Garden And Yard Build The Planting Bench of your dreams

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If you bought peg precut into a 4' x 4' and a pair of 2' x 4's, trim each 2' x 4' panel across the 2' dimension to give one 2' x 2 1/2' and one 2' x 1 1/2' section. With duct tape of on both sides, fasten the two 1 1/2' lengths to the cut end of the large sheet to give a single piece that is 4' wide and 5 1/2' long. (You'll put a wood brace across the long seam later.

Using a single 4' x 8 'sheet of peg board, bisect the board across its narrow (4') dimension 5 1/2' feet from one end to produce one 4' x 5 1/2' sheet to form the back. Then, split the leftover 4-foot-wide, 2 1/2-foot-deep panel across the longer (4') axis to form the pair of 2' x 2 1/2' panels that make up the sides.

Not all lumberyards stock shelving pre-sawn to the sizes required, but will have standard 8- or 10-footers you can saw to length. (Look down the long edges of the longer boards to be sure they are not warped). If they have 4-inch-wide but not 3-inch, 4 is fine. If there is no 8-inch-wide lumber, 6 will do. If they have 3-inch-wide, but not 2-inch, use the 3s or rip a 4-inch board down the center.

Here are the main parts you want on hand before you start assembly:

—One 4' x 5 1/2', and two 2' x 2 1/2' panels of 1/4"-thick peg-board
—Two rear legs of 8-inch-wide (or 6") lumber, both 6 feet long
—Four leg boards, two of them 4 inches wide, the other two 3 inches wide and all four an even 36 inches long (or your preferred bench height less the thickness of the counter top-designed to be 3/4".)
—One 1"x 6" x 46" front brace
—One top shelf of 1" x 8" x 48" pine.

If boards that are open to view have rough, irregular, or dyed ends, you can trim them by a quarter-inch or so (so long as the trimming doesn't make them too short). The cut ends should be a perfect 90 degrees (square) and both rear legs, all four front leg boards, benchtop and shelf boards must be the same lengths. No need to trim the lower shelving boards that aren't open to view-indeed, you can use rough lumber that you'll be able to price down.

For a few dollars more you can have the yard do most of the cutting for you. Just be sure the yard personnel measure carefully and cut precisely (which they certainly can) although they are accustomed to making rough cuts.

You will need a saw and square to cut parts that must be measured to fit on the job. Anything from a big table saw to a hand-crosscut saw will do. Also needed: a heavy-duty staple gun and 5/8" staples (or flat-headed tacks), a hammer and large and medium-sized screwdrivers, a pint of good woodworkers glue and a small brush to apply it with, and the fasteners specified in the Materials list.

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