How To Build a Cooler Bench

A cooler bench creates a comfortable seating area that doubles as a convenient place to store cold drinks during gatherings. With some basic woodworking skills and the right materials, you can make a durable and attractive cooler bench that will be the centerpiece of your patio or deck. In the video above, This Old House expert Tom Silva shows how to build one using cedar and copper.

Materials Needed

Before starting your cooler bench project, gather these materials:

• 3/4-inch foil-faced foam, 13 square feet
• 3/4- and 1 1/4-inch stainless-steel screws
• 1×3 clear cedar, 6 linear feet
• 1×10 clear cedar, 18 linear feet
• 2×4 clear cedar, 12 linear feet
• 4×4 clear cedar, 8 linear feet
• 20-ounce copper sheet, 21 1/2 by 39 1/2 inches
• 36-inch stainless-steel piano hinge
• 120-, 180-grit sandpaper
• 1/2-inch medium-density overlay (MDO), 7 square feet
• Copper basin
• Copper top piece
• Loose wood tenons, 10x30mm and 5x20mm
• Wood glue
• Weather stripping
• Silicone sealant
• Screen door compressors

Pro Tip: Tom Silva, general contractor on This Old House, chose copper over galvanized metal for the basin: “I could have used galvanized, but, you know, that might rust over time. And I want it to look nice.” The copper pan sits inside a fully insulated cavity — the bottom, the sides, and underneath the copper are all lined with insulation.

Why Cedar? Tom Silva chose clear cedar for this project because it’s naturally rot-resistant and lightweight. As he explained during the build, the prototype was made from heavier material, and he learned from that experience: “Because this one is so heavy, I’m going to build the other ones out of cedar.”

Preparing the Wood

The first step in building your cooler bench is preparing the wood components:

1. Cut the 4×4 cedar legs to length and plane them to 3-inch width.
2. Rip 1×10 cedar boards to the required widths for the sides and top.
3. Cut MDO panels to size to reinforce the cedar sides.
4. Sand all wood pieces with 120-grit and 180-grit sandpaper for a smooth finish.

Silva chose cedar for its weather resistance and lighter weight compared to other hardwoods like mahogany. The medium-density overlay (MDO) plywood strengthens the soft cedar, making the bench more durable for outdoor use.

Assembling the Base

With the wood prepared, you can begin assembling the base of the cooler bench. To support the weight of the cooler contents and anyone sitting on the bench, he used a combination of mortise and tenon joints and pocket screws for added strength.

Mortise the Sides

Create mortises in the edges of the cedar sides and caps using a loose-tenon joiner.

Glue the Pieces Together

Brush wood glue into the mortises and onto the mating edge and face of the cedar cap. Tap the 5mm tenons into the edge of one side, then tap the cap’s mortises into the tenons. Clamp both pieces together. Repeat with the other three sides.

Attach the MDO

Glue the pieces to the inside faces of the cedar sides; staple them to the cedar. To support the basin’s edge, fasten 1x cedar to the underside of the cap. Clip the ends for a tight fit.

Pro Tip: Tom Silva, general contractor on Ask This Old House, explains the reasoning behind the MDO layer: “This will make the side and the front look like they’re thicker, but it’s really going to be a place to hide the insulation so you’re not looking down.”

To secure the MDO to the inside of the cedar frame, apply wood glue across the full surface, then use staples or fasteners to tack the panels in place while the glue dries. The MDO stiffens the soft cedar significantly, and the added thickness creates a ledge where insulation can be concealed beneath the copper basin on the bottom, sides, and under the cap.

Join the Legs

Plunge-cut 8x22mm mortises into two adjacent faces on each leg and the ends of the cooler’s sidewalls. Drill pocket holes through the faces of the MDO: four at the ends of each short side and eight at the ends of each long side. Smooth the wood parts with 120- and then 180-grit sandpaper.

Pocket-Hole Pointers: When drilling pocket holes, set the jig and the stop collar on the bit to match the thickness of your stock — both settings are shown on the jig. Make sure the wood grain of the piece receiving the screws runs perpendicular to the screw, since screws driven into end grain won’t hold. Adjust the drill clutch so that the pocket-screw heads sit tight to the bottom of the pocket without stripping the hole, and always double-check that the screw tip does not exit the wood.

Installing the Insulation and Basin

The copper basin not only looks attractive but also provides excellent heat transfer for keeping drinks cold. Silva notes that while copper is more expensive than other materials, it offers superior durability and aesthetics.

Attach the Sides

Glue tenons into the leg mortises on the cooler’s narrow end; apply glue next to them. Drive pocket screws into the legs with a 6-inch square-drive bit. Fit the glue-covered mortises over the tenons in the long sides, and drive in four more pocket screws. Do the same on the other short side.

Add Insulation

Turn the cooler upside down. Cut four 8 1/4-inch-wide strips of foil-faced foam and fit them against the sides of the chest. Notch a 21 1/2-by-42 3/4-inch sheet of foam to fit on top of the sides’ foam pieces.

Cut a Drain Hole

Cut two panels of MDO to fit the cooler’s underside. Leave a 10-inch gap between the panels, then screw them to the MDO on the sidewalls. Using a hole saw, drill a 3-inch hole in the center of the foam for the basin’s drain.

Drop in the Basin

Place the custom copper basin into the insulated cavity. The copper basin not only looks attractive but also provides excellent heat transfer for keeping drinks cold. Silva notes that while copper is more expensive than other materials, it offers superior durability and aesthetics.

Constructing the Lid

The lid of your cooler bench requires careful construction to create a proper seal. Silva uses a unique half-lap miter joint for the lid frame, which provides extra strength and prevents the miters from opening due to weather changes.

Prep and Glue the Lid

Using mortises and tenons, edge-glue the 1x cedar boards into two panels; sand them smooth. Cut rabbets, 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch, into the frame pieces’ inside edges and the ends of the crosspiece. Cut rabbets and half-lap miters in the frame pieces.

Assemble the Lid Frame

Mortise the crosspiece ends and the midpoint of each long frame piece. Glue tenons into the ends and the frame’s mortises. Glue and clamp the half-lap miters and fasten each one with a 1 1/4-inch stainless screw. Trim the cedar panels to fit inside the lid’s frame. Apply sealant to the rabbets; bed the panels in it. Turn the lid over; fasten the panels with 1 1/4-inch stainless screws. Apply sealant around the edges of both recesses in the lid; bed the foam pieces in the sealant, with the foil facing up.

Install the Lid

Trim the copper sheet to fit the frame’s perimeter and secure its edges with 3/4-inch stainless screws. Fit silicone weatherstripping alongside it. Screw a piano hinge to the underside of the lid; attach the hinge’s other leaf to a 2 1/2-inch-wide cedar strip. Place the chest upside down on top of the lid, line it up with the hinge, and fasten the strip to the back of the chest with 1 1/2-inch screws. Finally, mount a soft-close strut on the lid to reduce strain on the hinge and prevent the lid from slamming shut.

Finishing Touches to the Cooler Bench

To complete your cooler bench, add these final elements:

1. Attach a copper sheet to the top of the lid for added insulation and style.
2. Install weatherstripping around the lid’s perimeter to create a tight seal.
3. Mount a piano hinge to connect the lid to the cooler body.
4. Consider adding gas struts or a safety chain to control the lid’s opening.

Silva suggests adding wheels to the legs if you want to move the cooler bench around easily on a deck or patio.