A Garden Bench does not have
to be elaborate and you do not need detailed plans.
A
few simple pieces of scrap lumber, a well placed log,
or a bag of cement, some sand, gravel and an old plank all can function
as a garden bench. Low -tech benches look a whole lot better than high
- tech ones in most gardens, and are generally more comfortable.
A log in the garden sure looks more natural than a
stainless steel or brushed aluminum bench that grills your butt every
time you try to relax and enjoy the garden. Remember what you're
putting on the bench; it does not have to be perfect!
A
very simple garden bench can be constructed with a
piece of driftwood, old plank, or squared log and a couple of concrete
blocks.
One of my favorite types of benches
involve an old
timber, plank, or squared log, and some rock and mortar. (Do not use
railroad ties. I did that once and weeping tar ruins everyone's clothes
that gets near it.)
Build yourself two little rock towers. Make sure the base of each tower
is into the ground a little bit by digging a shovel sized hole and
filling it with mortar. Build a quick one -foot- wide rock wall up
about 14-16 inches(30-40 cm.)on each of your 'mortar' holes. If the
plank is four inches thick make the pillar 14 inches tall, if the plank
is two inches thick make the pillar 16 inches tall. Leave a cup in the
top of each 'wall'. Make the rock top of the two walls flat and level
with each other. (Mortar can pick up an inch or two of difference.)
Wait a couple of days for the mortar to harden.
Line
up your plank over the two pillars you've created,
and mark where the cups match the plank. Set the plank on level ground
with the bad side up. Drive a few (3-5) large nails, or better yet,
large screws, into the wood where the cups are. Fill the cups with
mortar and roll the plank on top of them, so the nails nest into the
wet mortar flush with the tops of your rock work. You'll have between
one minute and fifteen minutes(depending on temperature and humidity)to
set the nails into the mortar. Check everything before you stick the
plank up there! Mortar can be used to fill the top of the rock to make
the bench level; that is, you can use more than a cup of mortar if you
need to. Once you have the bench top setting in wet mortar, do a five
-second final check with a level(lengthwise and widthwise) and then do
not bother the bench for a couple of days. A permanent bench can also
be made of one treated (termite-resistant) 4X4, and a 2X8, 2X10 or 2X12
plank, or combination of boards to make an eight to twelve inch- wide
seat. Start with a treated, cedar, or redwood post at least 4 inches
thick. Cut the uprights to about 36-48 inches long. Cut a notch in top
for a 2X4 or 2X6 cross member. Although it doesn't have to be perfect,
it is helpful if the cross member nests in the notch so the top is
flush and square. Junk wood, or scrap wood can be turned into some nice
looking garden objects. If you have kids, you do the cutting, and let
them help with the rest. They can nail everything but the top. (Bent
nails on the the top can tear clothes.)
The bench needs to be situated in a permanent location. Posts need to
be sunk into the ground so that the top of each allows the bench to be
level and about 18 inches tall in the center. On unlevel ground one end
may be 12 inches tall and the other 24 inches tall. That's ok, kids
will like one end and large adults the other. Again, nothing has to be
perfect. If you can get within the bubble on the level, that's probably
ok.
I do not like to cement
upright posts into the ground. Posts rot easier when they're cemented.
I usually will drive a few nails into the bottom sides of posts to
dramatically increase the surface area. Upright posts need to be no
more than about six feet apart for an eight foot long bench. I suppose
two 4X4's could support a span up to ten feet if you use larger lumber,
but the bench looks best when it is between four feet and eight feet in
length with no more than a foot or so of overhang. Once posts are
tamped into the ground with side nails in place good luck moving them
around! The small cross member needs to be nailed before you set the
posts! (Notice that this little piece of wood is even with both the top
and one side of the upright post.) The long cross member needs to be
tacked lightly, the upright posts and the long cross member leveled,
BEFORE everything is tamped hard and nailed. Once you get it leveled,
tamp the posts in very solid(great kid job), and finish nailing the
boards on.
Alternatively,
the garden bench can be more complex.
Find some old scrap lumber.
The only real requirements are that the boards do not have pitch, tar
or other sticky material and the wood is not too badly cracked. The top
can be pieced -together one- by -four planks(as shown), one by eight,
ten,or twelve or two by eight or ten planks. The risers can be two by
twos or two by fours.
Cut
the risers at parallelogram angles so the bottom of
the feet kinda fit on the ground and the top kinda fit against the top
of the bench.
Note from the editor: Picture of bad
safety practices:
Make sure you don't leave this much blade exposed on your saw. (My
father wants to loose his fingers, hand, arm etc.) And don't ask me how
he took this picture...
Adjust and nail or screw.
The angles do not have to be
perfect, but uniform helps.
Check that the two sides
match up before you start nailing and screwing the legs together.
Before you start cutting the legs increasingly short, switch around the
legs to see if you can even things up. I've made a few twelve inch high
benches trying to level the bench and then claimed I made them for the
children, heh!
The two ends can be a little off,
but the two legs that
are attached should be close. Nail or screw the ends (uprights) onto
the bench cross member.
Try it upside on a flat
surface, it's easier.
Get someone to help you put
the ends on or stuff the lose end into a fence or something so you can
attach one side. The second side is much easier.
The
first side can lead to violent expletives!
It is
hard to get straight and level. Add the top to the
bottom. Make sure to nail or screw once into each riser and at least
three times into the cross tie.
A Garden Bench does not have
to be elaborate and you do not need detailed plans. 
I do not like to cement
upright posts into the ground. Posts rot easier when they're cemented.
I usually will drive a few nails into the bottom sides of posts to
dramatically increase the surface area. Upright posts need to be no
more than about six feet apart for an eight foot long bench. I suppose
two 4X4's could support a span up to ten feet if you use larger lumber,
but the bench looks best when it is between four feet and eight feet in
length with no more than a foot or so of overhang. Once posts are
tamped into the ground with side nails in place good luck moving them
around! The small cross member needs to be nailed before you set the
posts! (Notice that this little piece of wood is even with both the top
and one side of the upright post.) The long cross member needs to be
tacked lightly, the upright posts and the long cross member leveled,
BEFORE everything is tamped hard and nailed. Once you get it leveled,
tamp the posts in very solid(great kid job), and finish nailing the
boards on.
Find some old scrap lumber.
The only real requirements are that the boards do not have pitch, tar
or other sticky material and the wood is not too badly cracked. The top
can be pieced -together one- by -four planks(as shown), one by eight,
ten,or twelve or two by eight or ten planks. The risers can be two by
twos or two by fours.
Check that the two sides
match up before you start nailing and screwing the legs together.
Before you start cutting the legs increasingly short, switch around the
legs to see if you can even things up. I've made a few twelve inch high
benches trying to level the bench and then claimed I made them for the
children, heh! 
Get someone to help you put
the ends on or stuff the lose end into a fence or something so you can
attach one side. The second side is much easier.
