Basic: Bench

PROJECTS
b y C o n n i e B a s t y r i P H OTOS BY S C OTT J A C OBSON
Basic
Bench
Adapt a classic
design to suit
your style and
purpose
MATT SPROUSE
Three benches with different

finishes and shaping are all made
from the same versatile plan.
A woodworking classic, the traditional five-board bench is a simple

yet adaptable piece: You can build it
from scrap lumber or exotic wood and
vary the height, length and width to
make it function as entryway seating,
a bonfire bench, a coffee table, a workshop piece or a childs stepstool. You
can also change its personality with
different finishes and details.
For this project, we altered the design by making the seat top from three
narrower boards (rather than one wide
plank) to create a paneled look and to
alleviate potential warping. One of the
benches has angular lines (like the original style) and another features curves.
The plan makes efficient use of materi-
als: From five 8-ft. boards (a 1x12 and

four 1x4s), I made two benches: one to
keep and one to give away (maybe).
Simple supplies
This is a great skill-building project
that can be made using just two power
tools: a jigsaw and a drill. I built the
pair of painted benches out of poplar
and then made a pine version, which
I finished with three coats of polyurethane. (For outdoor use, redwood, cedar
or pressure-treated pine are suitable
species.) Each bench calls for 38 wood
screws. We provide a illustration (p.
28) as a starting point, but you can use
your creativity to adapt the design to
whatever size and style you like.
Projects
Cutting List
KEY
A
B
C
D
E
F
Cutting and shaping
(for one bench)
NO. DESCRIPTION
1
Center seat slat
2
Edge seat slats
2
Side rails
2
Legs
2
Seat cleats
2
Leg cleats
SHOPPING List
Begin by squaring one end of each

board. Starting at the true end of the
1x12, cut two 30-in. sections (one for
each pair of legs). From the remaining
piece (approximately 36 in. long), rip
two 4-3/4-in.-wide boards to create the
center seat slats (A) for both benches.
Cut four edge seat slats (B) to that same
length, using two of the 1x4s. From the
remaining 1x4s, cut four side rails (C)
2-1/2 in. shorter than the seat slats. Use
the waste material to cut the cleats (E,
F). Now you have all the parts for two
benches. (Instructions from here on will
describe how to build a single bench.)
Use a jigsaw and a straightedge
guide (photo 1, p. 30) to rip a 30-in.
leg section (D) to 10-3/4 in. wide; then
crosscut it in half to create two 15-in.
SIZE
3/4 x 4-3/4 x 36 in.
3/4 x 3-1/2 x 36 in.
3/4 x 3-1/2 x 33-1/2 in.
3/4 x 10-3/4 x 15 in.
3/4 x 3-1/2 x 9-1/4 in.
3/4 x 3/4 x 9-1/4 in.
(makes two benches)
1x4 x 8-ft. boards (4)

1x12 x 8-ft. board (1)
1-1/4-in. No. 6 stainless-steel finishing screws (60)
1-1/2-in. No. 6 stainless-steel finishing screws (16)
Glue
Paint, stain or clear finish
BASIC BENCH
7 BOARD BENCH
B
E
D
E
C
F
1" radius
1-1/4" FH screw
D
3/4"
C
3-1/2"
D
2" dia.
18" radius
5"
1-1/2" FH screw
B
3-3/4"
10-3/4"
B
D
3-1/2"
1-1/2" dia.
5-1/2"
4-3/4"
illustration by michael anderson
15"
projects
leg panels. Use a block plane (photo
2, below, right), a sanding block or a
router with a 1/8-in. roundover bit to
ease the long edges of the seat slats
and the legs.
To begin shaping the legs, first drill
a 1/8-in. pilot hole in each leg panel,
4 in. from the bottom and centered hori-
MATT SPROUSE
You can modify the basic bench

design by altering the shapes of
the side rails, the bench seat, the
legs and the handle cutout. We
gave this version the traditional
angular cuts on the legs and side
rails and then embellished it with
tapered cuts on the ends of the
seat. (Its finished with Krylon Dual
satin spray paint in Hunter Green.)
Rounding off the edges of the

boards helps to emphasize the individual seat boards and provides
a timeworn look and feel.
To cut a straight line with

a jigsaw, first secure the
workpiece to a sturdy surface. Use a clamp-on edge
guide or two hand clamps
and a straight piece of
wood to guide the saw.
Be sure to clamp the workpiece

securely to a workbench when drilling with a hole saw. Once the centering bit penetrates the back side
of the board, flip the board over and
bore from that face to prevent chipping of the surface.
MATT SPROUSE
This pine bench will look right

at home inside a cabin or on a
porch. As another option, you can
make the legs about 10 in. long to
create a childs bench or 6 in.
long (with a 16-in. seat) to build a
stepping stool or footrest.
zontally; then enlarge the holes using a

