Natural Wood DIY Garden Bench Tutorial
by
Front Porch Ideas
(IC: blogger)
Our garden bench project is not only something doable, but results in a lasting gift or garden decor that will be cherished for years to come. Leaving the edges of the wood natural makes it a perfect outdoor accent for any style garden, porch, entry, or home.
Though it may seem difficult, with the right tools it's a project for people with basic to intermediate woodworking skills and we provide you with a step-by-step tutorial, complete with a video, in full on our site! Here's the basics of what we did-
Though it may seem difficult, with the right tools it's a project for people with basic to intermediate woodworking skills and we provide you with a step-by-step tutorial, complete with a video, in full on our site! Here's the basics of what we did-
Our bench is made from cherry, but no matter what wood you choose to use, the process is basically the same- you need a top and two legs. Most garden benches are between 16 and 20 inches tall; however, you can choose a different height if you wish.
Cutting wood: I cut the legs from the same piece of cherry so our height was determined by that amount of wood I had on hand. Our seat is 44 inches long and the legs are 16 3/4 inches long (cutting the parts from the same piece of wood allows you to carry the color and grain across the piece making for a more aesthetically pleasing bench).
Making square: If the boards you are working with are not out-of-square too much, you may be able to sand them square. In our case it would have taken considerable effort to sand it square, so I opted to use a portable planer.
You have several options for attaching the legs to the seat. I used dowels and wood glue which work really well and minimizes screws, nails, or other materials to keep everything as natural as possible.
The next step is attaching a brace between the legs. It is a bit easier if your legs are 90 degrees to the seat; however, in this case they were not which makes it a little more challenging. I simply angled the brace and slid into position and then used pocket screws to attach the brace, covering them with angled dowels.
I used a natural clear stain to bring out the wood grain and then finished it with several coats of poly to protect it.
Mary and I loved the way it turned out; a beautiful DIY garden bench for the yard or your front porch!
Enjoyed the project?
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Published June 3rd, 2015 8:36 PM
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Donna Stevens Jacobs on Jul 07, 2018
So beautiful. Nice workmanship.
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