Tag Archive for: seating

DIY Indoor/Outdoor Dining Bench | Pretty Handy Girl

Building a dining bench with 2x4s and wood glue

Hi everyone! I’m Jillian and I am so excited to be sharing my tutorial today!

I love to build and I am constantly looking at online stores and magazines to find the next design to conquer. I recently found a bench at AllModern that intrigued me. I perfer a bit more rustic farmhouse than modern, but the simplicity of this particular bench appealed to me. I just had to figure out how to build something like it.

I’ve watched a ton of videos of people making cutting boards because it fascinates me that such a useful tool is held together by wood glue and hope. I thought I could get this bench to stay together. Nothing but wood and glue (throw in a little hope!) Can you handle that? I know you can!

Let’s get started building a DIY Indoor/Outdoor Dining Bench.

Materials:

  • 11-2x4x8 boards
  • Wood Glue (don’t skimp on a dollar store version. This is the screws and nails of this project.)
  • Bar Clamps
  • Miter Saw
  • Table Saw
  • Paint brush or foam roller
  • Stain of your choice
  • Indoor/outdoor polyurethane
  • Sander with 120 and 220 grit sandpaper
  • Scraper or putty knife

Cut List:

  • 12- 2×4 @ 16”
  • 10- 2×4 @ 19” Approximate
  • 6- 2×4 @ 47”
  • 5- 2×4 @ 44″ Approximate

Instructions:

The first part to this puzzle is to rip all of the rounded edges off your 2×4 boards. This is why 1/2 of the cuts on the cut list are approximate. You will need to measure the width of your boards after ripping them and adjust the measurements accordingly. The objective is to make all the sides of the bench flush with each other.

Set your table saw to take off the minimal amount necessary to flatten one side on all of your 2x4s and then readjust the guide to do the same for the other side. This will make all of your pieces consistent widths.

Building a dining bench with 2x4s and wood glue

Cut all the 16” pieces and use two as a guide to figure the exact length of 19” pieces by making a “T.” The combined length of the “T” will be the correct length for your 19” pieces. Read more