The Family Handyman – August 2019

FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM JULY/AUGUST 2019 51

WHAT IT TAKES (per bench)

TIME

15 to 20

hours

COST

$90

SKILL LEVEL

Intermediate

to advanced

TOOLS: Circular saw, jigsaw,

router, belt sander, drill,

clamps and basic hand tools

I

f you think this bench

looks sturdy, you’re right;

it’s brawny enough to

withstand decades of hard

use. But if you think it’s

complicated, take a close

look at the following pages.

You’ll see how simple it is to

turn inexpensive framing

lumber into graceful curves.

Create the legs
Start with flat, straight boards—free of
splits, twists, cupping and loose knots—
and you’ll spare yourself a lot of head
scratching and extra work down the
road. I chose Douglas fir lumber, but
any 1-1/2-in.-thick stock will do. If you
have trouble finding perfect 2x12s for
leg material, purchase extra lumber so
you can cut around the defects.
To create a single bench, cut the four
22-in. leg blanks (A) to length; the ends
need to be square, so cut carefully. Pair
up your boards so when one is laid
atop the other, there is little or no gap
along the ends and edges. If you flip or
rotate the boards, you might find the
perfect fit. Try to have any defects fall in
the areas of the wood you’ll be cutting
away as you form the legs.

Build the legs
Mark out your leg template on 1/4-in.
plywood as shown in Photo 1. Cut
just outside the line with a fine-tooth
jigsaw blade, then use a belt sander to
sand right up to the line.
Use your template to mark the leg
shape on all four leg parts (A). With the
marks facing up, lightly dampen one
board—polyurethane glue needs mois-
ture to work—then apply the glue in
squiggles across the main body of
the leg. Use a putty knife to spread it

1/4" plywood template

(11-1/4" x 22")

5-1/2"

Scrap

9-1/4"

14"

21"

Spread glue beyond

the layout marks

Drywall

screws in

waste area

Mortise

1

MAKE THE LEG TEMPLATE

Set a scrap of plywood against the template. Drive a

screw 9-1/4 in. from the end of the scrap and use that screw

as a pivot point for your tape measure. Then swing the two

arcs to create the leg shape.

3

CLAMP THE LEG

BLANKS TOGETHER

Line up the mortise edges of the boards, then drive a few

drywall screws into the waste wood to keep the boards

aligned. Fasten clamps around the perimeter to force the

boards tight together.

2

MAKE A GLUE SANDWICH

Trace the leg shape onto two leg sections at a time, lightly

dampen the bottom piece, then apply polyurethane glue. Use

a plastic putty knife to spread glue slightly beyond the edges

of the layout lines and across the main body of the leg.