mahogany, or hard, such as ash and hickory. Of course, the pieces you use must be completely dry and in good condition.

Before you begin, it’s a good idea to take measurements of the available space where you want to place the bench. If your goal is to use it at a table to replace the chairs on one of the sides, it is advisable to measure the height of the seats of the other chairs, so that the bench is at the same level. In addition, it is convenient that the length of the bench coincides with the table, so that you can store it underneath and in this way make better use of the space.

For this particular project, we will use some reference measurements, but the size of the bench can vary according to your tastes and needs. Among the materials to be used are 2 strips of 2.4 m long and 4.7 x 4.7 cm thick, another strip of 2.4 m of the same length with a thickness of 4.5 x 1.8 cm. Additionally, we are going to use a table that will serve as a seat. In this case, it should be 30 cm deep, 1.8 cm thick and 2 m long. Also, we need strong wood glue, mounting sticks and screws.

As for the tools, it is good to have at hand a drill with a bit of the same thickness as the sticks, as well as a jigsaw or some manual tool that is used to cut wood.

Steps to follow to build a wooden bench

1. The first thing is to cut the pieces and then assemble them. From the 2 most robust slats we will remove the 6 legs of the bench and the main reinforcements. The rest of the structure can be completed with the thinnest batten. If all the slats you have are equally strong, all the better, since then the bench can support more weight.

2. You have to join the legs in three pairs: one for each end of the bench and one for the center. For this, we have to measure the height at which we want to place the crossbars at the bottom of the legs, for example, 10 cm from the ground. As for the slats that will hold the upper part, they must be flush with the legs. We must draw a line on each leg and find the center to open the holes with the drill. In the same way, it is necessary to open the holes in the bases of the slats that will serve as a fastening. It is important that the holes have the same diameter as the sticks so that they enter with a little pressure. Then, we can place wood glue and insert the sticks, thus joining the legs to the crossbar. This must be done with all three pairs of legs.

3. Once we have the first three structures, we must join them by placing two strips perpendicular to the lower and upper crossbars. For this it is necessary to take measurements, mark, open the holes and place the tail and the sticks, all as in the previous step. If you want to give it more resistance, you can place screws in the joints of the different pieces. At this point, you should already have the base of the bench.

4. It is time to cut the large board to size to attach it to the base, thus creating the seat. To achieve this, you have to place 6 screws, each one must correspond to one of the legs. Afterwards, you can sit down to test the strength of the structure and make any last-minute adjustments if necessary.

5. There are cheap wood paints that you can use to give your bench an original touch. Now, if you want a rustic wooden bench, it is possible to apply judea bitumen to achieve an aged tone, which provides a vintage style. For greater durability, it is good to give a layer of transparent varnish, especially if you want to install it outside. This is the case of wooden garden benches.

Finally, we can affirm that the construction of a wooden bench is a simple process that we can carry out from the comfort of home and with cheap materials. However, it is important to pay attention to the details to obtain a good result. 

Bibliography: https://badalacraft.com/como-make-a-banco-de-madera/

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