The Making of a Wine Crate Storage Bench
Posted by Jessica on 6/28/2021 to
It's Monday. My day was good. I've got a glass of pinot grigio I'm working on, so I thought I'd share some wine crate wisdom with ya. Yep, I've learned a thing or two with this gig I love.
So here's a video of me making a wine crate storage bench from start to finish. Well, for the most part. I speed it up and skip over boring parts that are just more of the same, but you get my gist!
Let's go!
- I start by cutting two identical slabs of wood the size of the wine boxes lined up end-to-end. One slab will be reinforce for the bottom. The other, will be the cushioned top.
- Measure and cut the wood that is needed. Wine crates are different sizes, sometimes very slightly different sizes. So be sure to use wine boxes that at least match in size. You don't want a crooked bench! ??
- Then measure and cut pieces of wood to reinforce the inside walls of the boxes. Wine crates are mostly a soft pine, so reinforcement is necessary, especially with the larger boxes and the expectation of people sitting on them.
- Sand all of your wood surfaces. I use a hand sander with quarter sheets in 150, 220, then finally 320 grit for a nice smooth result.
- I inspect the large slabs of wood (top and bottom), to decide which is which. Remember, on the top slab, very little will show after adding the cushion and fabric. The bottom slab will obviously only show when the piece is flipped upside down, but you still want it nice and with nice, smooth edges.
- Take the bottom slab and a triangle ruler to measure 2" in at each corner to prepare for the legs. This part must be done before the bottom slab is attached. You'll see why.
- So, now you have your "leg dots" on each corner of the bottom slab. Take your hand drill and make a small hole. Not too big, just a hole so the exact, measured dot can be seen from both sides.
- Next I take a 1.5" paddle attached to my drill and drill into each hole approximately .25", maybe less, into the predrilled hole. this will be where the t-nuts will be. We want the top of the "T" to be nestled right into the wood so that it does not effect the bench.
- Now that you have the tiny hole with a small depth reduction, choose a drill bit that will fit the T-nuts. I like to flip the bottom slab and drill from the outside, meaning the part that will show. This gives a cleaner edge, as you will see the exit wound from this is not so great.
- Tap the t-nuts in each hole with a hammer. I use the 3-proged t-nuts because they will stall firm in place with a little tap.
- You're ready to stain. Have at it! Stain all of your pieces.
- While the stain is drying, it's a good time to work on the lid.
- Take your foam cushion (I use 2"), take a sharpie and outline the top slab of wood. he rest is simple.
- With a staple gun, wrap the batting and staple. Tight but not too tight.
- Cut off all access batting, especially at the corners. You don't want bulky corners.
- Now the fabric of your choice. Same as measuring for batting, but make sure there's an extra 2-3" all around.
- Pull it tight (not too tight, but tight), and staple down, stopping when you get close to each corner.
- Repeat for all sides. The corners are tricky. I may need to do a specific video for that. Yea. definitely will do that.
- Screw all the pieces together, except the top of course.
- Screw in the legs and hinge the lid.
- You're done.
There are some tricky parts in here for sure. Let me know in the comments if you'd like more detail on corners, hinges, or anything else. I'll do my best to help.
Cheers!
PS: Take it easy on me, I'm not a front-of-the-camera kind of girl! ??
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