Friday, June 8, 2012

From Picnic Table to Bench

My neighbor was thrilled to get a free, large picnic table--the type that would be in a park.  But he didn't like the weathered wood that was on it so guess who snatched up the fabulous 2x10's?   Yep, I grabbed those babies quickly before he burned them or before they met some other untimely wood death.  One was split badly, but from the other five boards I made three benches. 
These are the simplest of construction.  I cut two 17 inch pieces for the legs.
 To each leg I added a board or brace 4 inches up from the bottom.
I then screw the leg pieces on through the top of the bench.
Two 2x4's attached to the leg braces make the bench sturdy and add a great shelf for shoes (I used free 2x4's from pallets).  Paint, sanding, and stain finished each bench--I painted one red, one white, and one blue.
You don't get to see the red and white one, they are in place waiting for next Saturday's Junk Fest, but I still have the turquoise bench to show you.  Try this simple bench, these are quick and easy!

7 comments:

  1. I love the simple bench... who couldn't use about 6 of these around their house? The color is awesome Gail, nice job!
    and again... free!
    Susan
    Homeroad

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  2. You are very talented. That is just the kind of bench I'd like to find to put at the foot of our bed. I hope you show pictures of the red ones some time too.

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  3. I would love a bench like that for my garden. You really got me thinking. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. The DYI boggers, including you, continue to amaze me! Who would have thought to reuse the wood from some old picnic tables. You did and you did it so well! This is probably the sweetest bench I've yet to see.

    The lesson I learned today...from you...keep thinking outside the box! Thank you!

    Small House / Big Sky Donna
    http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com

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  5. I just love these benches. Especially the blue colour. Turquoise or sea green, whatever it is. I would love to have some old woods to make things from. it's amazing really how much could be recycled if we use our imagination.
    Love your blog
    Janice

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  6. Awesome color of this table. You have good used of this table. Thank you for sharing this post.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate your kind words!