Black Pipe and Lumber Bench

To match our beautiful new dining room table, my wife and I made a matching bench. In total this project should run just under $75 (included into the cost of the table from last week's post). Folks love our bench and I considered making one for outside using cedar or AC2 treated lumber.

Finished Product

Materials (bench only):
3 - 3" nipples
6 - 4" nipples
6 - 6" nipples
6 - Ts
12 - Flanges
1 - 2x12x6  (Use the extra piece of lumber from the table project)
All pipes should be in 3/4" size

A few notes about materials: we used black pipe for our table, but you could get away with using galvanized pipe. Galvanized pipes are cheaper and this is particularly useful if you are going to paint the pipes. Example: Flanges are the biggest cost here. Menards has the best price for flanges of the big box stores. A black pipe flange costs about $5 but a galvanized flange is about $4 at Menards. On flanges alone you can save over $12 by using galvanized. The other fittings will be about 20% cheaper as well.

Supplies/Tools:

1. Orbital Sander
2. Utility Knife
3. Circular Saw
4. Tape Measure
5. 1/2 pint of wood stain  (Carrington Color)
6. Epoxy Resin (Last four items are optional for glazing the bench)
7. 4 - 6 Disposable Quart tubs 
8. Disposable Putty Knife 
9. Plastic sheeting/Tarp

Step 1 - Prep Work:

Sanded Lumber

Lumber - Using your orbital sander, sand down the lumber. Be sure to sand down the short edges (I did not do a good job of this and its snags our clothes on occasion). You can also use a utility knife to dull the short edges, giving your table more of a weathered look. Sand down any item numbers that maybe stamped on the wood. I also recommend that the lumber be cut down to five and half feet so it can be tucked under the table.
Pipes - Prepping the pipes can be a pain in the butt. Remove the labels from the pipes by soaking them in hot, soapy water. Following this process, removing the labels is some what easier than removing them with a utility knife alone. Dry the pipes with a towel.

Optional step: I spray painted the pipes a bronze color. I primed them first and then sprayed them. Although I did a test run without primer and liked the look, I ultimately opted for both coats for a smoother finish.

Short Edge (only two legs in this image)

Painted Pipes

Stained Lumber - note short edge dulled with utility knife

Step 2 - Staining:

After sanding the lumber, wipe down the lumber in preparation for staining. We played with a couple of stains before deciding on carrington, one of our favorite stains. Make sure the work area is free from anything that can be damaged by the stain. Trust me, stain will get everywhere. Using a brush, apply the stain and wipe off immediately with a clean rag. The longer stain sits on the wood, the darker the wood will get, but the less the grain will show. It is really a matter of preference, but I prefer a lighter tone on the wood. The stain should be allowed to dry for at least 24 hours before moving to the next step.

Glazed Plank

Step 3 - Glazing (optional, but recommended):
A friend of ours recommended that we use a bar top glaze to protect the wood. He said that our table would be protected from dings and it would be much easier to clean. The glaze can be expensive (we bought a gallon for $64 at Menards, but a $22 quart should suffice for the table and bench). Prep the area properly by covering the floor with plastic sheeting, making sure the planks are separated, off the floor, and leveled. I used my iPhone's level app to make sure the planks were level.



We used some buckets and scaffold steps to keep our planks off the floor. To level them, we used wooden shims. Since the glaze is self leveling, the excess will run off the sides. If the planks are not off the floor, they will be permanently "glued" to the ground.

Follow the prep directions on the back of the glaze. Pour the prepared glaze on to the wood. It takes about 10 minutes before the glaze starts to cure. I poured it on in an S pattern and my wife evened out the glaze while I poured. Additionally, we used a heat gun to remove any air bubbles. We glazed the bench after glazing the table and the finished result came out blotchy as the glaze started to cure by the time we got to the bench.

After the glaze has been applied, wait 72 hours for the glaze to properly cure. In the mean time, paint the fittings.

"H" Legs

Step 4 - Pipe Assembly 

Take the painted pipes and assemble three legs. I used three legs to help balance out the weight of individuals. I felt like two legs would not support and eventually break if too much weight was added. Each leg will need four flanges, two Ts, two 4" nipples, two 6" nipples, and one 3" nipple. Assemble as shown.

Step 5 - Bench Assembly 

Flip the lumber glazed side down. I found the center of the bench and marked it with a pencil. Next I measured the half way point between the center and each edge. I marked those spots and decided were to place my legs based on aesthetics.  Drill guide holes into the flanges before drilling in the screws. Eight screws per leg will suffice. Flip it over and take a load off.

I hope this helps and please share and subscribe!

If I were going to make this bench again...

• Spend extra time sanding down the short edges. Our clothes keep snagging on the short edges because it is not sanded down all the way and the glaze did not cover the short edges completely completely. 
• If painting the pipes, buy galvanized pipe to save about 15%
• Cut the lumber shorter than the table. One of my regrets with this projects is that I did not cut the lumber shorter than the table. We can not tuck the bench under the table to give us more room when it is not in use.