Project Inspiration
This project is inspired by St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph inspires me because of his dedication to serving his family and doing God’s will all through his actions. We don’t hear about any words in the Gospels that were spoken by St. Joseph and yet his faith shines through the actions we know about.
We know that Joseph responded to God’s call to marry a pregnant Mary despite not having relations with her. It would have been very easy for him to leave her quietly, but in Matthew 1 18-25, Joseph responds to the angel’s message that Mary’s son is conceived of the Holy Spirit and he should take her as his wife. Joseph did as the angel commanded. This is a great testament to the faith of Joseph in God. He protected and provided for the holy family throughout Mary’s pregnancy and during Jesus’ early life. Jesus and Joseph were both referred to as tektōn which is a Greek word translated to either carpenter or craftsman. Joseph was a hard working skilled builder who shared his talents with his son and in his community. This is a model for all people and especially men in our world today. Through the inspiration of St. Joseph’s skills as a carpenter, this project uses some plans I found to create a wooden slatted bench.
Tools Needed
- Circular Saw
- Drill or Impact Driver
- Sander
- Paint Brush/Sprayer/Rag
- Mask (N95) or Respirator for Sanding
Materials
This project makes use of untreated softwood lumber commonly found in hardware stores.
- 2 x 4 x 8 ft QTY: 6
- 1 x 4 x 8 ft QTY: 3
- Wood Glue (Exterior)
- 2-1/2″ Deck Screws
- 1-1/2″ Deck Screws
- P120/P150 Sandpaper
- Wood Stain or Paint
How To
STEP 1
Cut List
The cut list tells you all the lengths of wood you will need to cut using your saw. Alternatively, Home Depot and Lowe’s can cut these for you if they are not too busy. They usually have saws in the back of the lumber section and will cut according to your list.
- 2 x 4 x 48″ QTY: 7
- 2 x 4 x 15″ QTY: 14
- 1 x 4 x 18-1/2″ QTY: 12
STEP 2
You will now need to sand all of the boards you cut to smooth out the surface on all sides. A 120/150 grit will ensure no splinters or rough areas can be felt while sitting down. This step also removes any splinters that may be along the lumber. This step will take the longest, but it is worth doing right to improve the quality of your bench. You will produce a lot of dust during this process and should wear a mask or respirator to protect your lungs.
Remove the sharp edges by adding a radius edge along the board. You can do this by angling your sander along the edge and removing the material in a smooth motion in one direction.
Be sure to clean off all of the dust on the pieces after sanding. This will ensure a clean surface for the wood stain to adhere to.
STEP 3
The next step is staining or painting your boards. I opted to stain the boards before assembly because getting in between the slats with my brush would be very challenging. It is a good idea to do a test stain on a piece of scrap lumber to see what the finish will look like. Lay down some drop cloth or paper to protect your floors from any spills or drips.
The bench was going to be used outdoors so an outdoor stain and sealer was used to protect it from the elements.
I brushed my stain on a little thick resulting in a lot of dripping that could have been prevented. Be sure to apply a light layer at first to prevent this problem. A rag to wipe up excess would have been useful as well. Allow the stain to dry before moving on to the next steps.
STEP 4
Now is the fun part of assembling everything. You will need to layout the 2 x 4 boards as shown in the template below. This will be the front of the bench facing down so no screws will show. We will use the 1-1/2″ deck screws on Layer 1 only to ensure nothing makes it’s way to the front. Every other screw is 2-1/2″. You can predrill your screw holes with an 1/8″ drill bit if desired. On Layer 2 and onwards, you can follow the Layer 2 template below. Be sure to alternate your screw placement on each layer to prevent them from hitting each other. Apply wood glue as shown. This glue will ensure long lasting structural stability as screws alone can weaken over time.
Repeat these steps until you have completed the bench. The last layer (back of the bench) will not get any glue.
STEP 5
The last step is to finish up any stain or sanding touch ups as needed. You may have some boards that are not straight leading to an unlevel bottom. You could sand these level and re-stain.
Finally, enjoy your hard work and take a seat!
