Introduction

girl and cat sit on a tree bench reading
Photo: Matthew Benson
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When reader Sarah Schramm asked us for directions to make a tree bench, we couldn't turn her down. This comfy, stay-cool spot has room for the entire family. To build it, TOH senior technical editor Mark Powers chose a specially impregnated and thermally modified pine that's as hard and dense as an exotic hardwood, and resists decay and termites, too. (You'll have to drill pilot holes for every screw to be driven through it.) Put your bench together, and you'll enjoy lounging on it with a favorite book all summer long.
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    Tools List

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    • miter saw
      Compound miter saw or circular saw

    • drill
      Drill/driver with a 3⁄8-inch spade bit and 3⁄32x3-inch bit

    • speed square
      Speed Square

    • adjustable clamp
      Clamps

    • adjustable wrench
      Adjustable wrench

    • four-foot level
      4-foot level

    • garden spade
      Garden spade

    • sandpaper
      120-grit sandpaper

    Shopping List

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    strips of scrap lumber or cardboard to make a template and spacers

    ¼-inch-thick scrap lumber or shims

    5⁄4x6 decking by Kebony for the seat and stringers for the leg assemblies. Measure your tree so that you know how much to buy.

    2x6 framing by Kebony for the backrest, legs, and apron 3⁄8x4-inch galvanized carriage bolts

    3⁄8-inch galvanized locking washers

    3⁄8-inch nuts

    2-inch stainless-steel deck screws

    3-inch stainless-steel deck screws

    wood glue