The excellent physical characteristics of profile pipes make them a universal material for the manufacture of various structures. With a relatively low weight, they have high values of resistance to bending and compression, and excellently withstand constant and multidirectional variable forces.
Profile pipes are much easier to weld and cut than traditional round pipes, and they also look more attractive. From such pipes you can make a comfortable and reliable bench, spending very little time and effort on the work.
Do-it-yourself benches from a profile pipe
Metal profile as a material for a bench
Benches made from metal pipes have several advantages:
- relatively light weight, in contrast to cast iron and concrete products, suitable only for parks;
- low cost and wide design possibilities, which cannot be said about structures made of stone;
- extraordinary strength, which distinguishes it from wooden benches that deteriorate under the influence of weather conditions, bugs and mold.
A significant disadvantage of the metal pipes used to create the bench is their unaesthetic appearance. However, you can ignore this drawback, because there are many ways to decorate a metal product. It is not for nothing that the most popular benches are those made from rust-resistant steel pipes and complemented with wooden elements. The seat is usually made from wood, so the bench does not heat up under the sun.
Gallery of benches made from profile pipes
Bench frame - metal, seat and back - wooden
The seat is made of boards laid vertically
The frame of the structure can only be made by a master
The back and seat are made of wide, painted boards
The product is decorated with forged elements and a drop-shaped back
Almost all elements of the bench, except the seat, are made of metal profiles
Armrests added to this product
The design resembles an open book
What are the requirements for a shop?
Before developing a sketch, it is worth considering several important design features:
- The height of the bench legs varies from 0.45 to 0.5 m from ground level.
- The height of the back of the bench is 0.5–0.55 m - this is the value that is considered comfortable.
- The pitch of the seat crossbars can be 0.5–1.2 m.
When developing a working drawing, think over and sketch the joints of the parts, the angles of the legs and back, and methods of attaching wood to metal. If you do not think through these nuances, then during the installation of a bench made of corrugated pipe, problems may arise that will entail unreasonable time costs.
Drawing up drawings indicating dimensions
The manufacture of the bench begins only after the drawings are ready. Schematic images will help you decide on the type of bench and find out how much material is needed. To avoid mistakes when making a bench, dimensions are indicated in the drawings.
A metal bench without a back, the production of which takes little time, is created with supports - three rectangles, soldered together with two pipes - the seat frame. This design can be 2.3 m long, 60 cm wide and 45 cm high. If desired, a bench made of metal pipes can be made shorter, narrower or higher.
The bench with forged elements has a height of 880 mm
If you plan to make a bench with a back, then you will need a different drawing. A design with an element that allows the vacationer to tilt the body back requires much more effort to be put into the construction process. To build a bench with a back you will need a lot of materials. However, most often they make just such a convenient version of the bench.
Finishing the bench after its assembly
After the entire structure is assembled, you can simply paint it with special paint for iron. It is recommended to treat the wooden slats of the seat and back using varnish or stain, and then the bench will acquire a beautiful natural color. This bench will look great on any garden plot. The decor is chosen taking into account the landscape design.
Painting the elements of the bench with a spray gun will help give it a noble golden hue
You can sew soft, comfortable pillows and bedspreads for the backrest yourself. Children and elderly people will find it very comfortable to sit on them on warm summer days.
Selection of construction raw materials
The main material required for the manufacture of a metal bench is profile pipes. They can have any shape, but the bench frame is best made from profiles with a square or rectangular cross-section. Pipes with flat outlines can be easily connected to any parts. It is desirable that metal profiles be cast from carbon or low-alloy steel - the most durable raw materials.
Square pipes are a suitable material for creating a bench.
In addition to pipes, the materials for creating a bench are:
- timber beams with dimensions 50x80 mm, from which the back and seat are constructed;
- screws having a diameter of 7 +/- 1 mm and a length of about 10 cm;
- self-tapping screws fixing wooden elements;
- enamel and primer that protect metal products from rusting;
- antiseptic composition;
- finishing agent for wood and metal (for example, varnish and paint).
Options for arrangement of wooden parts
There are two ways to place bars - along and across. There is much less work with the longitudinal one, but the transverse one allows you to make a more convenient, homey bench.
Arrangement of boards across – 1, along – 2
Considering that the frame is the same in both cases, additional work is required only for drilling holes and manufacturing wooden elements.
In case of damage, it is much easier to change the transversely located lamellas, and such repairs are cheaper.
