Funky Wood Bench, Part 1

My pile of salvage dumpster piano wood has been calling so I decided to take advantage of the warm spring temps and my dumpster workbench and do a quick outdoor project. Simple rustic benches are a mainstay for rural folks everywhere and we've been intrigued by them for quite some time. The concept is simple and variations on the theme are numerous. Here's my first attempt.

Here I lay out some cuts on what was once the sides of the dumpster piano. I don't even have a good straight edge here so I simply used a long board that was once part of the piano keyboard cover:


I use my trusty DeWalt rechargeable power tool kit (drill, circular saw, reciprocating saw) a lot more than I would if my table saw was not in storage. But simple tools can yield good results. Here I use the circular saw and the rip guide to get a respectable cut:

Here I am cutting the legs of the bench. I'm using my new Bosch jigsaw (thanks Linda!). I've never had a really nice jigsaw and, I must say, I did not know what I was missing. A good jigsaw and a steady hand can result in pretty accurate cuts:


Here I determine the length of the "shelf" part of the bench :


Here is the bottom part of the bench (consisting of the sides and the "shelf"):


The seat goes on quickly with a few nails:


The secret to the seat's strength lies in these side braces that are attached to both the legs and top of the bench:


Here's the basic idea:


I cut some ornamentation on the leg bottoms:

Here I button things up with a few more nails:

A bit of sanding (I love my Porter-Cable palm sander!):

A bit more sanding:


This baby turned out pretty good if I do say so myself:


But here's the true test (smile indicates that Steve gets an "A" for this project!). Stay tuned for the application of Land of Enchantment-inspired color application....