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A short, sturdy bench with legs that splay out under a double-X brace on each end. It reads rustic and simple, but there's more angle work than the plain shape suggests: the legs sit at a 5° splay, so nearly every joint is a slight bevel and every apron end is cut a touch off square.
Five degrees is shallow enough that it's easy to get lazy and cut a piece square by mistake — and one square cut in a field of 5° bevels shows up as a gap. The fix is discipline, not skill: mark every bevel direction on the actual part before you cut, and keep the outside legs (double bevels) straight in your head versus the center legs (single bevels).
Pocket holes make this build. Drill them facing up in the aprons so you can screw the top down from underneath and leave the top surface clean, and orient the apron pocket holes to the inside so they never show.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x2, 12 ftLegs. | 1 each |
| 1x3, 8 ftAprons and stretchers. | 3 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftX cross supports. | 2 each |
| 1x6, 10 ftSeat top. | 1 each |
| Pocket-hole screws, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Wood glue | 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Outside legs2x2Both ends 5° double bevel, ends parallel. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 17 1/8" |
| Inside legs2x2Both ends 5° single bevel, ends parallel. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 17 1/8" |
| End aprons1x3Both ends 5° off square, longest-point measure, ends NOT parallel. | 3 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 7 1/2" |
| Stretchers1x3Both ends 5° off square, longest point, ends NOT parallel. | 3 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 9 3/4" |
| Side aprons1x3One end cut 5° off square, longest point. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 23 1/2" |
| Cross supports1x2Cut to fit the X between the legs. | 4 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 12" |
| Seat top1x6 | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 54" |
Buy 7 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
2 boards
2 boards
1 board
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 →
Because the 5° double bevels are so slight, mark each outside leg with its bevel direction before you cut — draw the angle on the actual board so you can't cut it backwards. Once the outside legs are cut, join them to their aprons and stretchers.
Drill 3/4" pocket holes facing upward in the aprons now; you'll use them to attach the top at the end, and it's far easier to drill them on a loose part than up under an assembled bench.
The center legs use single bevels rather than double, but the assembly is the same as the outside sets. Drill the upward-facing pocket holes in its apron too.
Connect the leg sets with the side aprons. The straight (square) end of each side apron attaches to the center legs — mind this when you drill, so the pocket holes end up hidden on the inside face rather than showing on the outside. This orientation matters more than it sounds; a visible pocket hole on the end of a bench is the first thing anyone notices.
Mark the cross supports in place with a square or straight edge and cut them with a circular saw or jigsaw. Fitting-in-place beats measuring here — the exact length of an X arm depends on how your legs actually landed, not the theoretical number.
Attach the remaining cross supports, offset from the first set so you can fasten them at the ends where the first pair crosses. Offsetting is what lets both arms of the X actually attach instead of colliding at the center.
Build the top first: join the two 1x6s edge to edge with a row of 3/4" pocket holes down the center seam and 1-1/4" pocket screws. Then set the top on the base and drive 1-1/4" pocket screws up through the aprons' upward-facing pocket holes into the underside of the top. Sand everything, easing every edge people will sit and slide on.
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