2-in.-dia. hole saw (photo 3, p. 30). Mark
two cutting lines, starting at 3-3/4 in. from
the leg edges and extending to the sides
of the leg hole. Cut along these lines to
form the legs (photo 4, below, left).
Mark the 3/4-in. x 3-1/2-in. notches in
the tops of legs. Make the short (crossgrain) cuts first; then cut the lengthwise
lines. This sequence makes it less likely
that youll overcut the notches. Mark and
Guide the jigsaw blade along the

pencil lines, merging the cut line
into the side of the round cutout.
Sand the cuts smooth and round off
the edges.
To be sure that the guidelines are accurate for

the leg placement, align the ends of the side rails
and mark the lines using a combination square.
Side rail
Use the waste plug made by the

2-in. hole saw to mark the 1-in.radius curves on the ends of the
two side rails.
Use a speed square to check that

the corners are square and the legs
are perpendicular to the table.
PROJECTS
For an easy, accurate parallel line,

slide a combination square along
the seat edge while
holding a pencil at
the rulers end.
An 18-in.radius arc complements the rounded shapes in the

leg and seat cutouts. You can use a
trammel or a string
and pencil to mark
the curve.
10
Attach the seat slats to the leg

cleats by driving two 1-1/4-in.
screws into each of the three slats.
FASTENER
FEATURES
When selecting fasteners for woodworking projects, you have several
options. Here are a few to consider:
This coarse-thread general-purpose

screw bites into wood, easily pulling
its head flush with the woods surface.
With its rounded point and medium

thread, a flathead wood screw requires a pilot hole and sometimes a
clearance hole.
The self-tapping tip of this trim-head

screw makes a pilot hole virtually
unnecessary in many types of wood.
cut the curves on the ends of the two

side rails (C; photo 5, p. 32); then sand
the cuts and ease the edges.
Assembling and finishing

To prepare to attach the side rails (C)
to the legs, mark lines 3 in. from the
ends of the side rails and bore two pilot
holes on each line. Using a combination square, draw another set of lines
3-3/8 in. from the ends to use as guidelines (photo 6). Set the side rails and
legs upside down on a flat work surface,
aligning the insides of the legs along the
guidelines; then glue, clamp and fasten
the legs to the side rails (photo 7) using
eight 1-1/2-in. wood screws. Bore three
1/8-in. pilot holes in each leg cleat (F).
Glue and fasten the cleats to the tops of
the legs using 1-1/4-in. screws.
Lay the three seat slats (A, B) top-down
on the work surface, aligning the ends.
Set the leg/rail assembly on the slats and
bore six pilot holes in each cleat. Drive
the screws through the leg cleats into the
seat slats (photo 8, opposite).
Attach the two seat cleats (E) about
10 in. from either side of center. Drive

two 1-1/4-in. screws through the cleats
and into each of the seat slats.
To mark an 18-in.-radius curve at
each end of the seat, drive a screw partway into the center of the seat and use
a thin piece of scrap wood as a trammel
(photo 9). Cut the curve with a jigsaw;
then sand the cuts and ease the edges.
Next, create the cutout in the seat.
Mark and bore two 1/8-in. pilot holes
4 in. apart in the center of the seat top. Use
a hole saw to cut two 1-1/2-in.-dia. holes.
Connect the holes with straight lines (photo 10) and cut the opening with the jigsaw.
Sand the cuts and ease the edges.
Once construction is complete, you
can finish the benches with paint
(brush-on or spray), stain or clear finish.
Then choose which one youll keep and
which one youll give away.
SOURCES ONLINE
For online information, go to

HandymanClub.com
and click on WEB EXTRAS.
Krylon, krylon.com

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PROJECTS

b y C o n n i e B a s t y r i P H OTOS BY S C OTT J A C OBSON

Three benches with different

A woodworking classic, the traditional five-board bench is a simple

als: From five 8-ft. boards (a 1x12 and

Cutting and shaping

(for one bench)

Begin by squaring one end of each

(makes two benches)

1x4 x 8-ft. boards (4)

illustration by michael anderson

You can modify the basic bench

Rounding off the edges of the

To cut a straight line with

Be sure to clamp the workpiece

This pine bench will look right

zontally; then enlarge the holes using a

Guide the jigsaw blade along the

To be sure that the guidelines are accurate for

Use the waste plug made by the

Use a speed square to check that

For an easy, accurate parallel line,

An 18-in.radius arc complements the rounded shapes in the

Attach the seat slats to the leg

This coarse-thread general-purpose

With its rounded point and medium

The self-tapping tip of this trim-head

cut the curves on the ends of the two

Assembling and finishing

10 in. from either side of center. Drive

For online information, go to

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