At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Overall
- 42 × 14 × 18 in high
- Between the ends
- 34 in
- Top overhang
- 3 in at each end, 1 in at front and back
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwood, surfaced to 1 in | About 8 board feet of finished parts | Buy more for waste and defects |
| Wood glue | — | Stretcher joints only |
| Screws | About 12 | Cleats, top and stretcher |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 1 | 1 × 14 × 42 in | Hardwood, glued up from boards |
| End | 2 | 1 × 12 × 17 in | Hardwood, grain vertical; glued up if needed |
| Stretcher | 1 | 1 × 4 × 35 in | Hardwood; includes 1/2 in into each dado |
| Cleat | 2 | 1 × 1-1/2 × 11 in | Hardwood |
Tools
- Saw for rips and crosscuts
- Jigsaw or band saw for the foot cutouts
- Router or dado stack for the dadoes
- Drill/driver
The design
Two ends 12 in wide, with their grain running up and down, stand 3 in in from each end of the top and 1 in in from its front and back. A 1 × 4 in stretcher joins them, its centre 8 in above the floor, set 1/2 in into a dado in each end. A 6 in wide, 3 in high cutout at the bottom of each end leaves two feet, which sit steadier on an uneven floor than a full-width edge. Seat height, 18 in, is a design choice. This is a bench to sit on; for one to work at, built to your own height, see the workbench plans.
Joinery and movement
- Stretcher in dadoes. The stretcher's ends sit in 1/2 in deep dadoes 4 in high on the ends' inside faces. Glue alone on that end grain is weak, so add two screws through each end into the stretcher, counterbored and plugged.
- Cleats across the ends. A 1 × 1-1/2 × 11 in cleat is screwed to the inside face of each end, flush with its top edge. The cleat's grain runs across the end's grain, so screw it with the middle hole round and the outer holes slotted.
- Top through slotted holes. Screw up through each cleat into the top: a round hole in the middle, slotted holes at the front and back, so the 14 in top can swell and shrink across its width. Estimate how much with the wood movement calculator.
Building it
Ends, stretcher and top
Glue up the panels
Glue boards edge to edge for the top and, if needed, the ends; flatten them and cut them to size. Choose straight, dry stock with choosing lumber.
Shape the ends
Mark a 6 in wide, 3 in high cutout centred on each end's bottom edge and cut it with a jigsaw or band saw; smooth the edges.
Cut the dadoes
On each end's inside face, cut a dado 1 in wide, 4 in high and 1/2 in deep, its centre 8 in above the bottom edge.
Fit the stretcher
Glue the stretcher into the dadoes, square the ends to it, and drive two screws through each end into it. Counterbore and plug the holes.
Add the cleats
Screw a cleat to each end's inside face, flush with the top edge: middle hole round, outer holes slotted.
Attach the top
Sand and finish all parts, including the underside of the top — how to sand wood, applying a wood finish — then centre the base and screw up through the cleats: middle round, front and back slotted.
Safety— For sitting, indoors
No load rating is claimed; the bench is for sitting, not standing on, and for indoor use. Cutting the panels and cutouts follows woodworking safety rules and each saw's own manual, such as band saw safety.
Before assembly
- Top and ends flat; ends' grain vertical
- Dadoes at the same height on both ends
- Stretcher shoulder-to-shoulder 34 in
- Cleat and top holes slotted at front and back
- All parts finished on both faces
A smaller seat is in the stool plan; all the furniture plans are listed in the coffee table plan.
More project plans
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Sources
A BenchRoot design for indoor use; every dimension is on the drawing and in the cut list as final sizes. Seat height is a design choice. The design was not built or tested for this page, and no load rating is claimed. Outdoor benches, which need materials and finishes chosen for weather, are not covered.
- 1.
Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Wood swelling and shrinking across the grain and very little along it, so a wide top and wide ends are joined to allow movement instead of being glued across the grain.
About this project
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