How to Build Driftwood Furniture

Select the driftwood for your bench. Lay out all of the pieces, working from front to back. Start with three or four 5- to 6-foot pieces for the seat. Each should have a relatively flat, smooth side. Next to the seat, lay out two short pieces to use as cross-pieces. These will hold the seat together.

Choose two sturdy pieces of driftwood for the front legs. Beside them, lay out two sturdy 36- to 40-inch pieces to use as the back legs and supports for the seat back.

Arrange the most interesting twisted and curved pieces for the seat back. Lay out the driftwood so the horizontal pieces will support the lower back, mid-back and shoulders when the bench is assembled.

Cut the driftwood to fit your design. The two front legs should be 18 inches long, and all four legs must have a flat bottom. Remove any spurs and lightly sand any rough spots.

Rub paste wax into the wood until it has a smooth sheen.

Lay the driftwood for the seat out on a flat surface with the smoothest side down. Lay the two cross-pieces across the seat, aligning them 1 foot from each end and flush with the front. Adjust their position, if necessary, to accommodate the curved driftwood of the seat. Pre-drill through the cross-pieces and into the seat. Use two lag screws per piece of driftwood to attach the cross-pieces to the seat.

Attach the front legs to the bottom of the seat, flush with the front and butted to the sides of the cross-pieces. Pre-drill at an angle through the legs and into the bottom of the seat. Screw them together with lag screws. Then pre-drill two holes at an angle through the cross-pieces and into the legs. Attach the legs to the cross-pieces with the deck screws.

Turn the bench so it is resting on the two front legs. Measure 18 inches up on one of the back legs and align it with the cross-piece. Adjust as necessary so the seat is horizontal to the ground. Pre-drill through the back of the leg and into the bench. Attach the leg to the seat with a lag screw. Pre-drill through the leg and into the cross-piece to attach a second lag screw. Repeat for the other back leg.

Turn the bench onto its feet. Adjust the height of the legs, if necessary, by cutting the legs.

Arrange the driftwood for the seat back horizontally across the back of the bench, centering it above the seat. Pre-drill through the driftwood and into the supports, then attach it with the deck screws.

Test the bench by sitting in it and checking for any wobble. If the bench feels unstable, add extra lag or deck screws in inconspicuous places to further secure the driftwood pieces.