Sometimes I have an idea in my head and I cant find it in the store, or if I do I am not willing to pay the price tag, sound familiar? BUT let’s get one thing straight, I am not CHEAP, I am FRUGAL and to me there is a very big difference. Being cheap to me would be purchasing an item of lessor value just to have something similar to what I am looking for, being FRUGAL is finding the same quality item at a fraction of the cost, which requires being very resourceful and patient OR….alot of the time that means pulling out my TOOLS!!!!
But if you have been here long enough, you know that I love a good challenge and I also love the smell of sawdust, I know, I know so weird – Carpenter’s daughter, what can I say? My dad doesn’t know this but as a child I loved when he came home from work every day before supper and I could smell the sawdust on him as he walked by to wash up for dinner – there is nothing better than that smell.
About this bench, my daughter was wanting to put a bench at her entry way and she had in her head what she wanted but couldn’t find it in the store. So just like any mother with their intuition (haha) I came up with this plan and just started building. Literally I DID NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING!! I measured a couple benches I had in my home for height and depth and then went to her space and asked her a few questions and got busy!
Here is a link to my Instagram Highlight to see the building process:
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18053016847255405/
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
- 2X2 X 8 FEET LONG – 3 PIECES
- JUTE STRING (Dollar Store)
- WOOD SCREWS
- WOOD GLUE
TOOLS NEEDED:
- RYOBI Drill https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-18v-one-lithium-ion-cordless-1-2-inch-drill-driver-kit-with-1-1-5-ah-battery-and-18v-charger/1001412815
- KREG JIG Pocket Hole Tool Kit https://www.homedepot.ca/product/kreg-tool-company-jig-jr-pocket-hole-jig/1000711135
- CLAMPS
I had a bunch of 2X2’s on hand, they are like $3 a 8 foot length at your lumber supply store, so for this design I needed 3 of these total for the frame and legs. See below the pictures of the base and the legs – very simple design. I ended up adding a third leg in the centre for better support.
The building process was very simple, I built the above base with the dimensions shown (46″ wide and 12″ deep BASE) and for the “U” shaped legs (16″ tall and 12″ wide), when assembled the dimensions are 50″ wide and 16″ deep and 16″ tall because the wood is 2X2 (keep that in mind). If you make a bench, you can make it any size you want but just don’t forget to take into account the size of your wood when making your cuts and substracting the width so you have it all line up properly.
Happy Bench making friends, I would love to see what you build so tag me @little_country_mama
thelittlecountrymama.com 