Exercising regularly on a step bench can improve your health and burn body fat. Building a step bench is the type of project that develops the skills of a novice craftsman. Cutting and fitting pieces of clean pine in the workshop using light hand and power tools may prompt you to make other things for the home. Hand select the pine for the step bench and choose pieces with consistent grain and few knots. Include a new circular saw blade and a pair of bar clamps with the order.
Step 1
Secure a a piece of 5/8-inch laminated pine across sawhorses with the bar clamps. Measure and mark the piece 16 inches wide and 24 inches long as the bench top. Square the marks with a framing square. Use a circular saw with a finish wood blade to cut the top.
Step 2
Mark and cut four pieces of 4-inch-by-4-inch pine as legs for the step bench. Typical step benches are between 8 and 10 inches high. Include the thickness of the laminate in your calculations and cut four legs to length.
Step 3
Cut two pieces of 2-inch-by-6-inch pine 24 inches long as skirts. Cut two additional pieces 14 1/2-inches long as spanners
Step 4
Stand two of the legs on a worktable. Position one of the 24 inch skirts on edge against the sides of the legs. Adjust the legs so each is flush with one end of the skirt.
Step 5
Apply wood glue to the face of the skirt where it aligns with the legs. Attach the skirt to the legs using a cordless drill with screw tip attachment and 1 1/2-inch wood screws. Use four screws, evenly spaced at each connection. Attach the remaining skirt to the remaining pair of legs in the same way using wood glue and four screws at each connection.
Step 6
Lay one of the leg and skirt assemblies flat on the worktable with the skirt down. Apply wood glue to the face of a 14 1/2-inch spanner at one end. Stand the spanner in place against the inside face of one leg and butted against the skirt. Attach it to the leg with four wood screws. Repeat this and attach the remaining 14 1/2-inch spanner to the inside face of the opposite leg using wood glue and four screws.
Step 7
Stand the leg and spanner assembly upright on the workbench. Apply wood glue to the outside faces of the spanners at each end.
Step 8
Position the remaining leg and skirt assembly so the inside faces of the legs are against the spanners to form the square base for the bench. Attach the spanners to the legs with four wood screws at each connection.
Step 9
Apply wood glue to the top of each leg and the top edges of the skirts and spanners. Place the laminate pine top on the base. Align the corners of the top evenly with the outside corners of the legs. Attach the top using three wood screws in a triangle configuration through the top and into each leg at the four corners of the top.
Step 10
Allow the glued connections to dry overnight. Sand the edges and top of the bench using a sanding block with medium grit sandpaper. Round the edges if desired. Sand the skirts and spanners to remove sharp corners.
Tips and Warnings
- Countersink the screws in the laminate top and fill with pine wood putty. Finish the bench with clear sealer or paint. Attach a non-skid mat or vinyl pad to the bench using contact cement.
Things You'll Need
- 5/8-inch laminated pine
- Sawhorses
- Bar clamps
- Framing square
- Sawhorses
- Circular saw with finish wood blade
- 4-inch-by-4-inch pine
- 2-inch-by-6-inch pine
- Wood glue
- Cordless drill
- 46 wood screws, 1 1/2 inch
- Sanding block
- Medium grit sandpaper
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