Calculation of the quantity of materials
Usually, the production of a medium-sized bench takes at least 11 m of profile pipe with a cross-section of 30×30 mm, because to create a bench without a back you need the following parts:
- 6 pieces of profile 60 cm long (long elements of rectangular supports);
- 6 pieces of 45 cm each (short fragments of the structure);
- 2 blanks of 2.3 m each (frames for the seat and fastening the supports).
Making a bench requires a minimum of materials
In addition to metal parts, when creating a bench without a back, you will need wooden blanks:
- 8 rectangular bars 6 cm wide;
- bolts with a flat round head and nuts (16 pieces each).
If you want to make a bench with a back, you will need to purchase 25 mm and 30 mm thick boards and at least 8 m of profile pipes with a cross-section of 25×25 mm from a hardware store.
A pipe is a material for cutting fragments of the skeleton of a bench, that is, the following parts:
- crossbar located between the supports and equal to 1.55 m;
- 2 pieces 35 cm long, from which the base of the seat is created;
- 2 bent parts with a height of 78 cm and a bending span of 10 cm, necessary to create the back and rear fragments of supports;
- 2 metal parts 39 cm long - pieces for the front supports;
- 2 pieces of 20 cm each, serving as clamps for supports located in front;
- 4 support heels measuring 40x40 mm - ordinary metal plates;
- 2 bent metal strips 45 cm long, which solder the supports on both sides.
To create this version of the bench you need a lot of materials
The following materials will be needed to create a bench seat with a back:
- 3 boards 1.6 m long, 60 mm wide and 25 mm thick;
- 3 wooden blanks 1.6 m long, 60 mm wide and 30 mm thick;
- nuts and bolts with a round head (24 pieces each).
Metal bench - bed
There are free bench plans to help you build a bench for any room in your home or outdoor patio or deck. When you're finished, you'll have a high-quality bench that will cost you less than a store-bought one.
The free plans contain everything you need to plan and complete your metal bench plans. Drawings, step-by-step instructions, cut lists, materials lists and diagrams will guide you through this beginner metalworking project.
You can build a garden bench made of metal, with or without a backrest. The bench is constructed from metal and various types of wood, some painted and others not. With all these options, find the perfect bench plan for your home.
The built bench can be used to store shoes. This storage bench has been designed to easily accommodate four large storage drawers. This adds plenty of storage space for shoes, hats and gloves, sports equipment and anything else the family needs quick access to.
This bench can be used alone or together with a dining table, farm table or picnic table.
Tools
To make a bench from profile pipes, it is customary to arm yourself with several tools:
- an angle grinder equipped with wheels for cutting and sharpening;
- electric drill with drills of different diameters;
- a welding machine with electrodes with a diameter of at least 3 mm, which will allow you to easily solder metal parts with a thickness of more than 2 mm;
- hammer;
- electric jigsaw;
- a machine sanding wood with sandpaper;
- measuring tape;
- a marker to make notes;
- core
If you plan to create a bench from curved pipes, you will need a pipe bender. In addition to it, you will need a template of a rounded metal profile made from a piece of plywood - a tool that allows you to control the bending of paired parts.
Board processing
Depending on the quality of the raw materials, lumber is prepared. First, round the corners using sandpaper. You just need to carry out this stage without fanaticism, the rounding radius is 1-2 mm. The amount of rounding is not measured with a special tool, but simply checked by hand by touch.
Covering wooden boards with stain
The next point is stain treatment. This is a more decorative part than a functional one. This operation will highlight the structure of the tree. If there is no stain, potassium permanganate will do.
Before processing wood, check the strength of the solution on the back or end side of the board. Such a concentration is necessary so that the wood darkens, but does not turn black.
If, after covering with stain, the wood has acquired a too dark color, then the surface of the boards is lightly sanded with fine sandpaper.
Three holes with a diameter of 6 mm are drilled in each wooden element of the bench. To make the holes for the bolts symmetrical, place the boards in a stack, one on top of the other.
The first and third holes are located 2 cm from the edge, and the second is strictly in the middle. To control, place the boards on the frame of the future bench and check the accuracy of the markings.
The finished holes are countersunk. The depth is selected in such a way that the countersunk heads of the bolts are flush in them.
Guide to building a bench from profile pipes
A bench without a back is a simple structure that is created in stages:
- The supporting elements of the structure are welded to each other, with short sections placed vertically and long sections horizontally. When working with a welding machine, only right angles are created between the supports;
- The welding seams made are smoothed with a grinding machine and primed with a special compound;
- Pipes serving as a frame are welded to the supports, after which the resulting seams are polished;
- In the frame profiles, 8 holes are made with a drill - holes for fastening elements that will connect the metal frame with the wooden beams of the seat;
The frame of the bench is welded and the bars are bolted - The metal structure is coated with paint that protects against corrosion;
- Wood materials are treated with stain or varnished and attached to a metal frame.
