Knotty Bench

 I first saw these benches at Brimfield a few years ago. I couldn't wait to make my own. First you have to find a  headboard and footboard. They seem to abound, especially the odd sizes.

This youth bed was perfect.

Cut the footboard in half. I used a jigsaw. Then I bought some knotty pine boards; 1x 2" for the ledger boards and 1x 4" for the apron and seat. 

I started by adding ledger boards on the footboard/side pieces. I placed them just a board depth down from the the top of the horizontal boards. This allowed for the planks I added for the seat. 

Next, measure from the bottom of the leg to the bottom of the ledger board. Use that measurement to position the ledger board on the headboard. Glue and screw the ledger boards in place. 

I attached the sides by putting screws in from the back of the headboard. Predrill to avoid  splitting. To stabilize and square the corners, I added 4" pieces of wood with 45˚ angles on either end with screws. 

 Cut a piece of 1x4 to fit the area between the two front uprights. This is called an apron. Glue and screw it in from the outside of the sides. It should be even with the top of the ledger boards.

Add a piece of 1x2" in the center to stabilize your seat.

 Five 1x4" planks were used to make the seat. They rest on the ledger boards. I had to cut out little notches at the four corners to accommodate the bedposts. Glue and finishing nails secured the seat in place. At this point I set all of the nails with a nail set and took out the screws, used a larger drill bit in the holes and drilled down abut 1/8" so that when I replaced the screws the heads were beneath the surface of the wood. It's a bit time consuming but you'll thank me later when your bench looks professional.

The next step is to use paintable caulk to fill in all of the holes and gaps. Smooth the caulk with a putty knife (or old credit card) and a wet finger. Prime with a stain blocker (like Bin or Kilz) to seal the knots and old varnish, otherwise they will bleed through your final paint finish. The primer will raise the grain on the new boards making them feel rough. Lightly sand with fine sandpaper then spray with any color you wish.

Tuck this in a shaded patio, at the end of a bed or just about any place you could use some extra seating.