Greetings Mike! Thank you for the Outdoor Garden Bench project, I recently constructed one and I just love it. I'm thinking about modifying the plan to seat three people. I came to the conclusion that the extra 2x4 was not extra. I think it was intended for leg support, to keep the legs from twisting (warping), but was not included in the instructions. I also found and error in the print on the instructions where it shows the cut for the angle, where the armrest meets the back rest. The instruction has 15" and it should be 15 degrees. Mike I really enjoy your post. You really make things simple. Keep enjoying the outdoors. Thank you.
Mike - Great looking bench, and is designed simple enough I feel confident I could build one. Just noticed Mark Lengal's comment - what an act of generosity, giving away a $100 bench. Blessings to you and the family. Hi to Melissa, Hunter, Hannah, and Eva.
Good looking park bench!!! We built 52 of those built out of cedar for the county park last year. Once they dryed out, we used a natural stain and sealer, followed by 2 coats of polyurethane. Turned out great
Good morning Mike and Melissa, great job with the Park Bench build. Turned out really nice. Thanks for sharing with the building projects website with us. Fred. 👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👋👋🙏🏻🙏🏻
Enjoyed watching this build! Love the fact that you don't "not mention" the small errors but you "own them" and showed how to correct them. The benches will be perfect for the wedding AND the patio area. #HaveADay
I like the bench, a simple build for ANY would be Carpenter!!! I built a similar chair & bench 30 odd years ago from plans I got at a local lumber yard. This during my "wanting to be a half-ass carpenter days"!!! Not sure I ever got there, but I tried and was satisfied with the finished product!!! Good Job Mike!!!
Thank you soooo muchhhh.. i searched a lot to find something like that to teach me in details how to build bench.. and i start losing hope because all the videos i watch was not only very difficult they using too much tools and equipment i don't have it and they make everything hard to me so you are really amazing in explaining everything really appreciated you turn it it simple and easy..i'm a beginner and it's hobby for me.. so i will use all your details to build my bench..many thanks you are so good and great teacher i'm grateful i found you ✌🏾
When You started making the bench I knew You were gonna pre drill those holes to stop them from splitting I always do especially on the end joints.👍🙏🇺🇸
My 11 yr old son and I just finished this. It was the perfect project for him to learn how to read a tape, use a drill and change the bits, as well as understand that most times projects completed by weekend warriors are rarely perfect... lol. Thanks for the detailed video!
Mike, A tip from a Master Bluebird house builder, the next time you are at Home Despot pick up a wax ring used to set Toilets. Smash it in a shallow plastic container with a lid. When you start a project where you are using screws dip the tip of the screw into the wax. You will be pleasantly surprised at how well the screws will go into the wood plus it helps to not split the ends of the wood. Like you did, I pre drill all my holes.
Just down loaded the plans. This would look good on front porch of home. That was a nice build that even I can do[I thunk!]! Have a good day and be safe.
Mike, this is a very thorough, detailed video with an impressive accompany write up. I have reviewed many videos for my diy bench and your video by far beats them all in many different ways. Great job. Thank you for the much needed help.
Mike I have to agree you look like Tim Conway Dorf. I would have routed the edges to keep them from stabbing people behind their knees. Thank for sharing your video with us. Hello Hunter., Ed
Hey Mike, enjoyed the video and thanks for going over the building of the bench. I'm one that can't even build a good dog house, but I'm gonna give this a shot in a couple of weeks..lol Thanks once again you all have a great day and God bless you and your family.
We have cypress and eastern red cedar/ juniper in my area for rot resistance. but you can also use white oak. It doesn’t wick moisture and it won’t blow away.
Today I finished the 7th of 8 benches. We have 5 two seaters and 2 three seaters and a single 4 seater, but the last one is a little bit heavy. I hope tomorrow to finish the last two seat bench and we're set for the summer. It is a good design!
