DIY Bench Seat with Storage

This garden or courtyard bench seat is really a mini shed.

This garden or courtyard bench seat is really a mini shed. It's large enough to take all your garden hand tools from brooms, spades and rakes to gloves, pots and secateurs. Yet when the lid is down you have a handy timber bench seat and the tools will be kept dry. If you have a pool, it is also ideal for storing pool toys, umbrellas and chemicals in sealed containers, without having to find room in the laundry. And if you have a need for storage on the verandah or deck, it can be used as an outdoor 'mud room' holding gum boots, work boots, gloves and hats, and even firewood. While not totally waterproof in the event of a major downpour, it will shed most rainwater. And best of all, with its low sleek lines and oiled merbau hardwood timber finish, it will look great anywhere. Gather your supplies

A Box ends (2) 500 x 340 x 12mm exterior plywood B Cleats (6) 31 x 31 x 340mm merbau C Box sides (2) 1630 x 340 x 12mm exterior plywood D Box base 1630 x 524 x 12mm exterior plywood E Lid 1635 x 530 x 12rnm exterior plywood F End cladding (6) 90 x 19 x 524rnm merbau G Side cladding (6) 90 x 19 x 1668mm merbau H Feet (10) 90 x 19 x 90mm merbau I Short lid surrounds (2) 90 x 19 x 530mm merbau J Long lid surrounds (2) 90 x 19 x 1673mm merbau K Top cladding (6) 90 x 19 x 1800mm merbau

You'll also need

Exterior PVA glue; 1.5 inch (38mm) stainless steel screws; exterior oil Here's how STEP 1 15mm in from the outer edges of the box ends (A) mark in the position of 3 holes to fix to the cleats (B), 1 in the centre and 1 each 25mm from top and bottom. If you have one, use a 2-in-1 screw pilot bit to drill the clearance and countersink holes at the same time, making pre-drilling much quicker. Otherwise drill the clearance hole and then change to a countersinking bit to bore a housing for the screw heads. In the same way drill another 3 holes 27mm in from the edge of the box sides (C). Add another row of holes halfway along the sides. STEP 2 Glue and clamp the cleats to the edge of an end (ideally if short of flush by a fraction of a millimetre you will get tighter joints). Cleats not only give a better surface to screw into, they also greatly increase the gluing area making for a stronger joint. Once clamped, turn them over and drill pilot holes into the cleats to screw in from the outside using stainless steel screws. STEP 3 Form the whole box by screwing the sides to the ends in the same way. Add a strengthening cleat halfway along the sides where the holes have been predrilled. Then add the base (D) screwing directly into the edge of the plywood after predrilling and into the bottom of the cleats. Cut the lid (E) to be about 5mm over size so that when it is fitted to the box it is not too tight. It will be held in location with merbau. STEP 4 Measure and cut the merbau decking for the end cladding (F). On each end of the cladding accurately mark in the screw holes 30mm in from the ends and 20mm from top and bottom edges so that when the unit is assembled all the stainless steel screws will line up, giving a professional looking finish. Repeat this on the long side cladding (G), but here add a third hole centred and 10mm in from the ends. Also mark for 2 holes at the centre of each long board spaced 20mm from the top and bottom edges. STEP 5 Again using a screw pilot bit, drill the holes and countersink for the screw heads. This is necessary as the stainless steel screws we are using don't have selfcountersinking heads. Even if they did, it's nearly impossible to bury the screw head in hardwood when screwing through into plywood. STEP 6 Back on the box mark 78mm down from the top, then add a further 10mm for the space to the top of the upper piece of cladding to be fixed to the box. Then add further spacings of 90, 10, 90 and 10mm for the other boards. Draw lines right around the box at these heights. STEP 7 Apply construction adhesive where one of the top pieces of end cladding is to go, predrill pilot holes for the screws, then screw on. The stainless steel screws will remain a visible feature, lasting indefinitely and not rusting. Repeat for the other end, then check the length and add the topmost side cladding piece so it is flush with the end cladding. STEP 8 Keep working on 1 side and the ends, then turn box on its other face and finish the side cladding. Do not screw cladding to the top 78mm section of the box. Also, at this stage leave out the bottom-most screws as there is nothing for them to bite into as yet.

STEP 9 Screw pairs of feet (H) together for a total thickness of 38mm. Screw 1 of these double square blocks into each corner, screwing from inside. Screw the 2 leftover blocks in the centre along each side. Screw the bottom-most screws of the cladding into the feet and centre blocks. STEP 10 Fix the short lid surrounds (I) to the edge of the lid, with the screws located 50mm from the ends and 1 in the centre. Similarly glue and screw the long surrounds (J) to the lid with screw spacing of 200 and 520mm from each and 1 in the middle. Also drive 2 screws into the ends of the end surrounds. STEP 11 Set out the top cladding (K) so there will be a 15mm overhang at the sides and equal spacing at the ends. Space the intermediate slats so there are equal spaces between (around 12mm). Set out the screw positions to coincide with ends and the screws in the sides, then glue and screw in place from the top, again making a feature of the stainless steel screws. STEP 12 Use a rubber eraser to quickly and easily remove pencil setting out marks, sand the timber, then give the unit 2 coats of a clear exterior oil finish such as Intergrain Nature's Timber Oil.

