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Bringing favorite houseplants out for the season is an age-old tradition. This lath-roofed bench is ideal for providing these plants with the right amount of light and shade, whether you are an orchid enthusiast, a fernaholic, or a begonia obsessive. With its generous shelves and sturdy A-frame structure, this bench will provide shelter for any beloved houseplant collection. For example, it's a great way to care for and display your orchids. Rough cut pine gives the bench a rustic look.
Materials:
Eight 1"x8"x10' pine boards
One 1"x10"x8' pine board
One 2"x4"x8' pine boards
Three 2"x4"x10' pine boards
Three 2"x4"x12' pine boards
Exterior wood screws, 2" and 3 ½" in length
Tools:
Table saw
Miter saw w/ finish blade
Drill
Screwdriver
Tape measure
Framers Square
Pencil
Directions:
Build the four end legs of the A frame. The finished length of the legs will be 65". To create the bottom end of the "A" leg (i.e. the end that will rest on the ground), set your miter saw to 25 degrees, lay one of the 2"x4"x12' boards flat on the saw table, and make the cut (which will result in a 65 degree angle). To make the top end (which will be a 35 degree angle), place the butt end of board against the fence (i.e. so that the board is perpendicular to the fence) and make the cut with the miter still set to 25 degrees.
Position two of the top ends of the A legs together and fasten them together with 3 ½" screws.
Use the table saw to rip three 2" boards from a 1"x8"x10'. To create the 6 shelf supports (i.e. the cross bars of the "A"), use the miter saw to cut the 2" boards into two lengths of 70 ¼", two of 55", and two of 40".
Attach the shelf supports to each "A". Position the longest support 8" from the bottom; place the second support 14 ½" up from the lower support and the third 14 ½" from the second. When the two "A"s are ultimately joined together, the shelf supports will be on the outside edges of the frame.
Next, create and attach a support for cross braces that will be installed after the two ends of the bench are joined together. Cut two short 1"x4" boards (ripped from pieces of 1"x8"x10's), the exact lengths of which will be determined by the specific location near the top of the "A" that you ultimately attach the supports. Position the supports high enough on the "A"s such that they will be hidden by a 10" face board that will be installed next. Both ends of the supports will need to be angled to match the slope of the "A" legs. Attach with 2" screws.
Join together the two ends of the bench with a board at the top of the structure that runs horizontally between the two ends and affixed on the plane of the "A" legs . To do so, cut one of the 1"x10"x8's into two 4' sections and use them to join together the two "A" frames, on both sides of the bench.
From three 1"x8"x10' boards, cut 6 shelves to a length of 50"x 8" and attach them to the shelf supports with the 2" screws.
Next install two cross braces to stabilize the frame of the bench; these will form an "X" in the center of bench, between the two "A" sides. Measure the distances between the cross-brace support at the top of one "A" side to the lowest shelf support on the other "A" side. Cut the remaining 2"x4"x12' to length, with a 45 degree angle on both ends (the angled cuts will be parallel to each other). Overlap cross braces in the center of the "A" frame, wedged above the bottom shelf support and top side support. Ensure that the bench structure is square and fasten the ends with 3 ½" screws. Fasten the center of the "X" with screws as well.
To create upright supports for the structure, cut two 2"x4"x10' boards to a length of 76" and attach them with 3 ½" screws vertically to the center of both sides of the bench. The bottom of each support should be flush with the bottom shelf support.
Cut the 2"x4"x8' to 7' and the last 2"x4"x10' to 52", rip both down to 2"x2"s, and build a square frame for the shade lathes. Finished, the size of the frame will be 52"x 88". Attach the shade frame to the top of the 2 uprights.
Measure and cut 4 corner braces to support the shade frame against the uprights out the remaining 2x4 scraps. Angle the ends of each corner brace 45 degrees. Attach the corner braces.
Rip and cut the remaining 1"x8"s into lathes 1" x 1 ¾" x 52", space them 1 ½" apart on the shade frame, and attach each using the 2" screws.