Thank you for showing me how to do this, I had to modify a little bit because I used 2x6 for everything(got it for free). Perfect gift for Mother’s Day
Norm Abrams couldn't have done much better. (Norm for President!!!!) On my own stuff, I use a roundover bit in the router for all exposed edges and corners. Also, since I'm leery of treated lumber for animals or people, and because it is expensive, i use yellow pine where I can, and spray it or brush on a thinned coat or two of linseed oil. Soaks in, keeps bugs out, sort of waterproof. Pioneers used it, Amish use it....good enough for me. Works on whatever is wood, for example butcher blocks, firewood sheds.
Just built a pair of these, using the Yellawood plans/video, and referring to your video often for the "real world" challenges. Like you, I opted not to follow the Yellawood recommendation of building the back as one separate chunk, but rather assembling it on the fly to the seat as I went. Worked great! 🙋♂️
I don't want to be a "you should'a" but here are some woodworking tips that would improve this. Of course there are diminishing returns. Glue and crew with Gorilla glue will tighten up the build. And 1/4" round over bit on all edges before assembly will make it buttery smooth.
That's one sturdy bench! My wife saw it and now it looks like I'm going to build one for her garden... Thanks for the plans (and addition to my "honey do" list!)
I built a bench like this using the plans but I made my seat frame rails measure 58" so I had to fashion a third leg in between the arm rest frames and it really works fantastic and looks great!
Mike: I built a bench using your plans in July 2021. We lost a Boy Scout to a fentanyl overdose and built one of these benches in his name for a local Boy Scout facility. Now 3 years later, we're going to build another one for an eagle scout project. Thanks very much.
Should always sink your screws deeper than the level of the wood. Softwood will close over the screw and keep them from backing out. Here in Northern Saskatchewan where I live the bipolar temperatures wreak havoc on screws and cause them to loosen. Hope this helps.
Good morning. Thompson Water Seal bout 3-4 coats and they'll last a long time. Did it to my 40ft gooseneck trailer don't regret it at all. Could also use a Sealer that's color coded to match polebarn or the house. Be safe everybody
Very cool bench. We are preparing for a backyard wedding as well. Our youngest daughter. Lost our picnic bench in a wildfire a few years back. Bet the wife would love a few of these to go around the house and possibly out at the cabin! Thanks for the plans.
Been there. Done the daughter's wedding on the property. Take a 10 to 12 inch log. Put it on your mill and spilt it down the center. Cut to bench lengths desired. Flip half round slabs upside down on two larger rounds with V notches cut into them. Wala! "Free" rustic benches that make the guests be like "wow." Beats $100 benches any day. LOL
4 hours? Takes me longer just to plan a job! And you're right about the cost of lumber! Goes up almost every 2 weeks in SE Texas.I also don't won't to be a "you shoulda" critic, but there's 3 things I woulda done differently: 1) the lower back board should have gone on before the seat boards. That will allow water to drain off the seat, not on to the seat. 2) the upper armrest stretcher should have gone on the outside. As it is now, they takes up 3" of sitting space, and the vertical back supports could have screwed to the back leg, and you wouldn't have needed to saw off the back boards. 3) angle the bottom of the legs to give it a slight lean to the seat. My $0.02. Great build Enjoy your channel!
Hi from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. great looking bench, nice and sturdy. I can imagine it will look twice as nice after a nice stain. Video was nice and easy to understand and follow. I hope I can build one of these for my home soon.
Been looking for a simple way to make a nice uncomplicated garden bench for a while and this does the job perfectly. Can't wait to bugger it up🤣 Seriously,can be done with the simplest of tools.
Ha, Ha, Ha. When you look at the end of the video and you're behind the bench you look like "Tim Conway" when he was doing his dorf comedy sketches. Just got a laugh from that. LOL
I was just going to say the same thing. I had to look up Tim Conway to figure out the skit name Dorf. That is so funny. Great video, but I'm not sure if I'll ever look at Mike the same. Dang that's funny
You need to see if you can find someone locally that can pressure treat lumber. Since you're doing such good lumber anyway and pressure treating doesn't require dried lumber you probably could save lots of money. Just saying, also I think there are some treatments you can put on your own lumber that would be as good as the treated lumber that you're buying at Lowes.
