Chainsaw, fence poles, six inch nails = garden bench

In retrospect I should have used nine inch nails for this blog post as it would have given me plenty of opportunity to put sneaky NIN quotes & references in it – a cracking band and to tenuously link them to a blog about building a garden bench would have meant an enjoyable evening listening to their back catalogue. Alas, six inch nails it is and a nod in the direction of Johny Cash for his cover of Trent Reznors “Hurt” which has no doubt served to introduce a few more folks to Nine Inch Nails. 

 

So, cut to the chase and back to gardening…. one important thing to remember when gardening is that you are meant to stop and enjoy efforts you have put in. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in what needs to be done that you forget to find time to stop, sit down, and relax in your surroundings. (Or in fact just chill with some tunes)

 

An all weather seat or bench is an ideal solution but a good one can be quite pricey and sometimes the more rustic the design, the bigger the price tag. This project is possibly one of my favourite build projects, not only is it scandalously cheap to make but any project that needs little more than a chainsaw, a hammer and a fist full 6 inch nails doesn’t imply or demand intricate DIY skills. And most of all once you have the general idea of the frame you can modify or tart it up as much as you would like

 

The bench frame is built from fence posts, the more rough and uneven the better (and also the cheaper) with the seat platform made from lengths of Yorkshireboard. There is the minimum amount of jointing work on the main seat supports and other than that it’s all held together with six inch nails. That may not sound like the strongest structure but it is actually very strong, and because all the wood involved is pressure treated agricultural timber, it survives the weather too. I have a number of these benches dotted around the garden and year on year I’ve done nothing to them in terms of repair or treatment. They are still as good as the day they were built, they just look a bit more weathered… but then don’t we all.

 

The material cost is well under £20 and it can be built in under an hour leaving plenty of time to sit down on it and enjoy a beer, providing the dog doesn’t hog the whole seat!

 

 

Materials

• 8 x 5’ 6” (2-3) fence posts, even width
  Cut as:
  Front legs – 2 x 64cm
  Rear legs – 2 x 90cm
  Seat support – 2 x 43cm, 2 x 114cm
  Arm rests – 2 x 52cm
  Back rests – 1 x 114cm, 1 x 138cm

 

• 6 x 56cm lengths of yorkshire board or equivalent 150mm wide plank
• 0.5 kg of 6 inch nails
• 2 inch nails (for attaching seat planks)

 

Step 1

Using a chainsaw or bow saw, cut the all the main frame sections from the fence posts. Arrange them Ikea style!

 

 

Step 2

Cut the joints for the seat supports in both the front legs and the back legs 38cms from the base of the legs. A chainsaw makes simple work of this however if you are using a bow saw then a chisel may be needed in order to remove the waste.

 

 

Step 3

Build the two end sections by nailing the shorter seat supports and arm rests into place. Drill pilot holes through the first post in order to avoid the wood splitting and ensure a snug fit.

 

Step 4

Nail the longer seat supports into place. Again drill pilot holes. The seat should now be taking shape.

 

Step 5

Using the off cuts from the posts, saw four frame supports. These need to be at 45 degree angles in order to fit snug with the main frame. 

 

Step 6

Now drill and nail the frame supports into place on the front left and right, and on the sides at the rear. .

 

Step 7

Attach the back support 10cms down from the top of the back legs and then nail the top rail in to place making sure its central. Thats a young New Hampshire Red pullet just in the background there

 

 

 

Step 8

Cut the lengths ofYorkshireboard and arrange them evenly on the seat supports. This is probably the only element you need be fairly accurate with otherwise the design will go from rustic to untidy..

 

Step 9

Using the 2 inch nails attach each of the seat boards to the front and rear seat supports. Rub down any splinters or rough cuts and stain if you want to colour the seat.

 

 

 

…now have a sit down.

Insect Hotel – Practical Project

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Having once being a little boy who, by rights, was into all things creepy crawly, and then later in life becoming an avid ecologist and nature lover, I have come to understand the importance of food chains from beginning to end. … Continue reading →

Build a Bat Box!

One of the major attractions of gardening for me is seeing what wildlife your efforts can bring into the garden. One way to increase the wildlife diversity in the garden though is to provide roosts or safe havens for them.

 

If you are fortunate enough to have bats frequenting your garden or allotment then why not provide a roosting box or resting place for them. If you don’t believe you have bats this may be because the habitat doesn’t provide natural roosting spots such as holes in trees or dry outbuildings so why not try and attract some with this simple design.

The DIY Bat Box

 

It’s a quick and easy design that you can knock up in an hour and even get the kids involved. Be sure to get snug fits on all the joints as good insulation and the avoidance of draughts is essential in attracting bats to boxes. Also use untreated rough cut or sawn timber, the later means it provides something for the bats to cling and climb on and former because bats are very sensitive to timber treatment chemicals

 

 

What you will need

Tools:

• Power drill
• Hammer
• Staple gun or small tacks
• Set square
• Tape Measure
• Saw
• Nails
• Jigsaw (optional)

 

Materials

• 120cm x 20cm x 2cm sawn untreated timber plank
• A short piece of wheel inner tube or pond liner

Step 1

Measure out the plank according to the cutting plan

Cutting Plan

 

 

Step 2

Cut the sections out using a hand saw. If you have a jigsaw you may find that easier to use when cutting the side diagonal.

