How to build an Old Style Park Bench

Introduction and material list

Introduction

The idea for this project came from a bench that I spotted in the zoo whilst on a trip to Melbourne, Australia (see picture to the right).
Although my version didn’t look nearly as old or as rustic as the original, it still turned out to be a mighty bench!

Dimensions

Ft and inch version

Overall the bench is nearly 60″ long, 35″ high and a little over 30″ deep.

Metric version

Overall this bench is nearly 1500mm long, 875mm high, and a little over 750mm deep.

The wood sizes

The dimensions given throughout this project are the finished (actual) sizes.
There are three stock sizes used in this project. They are 1 1/2″ x 3 1/2″, 1 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, and 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″.

You will need

Ft and inch version

Wood
Nominal size	Actual size	Used for	Total amount
2″ x 4″	1 1/2″x 3 1/2″	lower backrest rail, seat support, side rails	13ft
2″ x 6″	1 1/2″x 5 1/2″	rear rail, front rail, rear legs, arms, seat boards	37ft
4″ x 4″	3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″	front legs	40″

Metric version

Wood
Nominal size	Actual size	Used for	Total amount
100mm x 50mm	90mm x 45mm	lower backrest rail, seat support, side rails	4m
150mm x 50mm	145mm x 45mm	rear rail, front rail, rear legs, arms, seat boards	11m
100mm x 100mm	90mm x 90mm	front legs	1m

You will also need

Ft and inch version

-Two of 8″ long galvanized lag screws (coach screws),
-fifty of 2″ wood screws,
-a handful of 4″ galvanized nails,
-a handful of 3″ galvanized nails,
-some exterior wood glue,
-and some type of decorative wrought iron or metal pattern for the infill at the back of the bench.

Metric version

– Two of 200mm long galvanized coach screws,
– fifty of 50mm wood screws,
– a handful of 100mm galvanized nails,
– a handful of 75mm galvanized nails,
– some exterior wood glue,
– and some type of decorative wrought iron or metal pattern for the infill at the back of the bench.