Hey Mike, I loved the video. It was super helpful and easy to complete! I didn't own a scroll saw or jig saw to make the rounded cuts for the arm rests so I bought two treated pickets that were rounded on one end. So, I just made a straight cut and it turned out great. Lots of fun. Thanks again!
Nice bench. You are right lumber prices are ridiculous. Hope prices come down so I can do some wood projects around the home this summer. Maybe even a couple of these benches. Stay safe.
Gonna build 2 of these, thanks tons, Mike. I've got one nice, cool spot on my property where people like to carry chairs and sit under a tree. This will solve that problem. Stay safe and best wishes.
Sweet! Nice bench. Love your professional instructions. That's weird with the extra board. Think I would have made legs 4" longer, just me. I raised my recliner 2". Feet now are flat on floor, before I raised it, feet were resting on sides of shoes, just too close to floor. You really are going to have to have more room, now you have benches to store out of the weather. Sure was a nice day to be outside. Great video!👍🚜❤
Dang Mike, you should look into being the head of the East Coast Professional Homeowners Association. Speaking of that, you might want to mention in your next sawmill video how you bought quality and your sawmill just runs and runs and runs, and can cut all the way through some pretty big eastern hardwoods, not just 12” of western semi-hard wood.
Hi there Good job, good looking sturdy bench , so much better than the big store flat pack benches , and more satisfying known you built them yourself , another good video Regards Davy
Great build Mike, you should have been a shop teacher. I'm saving this video I'm going to build this bench. Thanks for sharing have a wonderful weekend
Already had the wood and plans for a different bench. Tossed those plans and will pick up what else I need. Glad I found this.
Good Morning to all! This looks like a good Saturday morning project.
Like and enjoy the videos!
Great Job Mike! Really appreciate your no-nonsense, get-to-the-point instructions.
Good morning Mike and Melissa have a great day God Bless from Joel in Pilot Knob,Mo
Greetings Mike! Thank you for the Outdoor Garden Bench project, I recently constructed one and I just love it. I'm thinking about modifying the plan to seat three people. I came to the conclusion that the extra 2x4 was not extra. I think it was intended for leg support, to keep the legs from twisting (warping), but was not included in the instructions. I also found and error in the print on the instructions where it shows the cut for the angle, where the armrest meets the back rest. The instruction has 15" and it should be 15 degrees. Mike I really enjoy your post. You really make things simple.
Keep enjoying the outdoors. Thank you.
Mike - Great looking bench, and is designed simple enough I feel confident I could build one. Just noticed Mark Lengal's comment - what an act of generosity, giving away a $100 bench. Blessings to you and the family. Hi to Melissa, Hunter, Hannah, and Eva.
Nice garden bench. Looks easy to build. Thank you for the step by step instructions.
Good looking park bench!!! We built 52 of those built out of cedar for the county park last year. Once they dryed out, we used a natural stain and sealer, followed by 2 coats of polyurethane. Turned out great
Good morning Mike and Melissa, great job with the Park Bench build. Turned out really nice. Thanks for sharing with the building projects website with us. Fred. 👏🏻👏🏻👍👍👋👋🙏🏻🙏🏻
Enjoyed watching this build! Love the fact that you don't "not mention" the small errors but you "own them" and showed how to correct them. The benches will be perfect for the wedding AND the patio area. #HaveADay
Thx Mike & Exmark.....was gonna clean the garage today and now I’m gonna build a bench AND I don’t even need one!
I like the bench, a simple build for ANY would be Carpenter!!! I built a similar chair & bench 30 odd years ago from plans I got at a local lumber yard. This during my "wanting to be a half-ass carpenter days"!!! Not sure I ever got there, but I tried and was satisfied with the finished product!!! Good Job Mike!!!
Good morning Morgan’s! Great looking bench Mike. Homemade touches for the wedding will be great! Have a day!
