Easy to Make Garden Benches

Materials

• Choosing a good wood for your bench is half the battle. You want something that will weather well without much upkeep. Cypress is a great choice, but tends to be very expensive. Cedar, redwood and white oak are all excellent alternatives, because they all resist rotting.

  Assemble your bench using galvanized nails or deck screws. If you decide to also use glue, be sure to pick one meant for exterior use. And, of course, you will want to use an exterior-grade finish to protect your bench. Stain is an excellent choice, but if you have found some particularly attractive lumber, you may wish to use a clear sealant instead.

The Basic Bench

• A simple flat bench is easy to build. You will want to make your legs about 16 to 17 inches long; the seat will add another inch, making your bench a comfortable height. Use four sturdy legs (4x4s are a good size for most projects) as your starting point, and 1x4s to build two square frames--one will become the seat, while the other, closer to the ground, will help brace the bench. Secure the legs into the inside corners of the frames to create the basic bench shape.

  Making the seat itself will now be very simple. Add two or three extra supports to the top frame, made of the same size material as the frame itself. Now all you have to do is nail a series of slats to the top of the frame, securing them to the frame and the supports. Finish your bench with the stain or sealant you have chosen, and your bench is ready for use.

  If you prefer, you can build a curved seat rather than a flat one. Cut matching curves in the end pieces of the frame and in the seat supports before assembling the seat frame, then build the bench as normal.

Adding a Back

• Traditional benches with backs can be as complex as you wish. Here is a simple method that uses some of the flat bench techniques:

  Instead of 4x4s for the legs, choose 2x6s and make the two rear legs long enough for the back; 34 inches is a good height. Taper the top of these two rear legs; the taper will start at 16 inches (or whatever height you have determined you would like the seat to be) and finish at the top end of the rear legs, removing half their thickness (about 3 inches). This will give you a comfortable angle for the backrest.

  Build a frame with supports for the back, similar to the seat frame but just short enough to fit between the two back leg pieces. Attach slats to this frame as you did to the seat frame, then finish the bench as before.