2×6 Sitting Bench

I wanted to make a simple to build sitting bench.  A friend of mine had given me a few 2×6’s that were 8 feet long and who doesn’t like free lumber?  Minimal tools are needed to make this bench. Most of the cuts are just a matter of cutting the lumber to length at 90°.  The ends of the side pieces I cut to 15° for looks, and the legs have a slight taper to them.  If you don’t have the capability to make angle or tapers, those pieces could be cut square as well.  The tapers and angle aren’t difficult to do, but they do add a bit of style to the bench while making it more comfortable to sit in.  The bench takes a total of five 2×6’s at 8′ long.

Cutting the 2×6’s to length is half the battle in this project.

I like to cut the pieces about 1/8″ longer than needed if they include a factory end.  Then you can flip the piece and cut off the factory end ensuring it is square and smooth while bringing it to final length.

If you are using a power miter saw you can now set it to 15° for the side pieces and cut them to final length.

Once you have one of the sides complete, you can trace it out and cut another matching piece.

After all of the parts have been cut, you can mark out where the tapers and other cutlines go as well as layout the back leg/seat back piece.

These layout lines can then be cut by hand or by using a bandsaw.  A taper jig on a table saw could be used for most of the cuts.  I don’t currently don’t have a table saw, so the bandsaw would a good choice for me.

A belt sander is what I used to smooth out the rough saw cuts, but a hand plane or jointer would have worked just as well.

I took an 1/8″ round-over bit in a trim router to take the sharpness of the edges.  This is also a great time to sand all the pieces and make sure there are no splinters popping out.

Now glue and screw the legs and side pieces per the plan, forming the side assemblies.  Keep an eye on making sure the inside of the legs are square to the side piece.  Use 2 1/2″ screws for this step so they don’t poke through the other side.

Two mirror image side assemblies is what you should end up with.  I screwed from the inside face so you wouldn’t see the screws.

I like to use a pilot drill bit with a built in counter sink.  That way there is no risk of splitting the wood and the screw head sits just below the surface.  Using 3″ screws. install the seat slats so they overhang the sides by 2″ and the back slats overhang the back uprights by 3 1/2″.

Flip the bench up on end to give easier access and install the bottom support to each side using 2 screws per side.  I used 3″ screws in this part too.

The completed bench is ready for finish.  This material was given to me.  If you are planning on using the bench outdoors, you may want to use cedar or pressure treated material to withstand the outdoor elements better.  This bench is a gift to my mom, and she hadn’t picked out a finish at this point.  You could paint it, stain and clear coat it, or just clear coat it.  A build video is listed below as well.