Thank you soooo muchhhh.. i searched a lot to find something like that to teach me in details how to build bench.. and i start losing hope because all the videos i watch was not only very difficult they using too much tools and equipment i don't have it and they make everything hard to me so you are really amazing in explaining everything really appreciated you turn it it simple and easy..i'm a beginner and it's hobby for me.. so i will use all your details to build my bench..many thanks you are so good and great teacher i'm grateful i found you ✌🏾
When You started making the bench I knew You were gonna pre drill those holes to stop them from splitting I always do especially on the end joints.👍🙏🇺🇸
My 11 yr old son and I just finished this. It was the perfect project for him to learn how to read a tape, use a drill and change the bits, as well as understand that most times projects completed by weekend warriors are rarely perfect... lol. Thanks for the detailed video!
Mike,
A tip from a Master Bluebird house builder, the next time you are at Home Despot pick up a wax ring used to set Toilets. Smash it in a shallow plastic container with a lid. When you start a project where you are using screws dip the tip of the screw into the wax. You will be pleasantly surprised at how well the screws will go into the wood plus it helps to not split the ends of the wood. Like you did, I pre drill all my holes.
Atta boy Mike! You did a good job building that bench. Thank you.
Always a pleasure to watch a person who knows how to build properly and work with the right tools. Thanks Mike.
I built mine on a Thursday rather than a Saturday, but it still came out great!! Thanks for the video and the link to the plans.
Nicely done. I agree with the 1/4" round over comment. I typically use 1/8" round over for cross cuts.
Love it!!! I'll have to build wifey & me one. Job well done Mike.
Just down loaded the plans. This would look good on front porch of home. That was a nice build that even I can do[I thunk!]! Have a good day and be safe.
Mike, this is a very thorough, detailed video with an impressive accompany write up. I have reviewed many videos for my diy bench and your video by far beats them all in many different ways. Great job. Thank you for the much needed help.
Excellent video…congrats to your daughter.✝️
Rounding over the front edge on front seat board would make it more comfortable.
I was thinking the same thing
Mike I have to agree you look like Tim Conway Dorf. I would have routed the edges to keep them from stabbing people behind their knees. Thank for sharing your video with us. Hello Hunter., Ed
Thanks so much for making this video. I found the pattern & used it to make a bench of my own. Appreciate your guidance.
A sponsored video with five commercial breaks in 19 minutes! That's what makes America great!
Yeah I actually pay extra to RUclips premium to not have to listen to all the commercials. It's awesome and well worth the money😊
Nice job. Better put some cup holders in the armrests for those lounging around the pool parties.
I couldn’t say that fast enough!
Hey Mike, enjoyed the video and thanks for going over the building of the bench. I'm one that can't even build a good dog house, but I'm gonna give this a shot in a couple of weeks..lol Thanks once again you all have a great day and God bless you and your family.
Really enjoy the details you provided for this do it yourself project. Thank you
Nice work Mike. Try to get a Yellawood sponsorship for the next ones.
Have a productive day.
We have cypress and eastern red cedar/ juniper in my area for rot resistance. but you can also use white oak. It doesn’t wick moisture and it won’t blow away.
Today I finished the 7th of 8 benches. We have 5 two seaters and 2 three seaters and a single 4 seater, but the last one is a little bit heavy. I hope tomorrow to finish the last two seat bench and we're set for the summer. It is a good design!
Thank you for showing me how to do this, I had to modify a little bit because I used 2x6 for everything(got it for free). Perfect gift for Mother’s Day
Norm Abrams couldn't have done much better. (Norm for President!!!!) On my own stuff, I use a roundover bit in the router for all exposed edges and corners. Also, since I'm leery of treated lumber for animals or people, and because it is expensive, i use yellow pine where I can, and spray it or brush on a thinned coat or two of linseed oil. Soaks in, keeps bugs out, sort of waterproof. Pioneers used it, Amish use it....good enough for me. Works on whatever is wood, for example butcher blocks, firewood sheds.
Now that's a stretch! ( comparing Norm's work to this LOL! )
Nice bench and an easy to follow demonstration
Thanks for this guys, great explanation and instructions, even surprised myself by making this in an afternoon.
