I recently built this double bench with a centre table to replace some camp chairs and brighten up the place.

This is from a design that I made on the brilliant Sketchup program based on other designs I found there.

The primary improvement I made was to slope the seat 5 degrees, which leads to a more comfortable sitting position and does not overly complicate the build process if you have a mitre saw.

The SketchUp design can be found here.

The SketchUp model looks like this:

Materials

For all the sides, rails and supports, I used 90 x 45 mm recycled timber.

The front horizontal rail is bigger at 140 x  45 mm. This height is not critical – adjust your build accordingly.

The seat slats are 108 x 19mm floorboards cut down to 86 mm wide. You could use any decking timber.

The table and arm rests were milled from an old piece of timber to 130 x 28 mm. This was custom-milled. As long as they are all the same thickness, the overall piece will look good.

I used 14 – 10g x 75 mm stainless steel screws for the majority of joins.

8 – 10 g 40 mm screws were used to attach the seat slats.

The piece was finished with outdoor decking oil.

Step 1: The Frame

To build the frame you need to cut the correct angles of the rails: 5 degrees for one end and 10 degrees for the other. This leads to an overall slope for the back of 15%.

The first cut to make is the small bevel where the front seat slat will sit. This cut needs to be first so that you can align the timber correctly on the mitre saw. This is a 5 degree cut of only 3mm.

Once you have made this cut, do the other 5 degree cut for the front, then do the 10 degree cut for the back.

Once complete you can assemble the frame:

Step 2:  The Sides

Making the sides is straight-forward. Cut all the pieces, including the 15 degree cut to the back of the top rail and join all the pieces.

In this design I chose to cut a notch in the vertical front pieces to support the front horizontal rail. To do this a did multiple passes on the mitre saw with the depth set to 45 mm (half the depth of the vertical piece). This adds a nice effect to the overall piece. If this is too hard for you, or if you don’t have the right tools, just leave this step out and cut your front rail the same width as the rear rail.

To get the pieces square, measure and triangulate and adjust accordingly. If these pieces aren’t square, then the rest of the build will be difficult.

Attach these pieces to your frame.

Step 3: Seat Slats

The seat slats need to go on next as you will have to temporarily remove the upper side rail to gain access to drilling and screwing.

I cut a bunch of 9 mm spacers to help lay out the slats.

Once you have finished attaching them, reattach your side rails.

Step 4: The Back

The back pieces need to be square and all the same length. It is also nice to round them over to take away the bulky feel of the overall piece.

To round them, I drew a semicircle using a round saucer. Try to aim for a radius of about 45 mm (half the width of the timber). Then I cut using a jigsaw. On the recycled hardwood I used, this was quite difficult as the timber burns as the saw turns. Sanding tidies this up.

Once you have your four pieces, attach them to your frame:

The side pieces can be used to stabilise the two at each end, while the middle pieces can do with an extra screw. I used 3 screws in for the middle pieces. All others have 2 at each point (4 in total).

Step 5: The back slats and table supports

The back slats go next to ensure that the back rails are the correct distance apart. If you attach the top slat first, you can correct for any warping in the vertical rails.

Once you have all the slats on, go ahead and attached the pieces that will support the centre table, taking care to align the rear piece carefully to ensure the table will be level. It’s best to do this on a level surface and use a spirit level to align the rear piece.

Step 6:  The Table and Arm Rests

Finally, attach your table and arm rests.

I decided to shape the arm rests with a jigsaw to give a nicer overall look, but this is optional. You may alternatively round the rear corners the same as the back supports to soften the look without over-complicating the build.

I hope you enjoy this design. If you build your own or have any comments or suggestions, please let me know.