Rustic Bench / Coffee Table Diy

by ScavengerChic

Looking for a bench that's easy to build and will use up some of that scrap lumber you have laying around the house? Look no further, I have the project for you.
From the lumberyard or your stash of scrap lumber, you'll need
two 2 x 4 x 8 ft treated lumber.
One 6 ft 4 x 4 post
two 42 deck balusters . When I wrote this, they were 97 cents each at Home Depot.
2 1/2 inch decking screws
finishing nails
Pallet wood

rustic bench coffee table diy, outdoor furniture, painted furniture, pallet, repurposing upcycling, woodworking projects

The first 2 x 4 was cut into 3 pieces... one 3 1/2 ft length, and two, 17 inch lengths

With the second 2 x 4 cut another piece 3 1/2 ft in length. The remaining length of board will be used for the bottom support.

I then mitered the ends of all 4 boards with a miter saw. You could use them as straight cuts, but I just happen to like the picture frame look.

Corners were then screwed together with decking screws.

Cut pallet wood to fit inside the 24 frame. They are not attached yet.

Cut my 4 x 4 post into 4 equal pieces 17 1/2 in length each.

Next step was to cut my 2 x 2 x 42 deck balusters ( or spindles) to fit in between my legs. Two were about 32 in length and two were about 6 1/2 inches. (The only thing attached at this point is the outside frame)

With the bench still upside down it's time to start attaching. With the deck screws attach the legs to the frame using at least 4 screws per leg. I used two on each side.

From the inside of the bench, attach the 2 x 2 balusters with more decking screws to the sides of the bench. This will serve as the ledge where the pallet wood will sit.

With everything attached except the pallet wood, I can finally turn the bench over.

Insert the pallet wood that was cut to fit earlier and nail into place along the baluster ledge. Could use screws or finishing nails to attach, I used the finishing nails from my nail gun, it's super fast and I don't run the risk of pounding my thumb.

Used a scrap piece of pallet wood on each end for added stability. These 2 pieces were about 12 1/2 " in length, screw into place. Their only requirement was that they needed to be wider than the 2 x 4 cross support. I placed mine about 5 inches down from the top.

Cut the remaining 2 x4 piece to fit as a cross support. This one was 39 1/2. Use decking screws again to screw into place.

Use a sander to soften the edges and get rid of any rough spots and corners.

Painted the entire bench white with an exterior semi gloss paint that I had left over from painting the outside trim on my house. Sanded again with the palm sander; this tends to really bring out the grain and the palletyness of the pallet wood.