How to Make a Bench Top

Benches are the workhorses of transitional home furniture. They can be placed at the foot of the bed, in a hallway, foyer, dining table and just about anywhere additional seating is needed. In order to make your own bench for your home, you will need to know how to make the top for the bench. The top is the seat portion of the bench. Styles and designs vary, but a simple hardwood top with rounded edges will create a versatile seat that can be adapted to your specific bench project.

Hardwood board, 1-by-16-inch, 28 inches long
Router
1/2-inch round-over bit
Sanding pad, fine-grit
Tack cloth
Goggles or safety glasses

Instructions

- 1
  Place the hardwood board flat on a work surface. Look at both sides of the board to determine the most attractive looking 16-by-28 inch side. Use the side you determine to be the most attractive as the top surface of the bench top.
- 2
  Rout around the four edges of the board on the top surface of the bench top using a router equipped with a round-over bit. Guide the router into the wood and move it along each edge just fast enough to allow the blade of the bit to cut the profile into the wood. Work in a counterclockwise direction.
- 3
  Sand the routed edges of the bench top with a fine-grit sanding pad. Always sand in the same direction as the wood grain to avoid scratching the surface of the wood. Wipe off the sanding dust with a tack cloth. A tack cloth is a lint-free cloth that removes all dust from the surface of wood.

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