1 Start by assembling the front legs, cross-rails, back legs and armrests. Then glue and screw together. This will give you the ends for your garden bench. (See Diagram 1.) 2 Assemble the seat and back support frames. Use a halving joint for strength. To make a halving joint, place the seat support over the back support, mark both pieces and cut out half the thickness from each piece. 3 Next, screw the seat and back slats to the support frames. To make things a little easier, position the frames upright on the bench or floor. Screw the front edge slat on first. Then screw the slat onto the top edge. Now you can screw on your first back slat (making sure it overlaps the top slat). Then screw on the first seat slat (making sure it also overlaps the front edge slat). 4 Now you can continue screwing on all the seat slats. Then add the back slats (leaving about 10mm of spacing between each). Tip: Before you screw on all the seat slats lay them all out loosely where they will be screwed in and adjust them so that the gaps are even. Do the same before screwing in the back slats. (See Diagram 3.) 5 Attach the bench ends (Step 1) to the seat and back as shown in Diagram 4, making sure that the angle between the back leg and the bottom of the seat is 100o. 6 Now attach the front crossbar from the back of the front legs. 7 Varnish with a coat of decking oil.

Materials 22m of 100mm x 25mm decking 2.4m of 50mm x 50mm decking 6m of 100mm x 38mm decking Sikaflex glue Galvanised course thread screws: 75mm, 48mm, 65mm, 35mm

Cutting List 100mm x 38mm (for the two arm rests) 50mm x 50mm (for the four legs) 100mm x 25mm decking (for the two crossrails and 14 seat slats and front crossbars) 100mm x 38mm (supports for the seat) Cut off shaded areas as in Diagram 2.

Como v na imagem, um banco tradicional que fez histria em muitas casas, tanto na cidade como na roa e que ainda hoje encontrado por a. A depender do acabamento que fizer, ele pode ter mltiplos usos, por exemplo, como console, como suporte no quarto, uma mesa informal de centro em uma rea externa, como banco mesmo mesa no stio, na casa de praia, enfim s usar a criatividade e personalizar conforme o ambiente onde pretende coloc-lo.

Vai precisar de furadeira, serrote, chave de fenda, rgua e lpis e, conforme o uso que pretende dar ao banco, lixa, tinta ou verniz e pincel. No mais seguir as especificaes no esquema e nas imagens abaixo. A tbua pode ser de pinho ou pnus, que so mais fceis de encontrar, trabalhar, so madeiras de reflorestamento e teem um preo mais em conta. Alm de 8 parafusos tipo estrela de 75mm, 4 cantoneiras com seus respectivos parafusos (16), como v na imagem n 1.

Sobre o corte da tbua de 3m de comprimento, 25 cm de largura e 27mm de espessura:

1 de 105cm 2 de 35cm 1 de 75cm

Corte corretamente seguindo a linha traada antes com rgua e lpis, e o mesmo deve ser feito com o ps o recorte como na imagem n 2.

Feito os cortes, comear a montar, utilizando a furadeira e os parafusos, tentando manter o alinhamento correto para que o banco fique bem estvel e equilibrado. No final, fixar as cantoneiras como na imagem n3 para dar-lhe estabilidade. Terminado a montagem, voc pode deixar como est, rstico e sem acabamento ou partir para dar um acabameno especial, conforme falamos acima: lixa, verniz ou tinta.

Bancosdebobinasdemadeira
Como eu j tinha comentado aqui, faz um tempo, esses so os bancos que fiz para a minha varanda, usando aquelas bobinas que parecem carretis gigantes, dessas que se usam para enrolarcabosdeao,etc.Euuseiumabobinaparacadabanco(saquelapeacircular)eum portodemadeira,usado,velho,queganheidaminhame.Ah,etambmalgunspedaosde caibros, desses que se usam em estrutura de telhados, alguns "Ls" de metal, desses para prender prateleiras e trilhos de cortina. E muitos pregos e parafusos rsrsrs. Para visualizar melhorasimagens,cliquenelas!

Aqui a verso banco grande, cabem umas 5 pessoas confortavelmente, com 2,10mt de comprimento.Useiumabobinainteiraparafazerumamesinhalateral,foispintardebranco e colocar em baixo aquelas pecinhas de borracha, que parecem uma rolha, com um furo no meio,paravocaparafusareevitarqueaportabatanaparede.Useiasmesmaspecinhaspara fazer os "pezinhos" dos bancos. Fazendo isso, voc evita que a madeira das peas fique em contacto directo com o cho e evita, assim, um possvel apodrecimento da madeira. Tenho esses bancos h mais ou menos uns dois anos, lavo a varanda toda semana e nunca apodreceramnemnada.

Aqui a verso "poltrona" com 1mt de largura, cabe confortavelmente uma pessoa e numa situao de namoro, duas bem encaixadas rsrs.E uma verso mais baixinha da mesa lateral,

quefizcomumabobinapequena.Paraapinturadosbancos,deiprimeiroumamogenerosa deltexbranco,paraselaramadeiraedarumfundoedepois,duasmosdeesmaltesinttico brancofosco.Essesbancos,comessapinturabemcaprichada,podemficarnotempocomuma durabilidadeboa,acreditoqueuns4ou5anos.