Mike, your "building videos" are always super informative, and incredibly well videoed!!! Thank you
I just love that Milwaukee tape measure....I could read that all the way in Kansas!
Good morning Hunter ;-) and Happy Caturday to all ;-)
Nice simple bench,love it,thank you😊
Hi Mike the bench will look great have a day love from TEXAS
Good Morning Mike, thanks for this video. So cool and easy.
Great presentation! Thank you.
Just built a pair of these, using the Yellawood plans/video, and referring to your video often for the "real world" challenges. Like you, I opted not to follow the Yellawood recommendation of building the back as one separate chunk, but rather assembling it on the fly to the seat as I went. Worked great! 🙋♂️
Thank you so much, this is just what i was looking for : ) greetings from Colombia.
This is perfect for my next project. Thank you
Thank you....very informative video. You keep it simple and show your steps.
I'm going to give this a try over winter thank you great video
Awsome Job Mike !!
That makes a nice Bench! You make it look easy!!👍👊
I don't want to be a "you should'a" but here are some woodworking tips that would improve this. Of course there are diminishing returns.
Glue and crew with Gorilla glue will tighten up the build. And 1/4" round over bit on all edges before assembly will make it buttery smooth.
That's one sturdy bench! My wife saw it and now it looks like I'm going to build one for her garden... Thanks for the plans (and addition to my "honey do" list!)
Watched this video when it came out. Home this weekend and building two know. Thanks
Thanks for sharing … awesome bench … 🙏🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Two years ago we got a new veterinary in town. I built him one of these exact designs. It was a welcome to our town present.
Nice!
Turned out great.
Hi Mike, I just finished my bench and I love it. Thank you so much for posting.
I built a bench like this using the plans but I made my seat frame rails measure 58" so I had to fashion a third leg in between the arm rest frames and it really works fantastic and looks great!
Mike: I built a bench using your plans in July 2021. We lost a Boy Scout to a fentanyl overdose and built one of these benches in his name for a local Boy Scout facility. Now 3 years later, we're going to build another one for an eagle scout project. Thanks very much.
Should always sink your screws deeper than the level of the wood. Softwood will close over the screw and keep them from backing out. Here in Northern Saskatchewan where I live the bipolar temperatures wreak havoc on screws and cause them to loosen. Hope this helps.
Good morning. Thompson Water Seal bout 3-4 coats and they'll last a long time. Did it to my 40ft gooseneck trailer don't regret it at all. Could also use a Sealer that's color coded to match polebarn or the house.
Be safe everybody
Great job,I’m building jumpers for my kids,I will save this to make a bench.Thank you and have great weekend.
Great job Mike ...if it was me I would include some 45 degree angle brace from the feet to the seat to stop any side to side movements....👍🇬🇧
Very cool bench. We are preparing for a backyard wedding as well. Our youngest daughter. Lost our picnic bench in a wildfire a few years back. Bet the wife would love a few of these to go around the house and possibly out at the cabin! Thanks for the plans.
Looks good Mike! I built a similar bench but modified it to have a flat shelf across the back for setting down a "beverage" etc.
Nice looking bench!, great job mike!.
Those should work out great for the wedding!. Have a day!.
Been there. Done the daughter's wedding on the property. Take a 10 to 12 inch log. Put it on your mill and spilt it down the center. Cut to bench lengths desired. Flip half round slabs upside down on two larger rounds with V notches cut into them. Wala! "Free" rustic benches that make the guests be like "wow." Beats $100 benches any day. LOL
4 hours? Takes me longer just to plan a job! And you're right about the cost of lumber! Goes up almost every 2 weeks in SE Texas.I also don't won't to be a "you shoulda" critic, but there's 3 things I woulda done differently: 1) the lower back board should have gone on before the seat boards. That will allow water to drain off the seat, not on to the seat. 2) the upper armrest stretcher should have gone on the outside. As it is now, they takes up 3" of sitting space, and the vertical back supports could have screwed to the back leg, and you wouldn't have needed to saw off the back boards. 3) angle the bottom of the legs to give it a slight lean to the seat. My $0.02. Great build Enjoy your channel!
