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Most beginner benches are built to be strong first and look intentional second. This one flips that: the angled legs and the top-cleat joinery exist specifically so that no screw is visible from any normal viewing angle — the fasteners live on the underside and the inside faces only.
The 10° angle repeats across every leg and cleat piece, which is what makes this an intermediate build rather than a beginner one — there's no single hard cut, just a lot of them that all need to agree with each other. Cut a test piece and dry-fit before committing to the full set.
Part of a matching collection with the Homestead Console Table already in this catalog — build both from the same lumber order and they'll read as a set.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Pine or cedar, 2x4, 8 ft | 3 each |
| Pine or cedar, 2x8, 10 ft | 1 each |
| 2-3/4" self-tapping wood screws | 24 each |
| Wood stain or paint | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Top2x8 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 7 1/4" × 60" |
| Top cleats2x4Both ends 10° off square, long point to long point, ends NOT parallel. | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 13 1/2" |
| Legs, long2x4Both ends 10° off square, long point to short point, ends parallel. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 15 1/4" |
| Legs, mid2x4Both ends 10° off square, long point to long point, ends NOT parallel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 11 1/2" |
| Legs, short2x4Both ends 10° off square, long point to long point, ends NOT parallel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 7 5/8" |
| Bottom stretcher2x4 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 52" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
3 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Cut the two 2x8 top boards to 60" and every leg, cleat, and stretcher piece per the cut list, paying close attention to which pieces need parallel ends and which don't — a 10° angle that isn't oriented the same way on a matching pair won't close up cleanly.
Dry-fit one leg assembly before cutting the rest — it's much cheaper to fix a 2x4 than to redo the whole set.
Assemble each leg pair — one long angled piece with one short or mid angled piece — into a splayed leg assembly. Repeat for both ends of the bench.
Attach the 2x4 bottom stretcher (52") between the two leg assemblies. This is what keeps the bench from racking side to side once someone sits on one end.
Attach the 2x8 top boards to the leg assemblies using the three angled top cleats, positioning the screws so they're driven from the underside and inside faces only — nothing should be visible looking at the bench from a normal seated angle.
Sand every surface and edge, then finish with paint or stain suited to where the bench will live — indoors or out.
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