The wood is painted and fixed to the frame, and the legs of the structure are made comfortable
If the seat is intended to be made of metal, then rectangular pipes are used instead of bars. They are welded to the skeleton of the structure and treated with a coloring emulsion.
Other actions are performed when making a bench with a back:
- The crossbar is connected by welding to two pipes 35 cm long. The pole, fixed between the two supports, is placed perpendicularly. It should be in the middle of both sections of profiles;
- Bent pipe segments 78 cm long are attached to the metal structure. According to the rules, welding seams are created in places where the profiles bend;
- The frame is supplemented with the front parts of the support, while the soldering point for the base of the seat and the supporting elements is made at a place 9 cm away from their front zone;
- The structure is strengthened by connecting the crossbar with profiles that serve as front supports;
- 2 arc-shaped pipes are welded between the supports, after which pads are soldered to the edges of the legs;
- The areas that have been welded are sanded with a machine, and all frame parts are coated with a primer. After it dries, anti-corrosion paint is applied to the metal surface;
- Boards are placed on the metal frame. The back of the bench is created from thin wooden elements, and the seat from thick wooden elements. The boards are attached to the frame with bolts.
The structure is made of 6 profiles and 5 boards
Wanting to make the bench comfortable and original, armrests are attached to it. They are 2 pipes of 75 cm each, bent with a special tool. The armrests are welded to the seat frame.
What you need to have for work
Of course, desire comes first, but in addition to it, you need to prepare tools and equipment. We will give practical advice on nomenclature, while we will try to use the minimum and most budget-friendly set.
Table 2. Tools for making a bench.
| Tool name | Technical characteristics and purpose |
| angle grinder | A very popular tool in any household, it is used for grinding hard-to-reach places, cleaning and grinding various materials and products made from them. Popularly called a grinder. For an angle grinder, you need to have a set of accessories: diamond discs for cutting, abrasive wheels of various thicknesses for grinding metal, brushes for cleaning rust, special rubber wheels with a set of emery cloths. This tool is mandatory, without it it is impossible to make metal benches. |
| Also available in all tool sets. For this you need to have several sets of high-quality drills for metal, concrete and wood. If you do handicrafts often, then you need to buy special drills for drilling complex holes with different diameters and depths in one pass. |
| If almost everyone has the first two tools, then only real masters have this machine. You can buy it ready-made, which will be quite expensive, or make it yourself. The first option is suitable for professional craftsmen, for whom making various objects with their own hands is not a hobby, but a full-time job. For amateurs, it is enough to have a simple homemade device; if desired, it can be done within one day. |
| Today there are quite cheap, reliable and economical semiconductor devices available. They are easy and safe to work with and produce excellent quality seams. Many people have such a unit; it is not worth buying it to make one bench. You can borrow from friends or rent. If you plan to increase the volume of welding work, you will have to purchase your own equipment. |
There is no need to list measuring tools, screwdrivers, pliers and other small items.
Recommendations for decorating the product
The easiest way to decorate a bench made of profile pipes is to cover it with paint. To do this, you can use not only standard black paint. It all depends on wishes and possibilities. An additional decoration for a metal bench can be climbing plants planted around it, for example, grapes.
If it is assumed that the bench will be an element of the recreation area, then next to it you need to place a table made of plastic or wood. It is recommended to place the bench itself near a pond, fountain or flower bed. A good design option for a metal bench is to create and locate it near a structure made from hedge profiles.
This structure remains to be covered with polycarbonate
When creating a bench for a children's corner, you should place a swing or a sandbox nearby. If adults need a bench, then it should be placed in a gazebo or covered with a canopy. It is recommended to lay a blanket on the seat, which will make the metal bench soft. In addition to the bench, you can place a table and barbecue in the recreation room.
Advantages and disadvantages
A metal bench is a heavy and solid structure, and in material terms it will not be cheap. The metal frame has a number of advantages that justify the price of the product:
- resistance to mechanical damage and strength: neither wind, nor storm, nor a person can harm the structure on their own;
- comparative ease of installation in front of stone or concrete products;
- resistance to weather factors: not affected by fungi, mold, insects, and treated or painted structures are also not susceptible to the influence of precipitation and sunlight.
