A log bench: how to do it yourself for a summer residence, drawings and photos

Do-it-yourself log bench can be assembled in haste in the form of a simple bench or a full-fledged structure with a back for a comfortable stay. The design is assembled from a simple and calibrated log, scraps of round timber, boards, timber are used.

Pros and cons of a log bench

The popularity of benches made of natural material is due to numerous advantages:

1. It will not be difficult for any summer resident to put together an ordinary shop with his own hands. The material will be the trunk of a sawn dry tree. If there are stumps nearby in the garden, they will act as supports for the seat.
2. The log bench looks aesthetically pleasing. Natural material fits into the thickets of the garden, combined with any type of architectural ensemble.
3. The practicality of using a bench is explained by the properties of wood. Logs do not freeze in cold weather and do not heat up in the heat. The bench provides a comfortable sitting on it all year round.
4. Logs are a natural material, which confirms the environmental friendliness of the benches assembled from them with their own hands.
5. The use of round timber of an unusual shape allows you to create beautiful shops. They require virtually no maintenance and will last for many years.

As for the minuses, the wood itself is subject to destruction from moisture, temperature changes. The bench will have to be regularly treated with an antiseptic with your own hands, opened with drying oil or varnish in order to extend the service life and maintain an aesthetic appearance. Despite the attractiveness, the construction of logs will look ridiculous in the yard, decorated in a modern style.

Types of benches made of logs

If we consider in general terms, then garden benches can be divided into two groups: with a back and without a back. It is difficult to list all the varieties in terms of design. Masters come up with different designs. Sometimes round timber is combined with other materials: boards, timber, concrete, stone. More often benches made of logs for summer cottages are found in the following versions:

1. The classic bench without a back is a long seat made of sawn logs along the length. The support is two stumps, large stones, cinder blocks or pieces of round timber. It will take 1-2 hours to make such a design with your own hands. The bench is not designed for prolonged sitting, as the lack of a back and armrests affects the fatigue of the back. The design is installed in the garden for a short respite.

   

2. The classic bench with a backrest provides the comfort of a long rest. The seat is similarly made with their own hands from a log loosened along. For the back, a board or the second part left after sawing the round timber is suitable. Supports are made from scraps of logs. Thin round timbers are attached to them, acting as supports for the back.

   

   Advice! Benches with backs are often equipped with armrests for ease of relaxation.
3. Fixed benches with a table are considered a special type of garden furniture. The design is a non-separable structure. A tabletop and two seats are fixed on common supports. Furniture is placed in the garden under a tall tree. In the shade at the table you can have fun with board games, drink tea, read a book.

   

4. If you have the skill of working with a chainsaw, the original bench is cut out with your own hands from a thick log. There are no legs required. For round timber, a quarter of the diameter is chosen along the workpiece. To make it comfortable to sit on such a bench, you will need to find a trunk of a very large tree with a thickness of at least 70-80 cm.

   

5. The circular bench is suitable for installation around the thick trunk of a growing tree. From logs here you can install supports with your own hands. Seats and backs are best made from the board. The bench takes up little space, and many people can be seated on it in a circle.

   

6. A set of garden furniture consists of individual items. A table is a must. Near it there is a bench with a back made of round timber. You can cut down single chairs from stumps with your own hands. The basis of the table is a piece of a thick tree trunk or a wide stump. The table top is made from planks.

   

Regardless of the design of the log benches, they can still be divided into two groups: stationary and portable. In the first version, the supports of garden furniture are dug into the ground or the structure is so heavy that it cannot be moved by hand. In the second version, the legs of the bench are not buried in the ground. The furniture is light, if necessary, it is transferred to the right place.

What you need to make a garden bench from a log

Before you start making garden furniture with your own hands, you need to draw up a drawing, decide on the style, and think over the design of the future design. Most summer residents refuse to develop a project, considering the construction simple. For such a case, you need to at least look at how a do-it-yourself log bench looks in the photo in order to understand what to strive for.

