New Shooting Bench

[mikein]

I finally found some plans for a really, STURDY shooting bench and cobbled one up last weekend. It came out quite nicely and sure does provide a stable shooting platform!

[drybean]

Very nice

[eddiesindian]

well done!.............looks sturdy

[mikein]

It is definitely sturdy; some might even say it's a bit of an overbuild! But that's what I wanted. I've put 2 coats of Thompson's Water Seal on it, and intend to put 2 more on it in the coming week. Hopefully, that will make it both sturdy and bullet proof, weather wise, since it sits outside in our brutal Texas weather 24/7.

[bremereric]

Lefty?

[mikein]

No, bremereric, I'm a righty. The bench has a seat on both sides to accommodate "either handedness." That's one of the characteristics I was looking for in a bench. Also, with the two seats, you can have a person set up a spotting scope right next to you to call your shots.

Here's a pic of it while still in my work shop.

[Armed in Utah]

Nice job for sure.....Build me one & ship it to me....Fed Ex..........

(:

[mikein]

Armed in Utah, since I posted pics on this and other forums, I've gotten 6 requests by people to build them a bench! It appears that it has some appeal to more than just a few folk. I'd sure build you one, but am afraid that finding a box to ship it in would be a problem.

[yobuck]

Very nice job. We have one at our camp thats over 40 years old. Similar in design but all 2x12s for top and seats.
Built before pressure treated lumber existed but still good as new. Treating the wood regularly is important.
We also have portable benches that weigh as little as 20# have fully adjustable legs
for uneven terrain and break down for an easy carry.

[mikein]

yobuck, you're absolutely right! With at least annual treatment of the wood with some sort of water proofing, the benches will last a very long time. This bench I just built was a replacement for a shooting table that I built out of cedar over 20 years ago. When I dismantled it, I was able to salvage most of the wood to use in other projects. I made a portable bench out of pipe and pipe fittings that I can break down into very short lengths. I made it to use in the little "pop-up" blinds that are so popular nowadays, and it has worked quite well. It's ugly but functional!

[peterf225]

mikein,
By the pictures I'm assuming you used 4x4s, 2x6s, and 1x6s. Is that correct?

[Deguy]

I built one of these this weekend, total cost buying everything from Lowes was 66.00. I used screws and 8ft boards. If you used nails and 16 ft boards it would be under 55.

[cranebird]

very nice, it looks real good.

[BTSniper]

Awesome!


What did you bury in the sand to se the table on?

[campdude]

Looks great and very sturdy.
I almost built the same one, ended up building a portable one out of Rugged Buddy folding sawhorse legs.

[mikein]

mikein,
By the pictures I'm assuming you used 4x4s, 2x6s, and 1x6s. Is that correct?

peterf225, that is correct. I used treated 4X4's, and untreated, #2 pine for the rest of it. If it will help you, here's my Materials List that I developed:
50 feet of 2 X 6
30 feet of 1 X 6
12 feet of 4 X 4
1 box each of 3 1/2 inch and 2 3/4 inch exterior decking screws
Small container of exterior grade wood filler for the countersunk screw holes
1/2 gallon of Thompson's (or other) water seal

[mikein]

I built one of these this weekend, total cost buying everything from Lowes was 66.00. I used screws and 8ft boards. If you used nails and 16 ft boards it would be under 55.

Deguy, your cost was a bit less than mine, since I have to buy my lumber and supplies from a local building supplies company which charges a premium for their materials! The nearest Lowe's is 1 1/2 hour drive away from my little, rural town. I was out of pocket about $90 for my materials.

[mikein]

Awesome!


What did you bury in the sand to se the table on?

BTSniper, I used some reclaimed concrete walkway pieces that I bought from a local contractor, and set on a bed of granite river gravel that I excavated from a dry creek bed on the property. Any kind of concrete blocks would work just fine, and they sure would be a lot easier to move around than those big chunks I used!

[Appleseed]

Before I saw your measurements, I asked this in a post. The one I'm cutting ot is almost the same width and arm lrngth, but only 42-48 total length. Is that enough, want to use only one sheet 3/4 plywood doubled.

[mikein]

Yes, Appleseed, 42-48 inches total length will work just fine. Since I like a lot of room on the bench for all my shooting trash, I'd go for the 48 inch end of your proposed length!

[Appleseed]

Good...measure twice, cut once!

[Uncle H]

We have the same benches built at our club, they are very sturdy and nice benches, but the problem we ran into, is the one size fits all seat height adjustment.