How to Attach a Lift-Up Seat on a Deacon's Bench

Cut one piece of 2-by-38-by-1 inch wood for the top brace of the seat with a circular saw. Cut one piece of 12 3/4-by-38-by-1 inch wood for the bench’s seat. Cut two pieces of 10-by-2-by-1 inch wood to create the rigid support braces for underneath the bench’s seat. Sand all cut edges of the wood pieces with medium-grit sandpaper.

Place the bench’s seat on your work surface. Place the two rigid support braces on the underside of the bench’s seat. Place the supports so that one end rests against the back edge of the bench’s seat and stretches toward the front of the seat. Place the supports 10 inches in from either side of the bench’s seat. Secure them in place with 2-inch wood screws through the supports into the underside of the bench seat. Use three screws per support spaced evenly down the length.

Set the bench’s back brace on the work surface next to the bench’s seat. Place it on the side of the bench’s seat that has the rigid supports flush to the edge. Space the seat and the back brace 1/4-inch apart.

Place a 1 1/16-by-36 inch piano hinge on the bench’s seat and back brace. Place it so that the ends of the hinge are both 1 inch in from the sides of the seat and back brace. Align the center of the hinge over the 1/4-inch gap between the bench’s seat and back brace. Secure the hinge in place with the screws supplied with the piano hinge.

Set the top brace and bench’s seat on top of the bench. Align the 38-inch edge of the back brace with the back edge of the bench. Apply wood glue to the wood where the bench and back brace touch. Do not glue the seat. Ensure that all edges are flush then use 3-inch wood screws to attach the brace to the bench. Insert the screws through the top of the brace directly into the top edge of the back of the bench. Use seven screws spaced evenly down the length of the brace.