Thanks Mike... great step by step video... I'm building mine this week using your video..
Have fun!
Thank you very much for share your wood work , very nice , I just started to doing one by myself 😉
Good deal!
Very nice bench It’s a Must have 👍👍👍
Nice project for a Saturday afternoon.
Nice👍👍👍
Nice. You made it look easy. Thanks
Hi from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. great looking bench, nice and sturdy. I can imagine it will look twice as nice after a nice stain. Video was nice and easy to understand and follow. I hope I can build one of these for my home soon.
Been looking for a simple way to make a nice uncomplicated garden bench for a while and this does the job perfectly. Can't wait to bugger it up🤣 Seriously,can be done with the simplest of tools.
Yep no problem, just take your time
Ha, Ha, Ha. When you look at the end of the video and you're behind the bench you look like "Tim Conway" when he was doing his dorf comedy sketches. Just got a laugh from that. LOL
ROFL, I thought the same thing!! :)
I see it
I was just going to say the same thing. I had to look up Tim Conway to figure out the skit name Dorf. That is so funny. Great video, but I'm not sure if I'll ever look at Mike the same. Dang that's funny
Thaaaat's who I was trying to recall,.. I knew there was something funny about that camera angle and Mike,...good one!
I was thinking the same thing
I Like that bench Mike. Great Job.
You need to see if you can find someone locally that can pressure treat lumber. Since you're doing such good lumber anyway and pressure treating doesn't require dried lumber you probably could save lots of money. Just saying, also I think there are some treatments you can put on your own lumber that would be as good as the treated lumber that you're buying at Lowes.
Look up shou sugi ban. It is an ancient wood preserving method.
Hey Mike, I loved the video. It was super helpful and easy to complete! I didn't own a
scroll saw or jig saw to make the rounded cuts for the arm rests so I bought two
treated pickets that were rounded on one end. So, I just made a straight cut and it turned out
great. Lots of fun. Thanks again!
Nice job. Neat little project. Thanks for sharing. 🇺🇸
I love those cordless tools....I'm still living in the dark ages 😌
This could very well be my next project. Thanks Mike!
Nice bench. You are right lumber prices are ridiculous.
Hope prices come down so I can do some wood projects around the home this summer. Maybe even a couple of these benches.
Stay safe.
Looks great Mike, maybe stencil one Bride & Groom and they can have it for their new home.
I really like that bench. I’ll have to build one. Thanks 👍👍👍❤️
Gonna build 2 of these, thanks tons, Mike. I've got one nice, cool spot on my property where people like to carry chairs and sit under a tree. This will solve that problem. Stay safe and best wishes.
Sweet! Nice bench. Love your professional instructions. That's weird with the extra board. Think I would have made legs 4" longer, just me. I raised my recliner 2". Feet now are flat on floor, before I raised it, feet were resting on sides of shoes, just too close to floor. You really are going to have to have more room, now you have benches to store out of the weather. Sure was a nice day to be outside. Great video!👍🚜❤
Job well done on a vary nice project!
Nice project for sure 👍
Dang Mike, you should look into being the head of the East Coast Professional Homeowners Association. Speaking of that, you might want to mention in your next sawmill video how you bought quality and your sawmill just runs and runs and runs, and can cut all the way through some pretty big eastern hardwoods, not just 12” of western semi-hard wood.
Great simple design. Comfortable removable cushions would be a nice feature.
Hi there
Good job, good looking sturdy bench , so much better than the big store flat pack benches , and more satisfying known you built them yourself , another good video
Regards Davy
That came out nice and an easy build...
By the way Mike excellent job! I really enjoy carpentry work! It’s nice to see a finished product! 🙏👍🇺🇸
Great build Mike, you should have been a shop teacher. I'm saving this video I'm going to build this bench. Thanks for sharing have a wonderful weekend
Nice looking great keep up the good work thank you
if you make 4-5 sets, make a template out something like 1/4” Masonite to predrill your holes. It will greatly speed up your assembly.