6/09/2011

Wood Bench

Karrie asked if i could make a quick and simple bench for her back yard, just cut a couple of 2x4's and nail them together. Instead i decided to make this: wood bench, autocad plans, pattern, pine, cheap, strong, design
Obviously it took a bit more time and effort but it was basically the same cost, right around $30.
I measured several existing chairs to get the right dimensions and sketched several different designs on paper until i ended up with something i liked. Then i drew it on AutoCAD to get the right dimensions and made sure it all went together correctly. Here's an image of the AutoCAD drawings i made.wood bench, autocad plans, pattern, dimensionsHere are the actual PDF files:
PDF 1

PDF 2

I printed out the full size pattern then cut out the pieces. I added the holes to lighten the weight, which i think it makes it look better too.
Again form and function working together.wood bench, full size pattern, templates
I spent a few hours tracing the patterns onto the wood, then cut out all the pieces.
pieces for the wood bench all cut out
I used a router to round over all the edges, then screwed and glued everything together.
wood bench arm rest, rounded edge, sand, routerpine board, bench sides, assembled, glued
There were a few surprises. One major change was that i decided to make it 4' wide instead of 5' wide. When i put the first 2 slats on i realized that it was too wide, so i cut them down to 4'. That also meant that it was stronger and there would be no wasted wood
since they were 8' boards.test fit wood bench, slats, rails
It didn't turn out exactly as i hoped. The seat could be longer and back rest could have been be more comfortable.
dimensions and plans and measurements for a wood bench
assembled wood bench, similar to adarondack chair
Once i had it all together i took off the slats then sanded,
stained and put two coats of polyurethane on everything.
wood bench, stain, polyurethane

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