The type of bench is determined depending on its location and purpose. If you intend to arrange a place for a short rest in the garden with your own hands, a simple bench or bench with a back is suitable here. Massive structures are usually placed in the yard. It is advisable to place a set of furniture with a table under a canopy or crown of a tall tree, in a gazebo.

Timber is the main building material. Round timber in thickness is chosen only after they have decided on the type of bench. It is advisable to refuse logs of coniferous trees. They emit resin, which is very difficult to remove from clothes.

Additionally, from the materials you may need boards, pieces of timber, self-tapping screws, nails. You definitely need an antiseptic, varnish or drying oil for painting.

From the tool, first of all, you need a chainsaw or an electric saw. Without it, cutting and dissolving round timber will not work. Additionally, you will need a sharp hatchet, grinder, hammer, chisels (if you plan to cut patterns).

More information about the manufacture of benches can be found in the video:

Drawings of benches from logs

Log bench sizes

The owner calculates the dimensions of garden furniture individually at his own discretion. The length of the bench is not limited. The number of seats depends on this parameter. However, it is unreasonable to make benches longer than 2-2,5 m. It is better to build several benches with your own hands, but of shorter length.

To make the bench in the log garden comfortable, the seat width is 50 cm. The comfortable back height varies between 40-50 cm, and it is better to do it yourself at a slight slope. It is important to correctly calculate the height of the legs. If the seat is too high off the ground or set too low, the legs will quickly get tired and numb. The optimal height of the legs is within 50 cm.

How to make a bench from logs with your own hands

The manufacturing technology of the bench depends on its type. In general terms, the actions are identical, but there are nuances.

Beautiful bench made of logs

Beautiful garden furniture is usually made to decorate the yard. Here it is optimal to combine different materials. A proven option is a bench made of logs and boards, or even better, add a beam to the design. Round timber must be cleaned of bark, dried well, polished.

From logs near a beautiful bench, only supports are made with their own hands. Each rack consists of two round timber stacked on top of each other. Between themselves, the supports are connected with a long thick beam. To do this, grooves are cut out with a chainsaw in the body of the logs under the jumper with their own hands.

The back racks are similarly placed from a bar. The seat is one wide or two narrow boards. The back of a beautiful bench is carved. Patterns are drawn on the boards, cut out with an electric jigsaw. You can make a separately carved back frame and fix it above the last board.

Log bench with back

To build a “quickly” bench, and even with a back, will turn out from three long logs and two round logs 50-60 cm long. You will need a chainsaw and an ax from the tool.

One long thick log is spread lengthwise into two halves. These will be blanks for the seat and back. Two other long, but smaller round timbers are buried in the ground under a slope. These will be the backrests. In order for them to stand securely, horizontally laid short chocks are attached to the supports at the base of the earth, having cut down recesses with an ax before that. On top of the round logs, one half of the sawn log is laid. In order for the seat to fit securely, notches are also hewed out under it on chocks with an ax. By a similar method, the second half of the sawn log is attached to the backrest racks. The finished bench is opened with drying oil.

Chopped log bench

According to the log house method, chopped garden furniture is made with their own hands. Here you will need to work a lot with an ax and a chainsaw. Of the materials used only thick round timber of different lengths. This version of garden furniture rarely involves the manufacture of benches from logs in a single version. The chopped design looks beautiful in a single design of benches with a table.

For seats and countertops, you will need 5-6 halves spread along the logs. The work is easier to do on a sawmill, but if it is not available, you will have to use a chainsaw. The basis of the composition are two common racks of thick round timber horizontally laid with their own hands. Along the edges with an ax, recesses are made, seats are laid.

To raise the countertop, log trimmings are placed in the center on the supports. The length of the round timber should correspond to the width of the future countertop. On logs, recesses are similarly chosen with an ax. Lay the remaining halves of the logs. The finished tabletop is treated with a planer, grinder to get a flat plane.

