4x4 Truss Beam Bench — board plan

What to buy, and which parts come off which board.

Buy 6 boards at 8 ft.

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 4x4

2 boards · 15.8 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 85% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 2 5/8" left over
65"13 1/2"13 1/2"
1. Base stretcher — 65"
2. Leg tops — 13 1/2"
3. Leg tops — 13 1/2"
Board 2 · 25 1/4" left over
13 1/4"13 1/4"13 1/4"13 1/4"8"8"
1. Legs — 13 1/4"
2. Legs — 13 1/4"
3. Legs — 13 1/4"
4. Legs — 13 1/4"
5. Leg stretchers — 8"
6. Leg stretchers — 8"

1 1/2" × 7 1/4" — 2x8

2 boards · 14.4 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 88% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 11 3/4" left over
68 1/2"14 1/2"
1. Top planks — 68 1/2"
2. Breadboard ends — 14 1/2"
Board 2 · 11 3/4" left over
68 1/2"14 1/2"
1. Top planks — 68 1/2"
2. Breadboard ends — 14 1/2"

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4

2 boards · 5.5 board feet (includes 15% for knots and defects) · 69% of the boards you buy used

Board 1 · 29 7/8" left over
65"
1. Side aprons — 65"
Board 2 · 29 7/8" left over
65"
1. Side aprons — 65"

Cuts are listed longest-first, which is how they should be made: the awkward pieces get placed while there is still board to place them on. The layout assumes one end of each board is squared off (1") and that every cut costs 1/8" of kerf — the reason six 16″ parts do not fit on a 96″ board.

3 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 4x4

Board 1 · 2 5/8" left over

Board 2 · 25 1/4" left over

1 1/2" × 7 1/4" — 2x8

Board 1 · 11 3/4" left over

Board 2 · 11 3/4" left over

1 1/2" × 3 1/2" — 2x4

Board 1 · 29 7/8" left over

Board 2 · 29 7/8" left over