DIY Folding Bench | Turns Into a Table

okay in this video i'm gonna be making a three for one it's a bench or is it a table or is it a picnic table let me show you how i made it for this project i'm actually using the leftover seed or two by fours i have on hand from building a fence so i first had to load it up and transport it over to my personal shop from my commercial retail space the woodshed anytime i'm hauling lumber these days i always reach for one of my simple straps this is extremely flexible strapping that sticks to itself regardless of if it's wet or dry you just need a few wraps then tuck the end into itself they come in long strips but are meant to be cut to length which is quick to do with a simple pocket knife for this project i'm actually using the leftover cedar two by fours i have on hand from building a fence so i started off by loading them onto my armor tool mobile workbench and getting them ready for building personally when i work with cedar i always run the boards through my thickness planer first to remove the roughness and save on sanding later on then i moved all the boards over to the miter saw to start cutting up the needed pieces if you're interested in a full cut list and material list for this project i have plans linked for you down below since i was going off my cut list i was able to process all of my boards at the same time and just a tip for you i always move my workbench in line with my miter saw stand so that i can pull my material directly off and into position after everything was cut then i started assembling this bench will be for kiddos so it's lower to the ground but know that you can very easily raise it up higher for adults you just need longer legs i grabbed what will be the two legs and the stretcher that connects them and started putting them together you can see that i used a scrap near the bottom to make setting the legs in place easier i applied some outdoor wood glue then once the top was flush all the way across i used the countersink first and then drove in two screws per leg after attaching the first i repeated on the second then i made another assembly identical to it for the other side if you're making both benches at the same time then you would want to make four total then i set those aside and started making the bench seat for this i laid out four two by fours on my workbench and lined up the ends flush to each other i first found center on the bottom board then started attaching a center support member again using the countersink first then driving in the screws after attaching it to the bottom board i moved to the top board and repeated note use a speed square to ensure you're attaching this board on at a 90. now that i have the top and bottom attached i cut a spacer to make spacing out the remaining boards equal then i went back to the center and attached the center support to these middle two boards as well now we can attach the two the ends won't want to stand up on their own so i grab some clamps to increase their footprint and this works like a champ at least well enough for me to grab the bottom and set it into place next was attach them together i first applied wood glue then use screws and all of the boards to go into the leg assembly and i recommend using a speed square here to ensure the leg is not only square to the bench seat but also vertically from the ground after checking both planes i drove in the screws on both sides again using my spacer to make sure everything was nice and even alright now let's add the left and right supports that will join the bottom boards together and stiffen up the seat easy enough let's move on to making the top this is almost the same as the seat except it has more supports in the center of it so i first laid out my marks according to my plans then set the boards in place once i confirm that it all looked equal i attached them now on to the arm assembly for this i first cut the two pieces that make up the bottom and the front of the arm and then use my triton super jaws to join them together it's worth noting that i first only used wood glue and screws here but later came back and added some dowels to reinforce this joint some once i was put together i added a strap hinge this is the part that will allow the bench to convert into a table by folding up or down by folding after getting it attached to the bottom of the assembly i moved to the top and added on what will be the back this is also the part that will allow me to attach this entire unit to the back itself i set it in place then used a clamp to secure everything down while i drove in screws okay so let's set it in place now and figure out where it needs to be set in order to fold forward and work properly there isn't an easy way to set it in place then start folding it forward to mark the needed screw locations without moving it so i ended up cutting a scrap to link so that i could flip the top forward and it hold it in place for me and this worked beautifully once it was forward i was able to use the countersink and screws to attach the hinge in the needed location okay it isn't completely done yet but let's try it out that's pretty neat huh okay last part that's needed is the arm simple enough i used a roll of tape off my workbench and used its curved surface to trace a round shape on my 2x4 and then i cut it out over at the bandsaw now this arm can be attached to the entire assembly and if you build this definitely follow my plans instructions instead of what i'm doing here remember that as i'm building these projects on video i'm building them for the first time so if i see something that can be refined or done easier then i make that change in the plans to help people who want to replicate the project so anyways it would be much better to attach the arm in place before the entire arm assembly gets attached but i made it work by using my armor tool pocket hole jig and connecting it in that way from underneath okay let's see how that works so it's a bench that can be tucked on a port but then easily converted into an eating station in just a few seconds then if you go through all the steps to build an identical second they could be moved together and turned into a larger seating area that could go back to two benches after all the festivities are done i personally don't think these will be moved together very often but the fact that it's another option is pretty cool remember that if you want to build your own then i have a set of plans over on my website to download also if you're interested in outdoor furniture then check out my website where i have plans and templates for a ton of other projects such as a folding adirondack chair rocking chair and poor swing i really hope that you have enjoyed this video i've left the links to everything i mentioned down in the description also if you're interested in an aw hat or other aw merge then that's also link for you down below i will see you on whatever i'm building next monday morphin picnic tables if you're looking for some great software's plans then i have a link for you right here for this one as well as two other variations this one's cheap it's sturdy it's very quick to put together and the thing that i like the best is that it's pulled and it's collapsible

Channel: April Wilkerson

Views: 493,755

Keywords: april wilkerson, diy, triton tools, wilkerdos, wilker dos, how to, home improvement, shop project, wood, diy project, woodworking shop, outdoor project, female builder, diy shop project, april, female woodworker, female carpenter, diy projects, woodworking project, women who build, do it yourself, how to build, woman builder, diy bench, diy table, diy bench table, outdoor table, picnic table diy, picnic table bench, picnic table plans, picnic table, wood project

Id: tHzqpnyTDYY

Length: 7min 56sec (476 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 16 2020