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Functional Beauty – DIY Bench

Bring texture and interest to your garden or patio with this DIY bench. It’s easy to make, easy to plant and easy to enjoy.

What you will Need for your DIY Bench

  • 18 mm shutterply
  • 69 mm x 69 mm pine
  • 60 x chipboard screws (4 x 40 mm)
  • 2 x window box containers
  • Exterior enamel
  • Wood filler
  • Sandpaper

Cutting List

  • 2 x 1200 mm x 100 mm shutterply (front and back)
  • 2 x 315 mm x 100 mm shutterply (ends)
  • 9 x 351 mm x 85 mm shutterply (slats)
  • 4 x 440 mm x 69 mm pine (legs)

Tools

Drill and 3 mm drill bit, 10 mm countersink bit, tape measure, pencil, paintbrush, scraper

Steps

1. Prepare the shutterply pieces for assembly by drilling all the screw holes and countersink holes as shown in the diagram.

2. Clamp the end pieces to the front and back lengths to create a frame. Secure this with chipboard screws.

3. On each end of the frame, secure a slat with screws. Insert the window box containers and fit another slat to hold them in position, then evenly space the remaining slats across the top of the frame. We used the shutterply (18 mm) as spacers. Screw slats in place when you are happy with their positioning.

4. Turn the frame over, position the legs in each corner, drill holes and secure them with screws.

5. Use wood filler to cover the screw tops and any imperfections in the wood. Allow to dry and then sand smooth.

6. Sand the whole bench and seal or paint the wood. Don’t forget to paint the bottom of the legs as well, to help protect them against moisture.

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The Gardener