Furniture

Sturdy 2×4 Bench

A darling bench perfect for a garden, fire pit, or sitting on a patio or porch.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 3.5–6.8 hours
Cost: $$$

About this build

A darling bench perfect for a garden, fire pit, or sitting on a patio or porch. This bench is made from 2x4 framing studs, and is very sturdy. It is fit for 2 or 3 people.

Tools

Essential

Drill / Driver
Impact Driver
Miter Saw
Pocket Hole Jig
Random Orbit Sander

Optional / nice to have

Tape Measure

Materials

Item	Qty
Board, 2x4 96"	16 board
Board, 4x4 96"	1 board
2 1/2" Pocket Hole Screws	25 each
2 1/2" Self Tapping Deck Screws	25 each
5/16" x 4" Lag Screws	6 each

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.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Backrest Supports	2	2" × 4" × 16"
Backrest Frame	2	2" × 4" × 19"
Backrest Frame	2	2" × 4" × 56"
Seat Planks & Seat Frame	6	2" × 4" × 59"
Seat Planks	8	2" × 4" × 66"
Arm Rests	2	2" × 4" × 27"
Seat Frame	2	2" × 4" × 19"
Seat Frame	3	2" × 4" × 23"
Corner Posts	4	4" × 4" × 23"

What to buy

Buy 17 boards at 8 ft.

4" × 4"

1 board

23"23"23"23"

2" × 4"

16 boards

66"27"
66"27"
66"23"
66"23"
66"23"
66"19"
66"19"
66"19"
59"19"16"
59"16"
59"
59"
59"
59"
56"
56"

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 →

Start building →

Instructions

1Build Bench Seat Frame
Drill 1 1/2'' pocket holes and attach 2x4's to 4x4 posts using 2 1/2'' pocket hole screws.
2Add Planks to the Seat
Using deck screws, attach the seat planks to the frame. Start with the front and back planks (59"), then work inward (66"), leaving 1/4" space between each board.
3Build Bench Back Frame
Cut your 2x4's (19" & 16") at 15 degrees (measuring on the long side of the angle). Drill 1 1/2'' pocket holes and attach with 2 1/2'' pocket hole screws to build a frame for the back rest.
4Add Planks to the Backrest
Using deck screws, attach the backrest planks to the frame. Start with the bottom and top planks (59" and 66"), then work inward, leaving 1/4" space between each board.
5Attach Backrest to the Seat
Using lag bolts, attach the backrest to the bench seat. Screw the bottom 2x4 of the frame to the bench seat.
6Finish Bench
Fill holes, sand, and paint or stain the bench. Finishing off with polyurethane.
7Secure Backrest
Using 4 inch lag screws, attach the backrest to the bench seat. Lag screws should be spaced about 10 inches apart. Screw the bottom 2x4 of the frame to the bench seat.
8Build Seat Frame
Build the seat frame using pocket hole screws.