Fire Pit Bench

I made this Fire Pit Bench in an afternoon.  It’s a great real life project, that beginners and advanced beginners can make.  The bench is sturdy and since there is a great space underneath it for firewood it’s practical too.  I also really liked the look and I’m considering make a few more.  Outdoor cedar benches always look so nice, and with a little treatment can last a long time.

I found the plan for this in a book I picked up: Black & Decker Outdoor Wood Furnishings You can get it for pretty cheap at amazon.  I’ve seen the same plan published in other Black & Decker books too.  If you haven’t checked out some of Black & Decker’s woodworking books there definitely a great investment.  I’ve created many projects, and been inspired to build other things based on their plans.

For a little extra help with this project I also put together a video of how I made this below.  If you make one of these be sure to post it over on the WoodLogger Facebook Page.  I’d love to see how yours turns out.

Materials

Not a lot for this one.  I used a single board that I was able to pickup at Lowe’s.

• (2)  2″ x 2″ x 8′ – Cedar
• (4)  1″ x 4″ x 8′ – Cedar
• (4)  2″ x 4″ x 8′ – Cedar
• (1)  1″ x 2″ x 8′ – Cedar

Milling & Assembly

	For the bench I chose to make all of my cuts using a miter saw.  Nothing complicated about these cuts.
	To start on the bench the first thing I worked on was creating the sides.
	After building the side frame, I attached side runner boards to the frame to create a more sturdy side.  If you follow the plan it actually uses a more decorative look of running the boards at an angle.  I chose a more simple look.
	I attached three frame boards around the sides.  The top deliberately doesn’t have a board as it will be hidden by the top of the bench.  After I attached the frames, I then flipped the side over and attached a cleat.  The top of the bench will be attached to these.
	After I had the sides assembled, I attached a front board to the side for decorative purposes.Here is a completed side with the cleat on the inside, and the decorative frame on the outside.
	I attached the completed sides to the top of the bench. I used side beams as spacers before attaching them.I attached the top of the bench to the sides and cleats using deck screws.
	For the shelf I attached the shelf boards to a couple of 2×2’s. After building the shelf I attached it to the sides of the bench using deck screws.
	I used a Quick Corners Set marking tool to help with marking the cuts I would make on the corners of the bench.I cut the corners off of the bench using a jig saw to give it a smoother profile.

Finishing

To finish this, I sanded the whole piece using medium grit sandpaper.  I also Broke all of the hard edges with sandpaper.  I applied two coats of an exterior rated lacquer.

Items Used to Finish this