Providence Bench - Heavy Timber Version

Submitted by sawduster on Sat, 10/28/2017 - 15:37

My wife saw the examples of the Providence Bench on this website and thought we could use one on our front porch.  We had some heavy lumber from a huge pin oak tree that we had taken out of our yard, and that was used in the construction.  In one of the attached photos, you can see the cross-section dimensions of the two top boards are 6-3/4" x 3-1/4".   The legs, main beam, and angle braces are rough cut, full dimension 2 x 4's.  Due to the lumber dimensions not being the same as standard commercial lumber, I had to vary the dimensions slightly.  Because of the dense, thicker lumber, construction took longer than it would of had I used pine or other softer wood.  I used a Kreg jig attachment to drill the holes for the screws.  We painted it with Sherwin-Williams 1021 Hi-Tech Black exterior grade acrylic paint.  The final weight is about 105 pounds.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Less than $100; I used lumber from a tree that was removed from my yard, and a friend with a sawmill milled the lumber at minimal cost.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin-Williams 1021 Hi-Tech Black exterior grade acrylic paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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