Metal Garden Bench Construction Part 4 of 5

Garden Bench Construction: One of the most difficult things I encountered while trying to figure out how to assemble the pieces of the table was bending the legs in the right way to give the bench the graceful look I had envisioned in my rough design. My first attempts were clumsy at best. I went through several versions bent in varying degrees and changed the thickness of the bar stock several times as well.The final result was less graceful, more modern than originally designed.

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To finish the top I determined the overall garden bench construction dimensions of the top to be 24" x 48". I mitered angle iron bar stock at 45 degree angles and welded the top pieces together much like a picture frame. On the underneath side I placed strips of flat bar stock every 8" to provide support for the bench cushion to be placed on the top.

With the top completed, I turned my attention to the forming of the legs. The rough bar stock for the final legs of the table measured approximately 24 inches. It's important to remember that once bent the piece shortens so allow extra length when buying your materials. You can always cut it down if need be. The equipment I used for the bending was the Hossfeld bender which allows you to bend metal from very tight radius' to wide arcs. My design does not really show the range of possibilities that can be achieved with the bender. Finding the right angle requires getting a feel for what the equipment can do but the results were good. .

The bolts shown at each corner were intended to provide a way to change out the legs for a variety of style and height changes. What I did not anticipate was a trade-off in stability. This design feature created a slight shift every time the bolts worked themselves loose. I would not do this again-It was a lot of extra work and required the use of a drill press. The next attempt will be secured by welding. I think it will make a better product.

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To provide support for the legs as well as a platform for the floral sculpture I bent bar stock and twisted it at quarter turns using the torch to provide some interest to the design and secured them to the legs at opposite ends to cross in the center. At the point of intersection, I placed the floral sculpture providing a focal point for the negative space beneath the bench top.

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I used hollow steel ball spheres for the feet and in order to provide a secure weld, holes were drilled into the horizontal point of connection to the bar stock so that the welding could be done from the top of connecting point down on top of the steel balls. See Part 5 for the final results!

Project Notes: Garden Bench Finish Part 5 of 5

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