Leopold Bench Plans – Easy DIY Project

Quick and easy DIY project for an outdoor bench. Leopold bench plans include free PDF download (link at bottom of blog post), illustrations, measurements, and shopping list.

Leopold Bench Plans – Overview

Leopold Bench Plans – Shopping List

2 1/2″ deck screws

6 – 3 1/2″ carriage bolts, washer, nuts

The front (A) and back legs (B) are built using a 2×8. Cut the front and back legs as shown on illustration above.

Finish cutting the two front legs (A) as shown on illustration above.

Assemble the front leg (A) and back leg (B) as shown above using 3 1/2″ carriage bolts.

Cut a 2×10 to 36″ long for the seat (C) and a 2×6 to 39″ long for the backrest (D).

Assemble as show on illustration above using 2 1/2″ deck screws.

Like these Leopold bench plans? Let me know, leave me a comment below. Share this link with your friends and your social media, thanks.

PDF DOWNLOAD

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26 comments

Love these plans, time to break out the old table saw. Just 1 question, what type of wood are you using? (Pressure treated, oak, etc)

We have used 2×8 for seat and you should be able to use Douglas Fir, cedar, green or brown treated wood, depending upon your preference. For a 3′ bench, you should be able to use (2) 2″ x 8″ x 8′ boards and cut it into (4) 3′ pieces and (2) 2′ pieces.

El diseño es práctico para hacer.
Soy de la tercera edad y busco diseños para fabricar y vender para tener ingresos porque la estoy pasando muy difícil.
Gracias.
Atte Roberto Rodriguez
Ciudad de Guatemala.

Love your plans, Just got to find the time to make all of them. What with 3 Grandkids and 2 more on the way gotta love the Kids first. Guess when I do get to making them a bench/chair they will love me more? lol

Hello. Well laid out plan thanks. I do however have one question. Why use 3 /12 carriage bolts to go though only two legs? thanks, Bj

The width of a 2X4 board is actually 1.5″ by 3.5″. Using a 3.5″ carriage bolt leaves .25″ extra for the nut.

You are way off on everything., 7 extra feet of 2×10 and 81 extra inches 2×6 , you short 6 inches of 2×8. Lag bolts should be used but need to be 2 3/4 and use washers. Please get a clue

2 3/4 lag bolts will not go through the two 2×8’s. You will need one 2×6 8’ and one 2×10 8’ unless you can buy your lumber by the foot. If you cut the 2×8 as shown on drawing you will only need one 10’ board.

I have made several of these. I have found attaching the backrest without cuttng that straight cut on the upper long legs makes for a more relaxed posture. You dont have to sit up so straight. Good diagrams.

We successfully extended this design to 10′ with the following changes.
1 – 2x10x10 – legs
1 – 2x12x10 – bench
1 – 2x10x10 – back
1 – 2×4 – brace In general we followed the plans with the following changes. The 33″ length on the longer leg as shown in the plans results in a backrest that hits a taller adult fairly low on the back. Cutting a 10′ board for the legs as indicated in the plans leaves about 1 foot of waste. We extended each side from 33″ to 39″ to use the excess. This placed the backrest more in the middle of the back. When we did this however it was more comfortable to place the backrest BETWEEN the two sides instead of screwing it to the back. We screwed the 2×4 vertically every 8-12″ under the middle of the seat to provide some additional stability. If used by shorter adults or children the 33″ legs may be more comfortable. All materials were Douglas Fir. If you just want a 6′ wide bench I would think you could do the following. We tested various additional braces while building the longer benches as noted above and I don’t think you would need to provide any additional support for a 6′ wide bench. If desired it would be simple to add a 2×4 as we did.
1 – 2x10x10 – legs
1 – 2x10x12 – seat/back (use roughly half for each – length required would depend on whether the backrest is screwed between the legs or behind as the plans show)
Cut the legs as shown on the plans, or slightly longer as I noted above.

Yes I agree, clearly you are an accomplished woodworker. Thank you Leopold for the bench idea and plans and I will add Ben’s alterations. Making 5 benches for our trap shooting club.
Carl

I think you end up with a better bench and much less waste is you use 1 2x10x10 and 1 2x10x8. Make the seat 46 inches and cut the backrest to 49. Adjust the seat to the front of the bench. (Probably a good idea to seal the little bit of open grain that will be in the back. Adjust your cut for the backrest to accommodate the 9.5 inch length of the 2×10.

I had the lumber year cut my pieces for me as I do not have the necessary. My great granddaughter and I put the leopold bench together in little time. How come I have an extra seat and back piece plus a piece long enough for one more back leg.

Thank you so much! I’m trying to create projects for families to build and place on local trails! These are perfect. And thank you. Ben for the awesome ideas to extend too!