 

Step 3

Make a bevel cut on one of the roof section. This needs to be approximately 60^o and will make a snug fit against the back and provide the correct angle for the front

Cutting the bevel

 

Step 4

Using a hand saw cut grooves across the width of the back section and for its full length to create a ‘bat ladder’. This is essential to give the bats something to climb up and hang from.

Making the bat ladder

 

Step 5

Cut an 8cm length off the acute angled end of the side pieces to provide easier access to entrance.

 

Step6

Nail the sides on to the back section. You may find it easier to drill pilot holes to reduce the risk of the wood splitting. Be sure to get them in exactly the same position on each side or it will throw the box out of shape.

 

Step 7

Slot the roof section into place and nail it to the side sections. Again drilling pilot holes if necessary to reduce the risk of the wood splitting

Assembling the box

 

Step 8

Staple or nail the pond liner or inner tube across the joint of the roof to the back section. This will reduce the likelihood of damp or draughts getting into the box

 

Step 9

Slide the front section in and nail it in place . There will need to be a ‘door gap’ of between 10-20mm to allow access. Any wider and predation could be a problem, any smaller and the bats may not be able to access the box.

Mind the Gap

 

The box should be located close to where you have seen or would see bats, close to the garden pond or near an outside light. It should be positioned as high as possible, sheltered from strong winds but exposed to as much sunlight as possible in order to maintain a good internal temperature.  Don’t be disappointed if the bats don’t take as readily to your box as perhaps the birds or insects have done to the other artificial roosts, they do so less readily, however after having a box up for three years,  this summer I’ve been regularly treated to a small hunting party of pipistrelle’s emerging for an dusk feast.

 

Mini Gate Hurdle – Practical Project

When we first moved to this house the garden was pretty much neglected and, in places verging on derelict. A visiting friend once commented on the fact it also seemed to be plagued with ash saplings springing up in all manner of places. Now ash saplings can be problem in a garden but by the same measure because of their rapid and more or less straight growth habit, they actually make a great material to work with from a green wood perspective. Green wood working is extremely skilful and whilst I’m a mere novice at it, this project is accessible to the first timer.

Here we create a miniature version of the gate hurdle which were used (and still are in some regions) to fold sheep. Traditionally they were made of willow, sweet chestnut and hazel, however ash represents an equally workable and possibly more accessible material.

 

This mini hurdle is ideal for edging vegetable plot borders, flower borders, or for holding back rampant plants that would otherwise block a path or flop over and get trodden on. The design is also scaleable and if you can master this small version then there is nothing to stop you turning your hand to a much larger version by using thicker branches.

In all it will take around 30 minutes to put together for practically no cost at all. I particularly like it because the whittling and riving of the green wood really does mean you get a ‘feel’ for real deal using materials I’ve grown in the garden. It also teaches some basic yet traditional skills used by smallholders & farmers over the centuries.

What you will need

Tools

• Bow saw
• Billhook
• Mallet
• Hammer
• Drill with 12mm auger and 1.5mm bit
• Tape measure

Materials

• 1 x 40cm x 4cm branch for end posts
• 6 x 60cm x 2cm branch for cross bars and support struts
• Panel pins

Step 1

Using the bow saw cut the branches required to make the lengths required for the end post, cross bars and support struts. Use the billhook to trim off any side shoots before cutting the branches to the required length.

Step 2

Take the end post length and split the section in half as described in the riving wood section. Using a sharp knife sharpen one end of each section to a rough point

Riving Wood – This is a relatively simple technique of splitting a length of wood into two roughly equal halves. Place the billhook on the centre of one end of the branch and gently tap it with a mallet. Gradually prise the two halves by twisting the top part of the billhook against the thickest half of the wood whilst gentling tapping the billhook. Don’t push the blade through, instead just apply a steady pressure moving the blade down the length as the wood is being prised open.

Step 3

Using the auger, drill five holes along the length of the two end posts. These should be at 6cm intervals measuring from the top (blunt) end of the end post.

Step 4

Again using the sharp knife (or you may be adept enough with a billhook) sharpen 5 of the cross bars at both ends and insert into one of the end posts. Then add the second end post. A gentle tap with a mallet will create a snug fit

Step 5

Drill pilot holes through the end posts into the ends of each of the cross bars and then panel pin the join. This will help hold the structure in place should the wood shrink.

Step 6

Rive the final cross bar piece using the technique before. Arrange the two halves in a “V” shape on the cross beams and drill and pin into place.

Fairly simple & cheap to make