How To Build A Garden Bench In 6 Simple Steps

Get yourself a wooden bench with a simple design, and position it in a shady spot for your leisurely breaks. If you’re good with a jigsaw, it’s not difficult to make a nice contoured one with simple horizontal slats. Or you can find many similarly shaped offerings in garden catalogs and shops. A well-placed bench will be a welcome respite for the constant gardener, and the occasional regal admirer.

Steps on How to Build a Garden Bench

1. Get Your Materials & Measurements

You can make a comfortable wooden seat with curves by cutting out stock lumber and laying the slats horizontally.

2. Shape the Seat Supports

Draw the curves of the seat onto a 2x6, leaving at least 2 inches at the shallowest point. Cut both seat supports at the same time. Sand them smooth.

3. Cut the Back Supports

For each back support, cut one of the ends straight and the other by setting the angle at 15 degrees. Cut a curve to round over one corner of the straight end, and sand it smooth. Screw the back supports to the inside of the seat supports, splayed back slightly so that the angled edge is flush with the bottom of the seat support.

4. Make the Legs

Cut the two front legs with square ends. Use two carriage bolts to screw them to the inside of the seat supports, ¾ inch in from the front edge. Cut the two back legs with both ends angled, set at 15 degrees. Attach each to the outside of its seat support with carriage bolts, splayed back so that the angled ends are in a straight line with the front legs.

5. Reinforce the Bench

Size two spacers to fit snugly between each front leg and angled back support. Attach them to the seat supports with 15⁄8-inch screws. Screw a 1x3 to the edge of the front legs to connect the two seat supports. Screw two 1x3s across the top and bottom of the back supports.