The video shows chopped furniture:

Table-bench from a log

It is more convenient to sit at the table if benches with backs are installed instead of benches. The composition is similarly more convenient to produce a single design. If only round timber is chosen as the material, then the assembly is carried out according to the method of manufacturing chopped furniture.

To simplify the task, some elements can be replaced with a bar. For example, install racks for the backs of benches. If you still want it easier, then the logs are used only for the basis of the entire composition. The tabletop, seats and backs of the benches are assembled from the board. However, the furniture looks more beautiful if it is completely made of round timber.

Bench made of calibrated logs

A design feature is the use for its manufacture of logs processed on a lathe. The blanks are distinguished by a perfectly flat surface without protrusions, bends. Such materials remain after the construction of a bathhouse or a country house.

In reality and in the photo, benches made of logs look like a neat design. The assembly is carried out by the method of manufacturing chopped furniture. The calibrated log goes well with the timber. It is convenient to use it for a longitudinal jumper between the supports, as well as backrest racks.

Bench from log scraps

If pieces of logs 50-100 cm long are lying around in the country, they can also be used in the construction of a bench. When using such round timber, you get a comfortable bench that resembles a sofa. From four logs laid horizontally, two supports are made. A piece of board is laid on top, which will play the role of a seat. The back of the sofa is equipped with hardly logs installed vertically. If you fix round timber on the edges of the seat, you will get excellent armrests.

Bench made of birch logs

The original armchair, resembling a deck chair, will be obtained from scraps of birch logs. It will take from 15 to 50 blanks of the same length. The amount depends on the size of the bench and the diameter of the logs. It is optimal to choose round timber with a thickness of 15-20 cm. The basis of the chair is a thick metal plate. It is given a bend that forms the seat and back.

Birch logs are laid out on a metal frame. Attachment points are marked on the plate, holes are drilled.

Each log is screwed with self-tapping screws. Aesthetics bench gives white birch bark. If it is even without bumps, it can be preserved by soaking it with an antiseptic. Additionally, the chair is treated with drying oil or clear varnish.

Bench made of logs and boards

The simplest version of a shop without a single nail can be assembled with your own hands from two round timber and a wide board. From the tool you need a chainsaw, a hammer and a chisel. First, saw off two thick round timber 70-80 cm long, set them vertically. At a height of 50 cm from ground level, mark the place where the board for the seat is inserted. The recesses are cut out with a chainsaw, the grooves are corrected with a chisel. Now it remains to insert the board, and the bench is ready.

Semi-log bench

If a log sawn along a log remains after construction in the yard, making a bench will take 20-30 minutes. For supports with a chainsaw, two round logs are sawn off with a length equal to the width of the half-log. With an ax in the blanks, recesses are chosen. Round timber is laid on the ground with grooves up, a seat is installed. Fixing with nails or screws is optional. The grooves on the supports need to be more accurately adjusted to the semicircular side of the half-log, and it will securely lock under its own weight.

Making a bench from a round log

The wood of each tree species has its own beautiful texture and must be preserved. It is undesirable to paint log benches with enamels. When decorating, it is optimal to use transparent and colored varnishes, stain, drying oil. The beauty of wood before painting is given mechanically. You can make original patterns on a log bench with a chainsaw, lightly walking with a chain to apply small dents. Wood burned with a blowtorch or gas burner looks beautiful. Carving patterns are cut out with an electric jigsaw, chisels with different blade widths are used.

In order for garden furniture to retain its presentable appearance longer, it is advisable to open it with varnish in spring and autumn. For the winter, portable benches are brought into the barn, and stationary structures are covered with foil.

Conclusion

Do-it-yourself log bench is easy to make if you use soft woods. However, such wood disappears faster from rain and sun. If the furniture will be outdoors year-round, it is better to make efforts in processing oak, beech or other hardwoods.