Vamosl,aexplicaodoesquemademontagemdapoltrona.Parafazerobancogrande, a mesma coisa, s adaptar as medidas de largura do assento, encosto e dos caibros que apoiam o assento e o encosto para o tamanho de porto que voc conseguir para fazer o banco: ANoprimeirodesenho,esquerda,oesquemadecortedabobina(aparteredondaque vai sera lateral do banco). Medi 40 cm de altura entre o assento (que sustentado por um caibro)eocho,ento,partirdofurocentraldabobina,mea40cm,traceumalinharectae corteali,paradeixarabasepronta.40cmdealturaumaalturaconfortvelparasesentare esticaraspernas,bemrelaxmesmo,jqueapropostadessetipodebancoumacoisalazer, diverso.... Nesse exemplo, a bobina tem 1mt de dimetro, mas poderia ser um pouco menor, acho queatuns80cmdedmetropoderiaser...menosqueisso,achoquenovaificarlegal... BNosegundodesenho,emcima,direita,narealidade,aoinvsde"B",ocerto"C", comovocvaivernoterceirodesenho(meio,esquerda)."B"oassento.Nesseexemplo,o assento tem 1mt de largura e 1mt de profundidade. O porto que eu tinha ganho da minha mesecompunhaporduaspeasde2,10por1,00,quevirouobancogrande.Paraobanco poltrona, usei um portozinho de 1mt por 1,60, assim fiz o assento de 1x1mt e o encosto, 1x0,60mt. CNomeio,ladodireito,oesquemadoencosto.Aquiseriaapea"B",euinvertiasbolas rsrsr.Comooassentotem1mtdelargura,oencostosegueissoetem1mtdelargurae0,60cm dealtura.Juntodessedesenho,oscaibrosparasefazeraestrutura:vocvaiprecisardeum paraapoiarportrsoencosto(D)com1mtdecomprimentoeumparaapoiaroassentona

ponta(D)tambmcom1mtdecomprimentoemaisumparaapoiarrenteaocho(D),fazendo aligaoentreasduaslateraisdobanco.E,maisum,demaisoumenosuns1,20mt(E),que vaipassarporbaixodoassentoeatravessarasduaslaterais,pelofurocentraldapea(todas temessefuro).Paraprenderoscaibros,use"L"demetal(F),umapeaemformatode"L", comdoisfurosemcadaponta,usadaparaprendertrilhodecortina,apoiarprateleirasetc.As peas "F" so presas por dentro, atrs do encosto e em baixo do assento, prendendo essas peasslaterais.Paraprenderoencostonocaibroatrsdeleeoassentonoscaibrosabaixo dele, eu usei prego mesmo, bem batido, bem enfiado na madeira, para no haver risco de machucaroupuxarfioderoupa.Antesdapintura,passeiumamassinhacorridanosburacos dospregosepronto. Nodesenhodomeio,esquerda,umdiagramadamontagemdobanco.Comoeudisse,a legenda: ALateraldobanco,peacirculardabobina. BEncostodobanco(aquisimestcertorsrs) CAssentodobanco(idemaoitemanterior) DCaibrosdeapoiodoassento,doencostoedabase.Nessedesenho,esquecidecolocaro caibro"D"napontadobanco,ondealihum"L"demetal.Foimal,sorry.Masquealivaium caibro, vai sim. E no se esquea do caibro da base, hem? ele que d firmeza e apoio em todooconjunto. EOcaibroquepassaporbaixodoassentoeatravessaem10cmdacadalado,aslaterais, atravsdofurodaspeas.Nessecaibro,coloqueum"L"emcadaponta,porforaeporbaixo, paranoaparecerparafirmlobem.Eum"L"pordentro,emcadalateral. FSoos"L".Sonecessrios14parasefazerobanco,porquealmdosqueprendemos caibrosnaslaterais(6emcadalado)vocvaiusardoisparaprenderoencostoaoassento,por trs,eassim,evitarqueoencostosemovimenteparafrente,porexemplo. Em baixo, esquerda, a vista frontal do banco e ao lado, uma perspectiva bem tortinha dele.Comofizmoessesdesenhos,relevemcertascoisastortasqueestonele. Parasefazerobancomaior,substituatodasasmedidasdelarguradeassento,encostoe caibros pela largura que voc quer nesse banco maior. Detalhe: os portes de madeira que useiparaessesbancos,euuseidojeitoquevieram,nodesmonteinenhum,scorteimesmo. Ento, o lado liso (que geralmente fica virado pra rua, com as pontas arredondadas dos parafusos)ficoupraforadobancoeoladodoportoquetemaquelasmadeirasaparafusadas meio na diagonal, fazendo a estrutura dele, com as pontas rosqueadas e eventuais porcas, ficoupratrsdobanco,commadeirasestruturaisetudo.Eusimplesmentepasseiamakitae pronto.