Transformable bench - design description, operating principle
This bench for a country house is a fairly simple design that can easily be transformed into a table with two comfortable benches. And when folded, it is an ordinary bench with a back and handrails. It will not take up much space on the territory of the personal plot and at the same time will be able to perform all its functions in full.
Bench - assembled transformer for a country house
Functions and convenience of the bench
This is a compact and practical bench that easily turns into a fairly spacious table and two comfortable benches. Thanks to its high degree of mobility, it can be installed anywhere in the garden.
The only drawback of such a bench is its considerable weight, since it will take a lot of wooden boards to make such a complex structure, but it will be quite stable, reliable and durable if everything is done correctly and precisely according to the developed instructions in compliance with all technological processes.
Bench - disassembled transformer for a picnic
Advantages of a transforming bench
The main difference and also an advantage is in the mechanism itself - when disassembled it is a set of benches with a table, and when assembled it is one bench. This garden furniture is extremely simple in design, but this does not prevent it from having a number of impressive advantages.
- This is very mobile furniture. It can be easily transported from one part of the site to another.
- Hand in hand with mobility comes the second advantage - compactness. When the product is assembled, it takes up no space at all.
- Functional. An ordinary bench is inferior both in terms of capacity and equipment - the table must be installed separately, and this is not permissible everywhere.
- Strength. If you choose the right material, the product will serve you for many years.
- Easy to use. Even a child can open the mechanism.
- Wide range of applications. These benches can be placed in the garden, at the dacha, anywhere.
- Attractive design. There are several decor and appearance options for such mechanisms. But a bench can look attractive and authentic even without decoration.
Instagram @andrey_nadya_
Instagram @andrey_nadya_
Preparation for construction of the structure: project drawings with dimensions
Before you start building a transformer bench, you need to prepare all the materials and tools, as well as draw up a good drawing or find it on the Internet.
We offer you a standard drawing - a diagram of a bench - transformer with the dimensions indicated on it. The most difficult step is creating a moving mechanism, so initially it is necessary to prepare all the blanks, which will then be assembled together into a single transformation structure.
Drawing of a set of wooden elements for making a transformer bench
Typical drawing of a bench-transformer
Design and drawing
In order to correctly and accurately make a folding bench-table with your own hands, you need a drawing. You can make it yourself or find a suitable one on the Internet.
The drawing details dimensions, parts, materials and tools. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that a certain load will be placed on the bench-table. The exact drawing must be in several planes: side, top and front. It’s easier to create a transforming bench with your own hands with a drawing using a special computer program. It will help you easily and quickly create an accurate sketch.
You can make a drawing of the table yourself using special computer programs.
Selection of material for manufacturing, advice on selection
To make a transforming bench , you will need to purchase planed edged boards and timber. Larch, birch, pine, beech, ash or oak (if possible, since it is very expensive) are best suited for such a design.
The board must be well sanded, of high quality and meet all compliance standards. If you buy a board at a sawmill, be sure to inquire about the availability of a quality certificate for their product, since under the guise of an edged oak board they may sell you a completely different product, and if you are not well versed in wood, then it is best to take a carpenter with you who understands the types boards and its quality.
Material calculation and tools
To assemble the transformer bench we will need:
- Two beams with a section of 90x45x1445 mm;
- Five bars with a section of 90x32x1480 mm;
- Two beams with a section of 90x45x1445 mm.
To work we will need the following tools:
- Grinder or sharpened hacksaw for wood;
- Universal screwdriver or screwdrivers of the required diameter;
- Electric drill;
- Construction level, square, hacksaw, chisel;
- Sandpaper (320) or sander;
- Self-tapping screws, bolts, nuts and other fasteners;
- Electric or gasoline saw;
- Paint or varnish, brushes or roller.
Fasteners for making a transforming bench
Decorating Tips
The transformable bench can be covered with stain and then with water-repellent varnish, which is used to paint yacht decks. The varnish dries in about 36 hours. But still, it is not recommended to keep a bench coated with varnish outside in the rain and snow.
If you still plan to install it in a permanent place on your garden plot, you can paint the structure with waterproof paint, which will dry for about a day. Once every few years, the paint must be renewed so that the wooden elements do not begin to rot, become moldy, and various parasites do not infest them.
If the design is done correctly and you take care of it, it will serve you for at least 20–25 years. Very often craftsmen replace wood with metal, which does not look as beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but the service life increases significantly.
We paint all the elements of the bench with stain
Assembly diagrams and drawings with dimensions
When creating high-quality transforming benches with your own hands, drawings are of great importance. There are many ready-made schemes on the Internet, but if necessary, you can create an individual plan. To do this, you need to keep the following information in mind:
- first of all, it is necessary to think over the design option, taking into account the number of seats, the type of transformation of the bench;
- the parameters of the bench must fully correspond to the area of the site where it will subsequently be located;
- the drawing marks each detail of the product and the dimensions of the bench;
- The dimensions of the moving elements of the bench are determined.
A typical bench diagram displays the entire work process, right down to the order in which a particular action is performed, so it will be an excellent assistant for beginners. To calculate the required amount of material, its length and cross-section are taken into account. So, if the thickness of the timber is 8 cm, then at least 5 units will be required to create one leg.
If the bench seat is made from a board 4 cm thick and 9 cm wide, the work will require 5 boards 150 cm long.
Bench elements
Standard drawing
The second version of a transforming bench made of metal profile and wood
Materials and tools for construction
A transformable bench made of a metal profile is made similarly to a wooden one, but only with some changes.
Drawing of a metal bench - transformable with wooden seats
To make such a bench we will need:
- Square metal pipe with a cross-section of 25x25x1.5 mm (4 pieces of two meters and 2 pieces of 1.5 meters). This way we can save money and have minimal waste.
- Wooden boards - about 8 pieces.
- In addition to the basic tools, we will need a welding machine and a set of electrodes.
- Bolts, nuts, washers.
- Metal paint or water-repellent varnish.
- Antiseptic impregnations for wood.
- Sander.
Metal profile for making a transforming bench
Bench decoration
Then we saturate all the boards well with an antiseptic and fire retardant and let them dry. We paint with water-repellent varnish, oil or acrylic paint. Apply varnish or paint in several layers.
we paint the boards for the seat and back with stain or varnish
Metal elements can be painted with special enamel using a spray gun. Before painting, all seams must be sanded well so that no joints are visible.
We paint the metal elements of the bench structure with black enamel
Video: How to make a transforming bench with your own hands
Whatever version of the transforming bench you choose, it should be noted that it can be useful in any occasion. In the spring or summer, you can gather your friends in your backyard and have a wonderful “feast” with barbecue, and a folding bench will easily accommodate about 6-8 people and everyone will be comfortable. And on ordinary days, you can fold it up and simply use it to relax after hard work in your garden. You can also be proud of your work and be confident that the structure, assembled with your own hands, will serve you for many years.
Design features and options
Regardless of the material used, the mechanism for transforming such a bench is the same: the wide seat is divided lengthwise into two narrow benches, they slide apart, and the back turns over and turns into a tabletop. The reverse transformation is just as simple - when the benches are moved, the tabletop turns and becomes the back of a comfortable garden bench.
The peculiarity and advantage of this design is that it does not have complex mechanisms, and 4 simple hinge joints are responsible for the shift and rotation - 2 on each side. Before making a transforming bench, you need to think about how to make such nodes. These can be regular bolted connections with locknuts or clamps with studs.
This photo clearly shows the moving joints Source dg-home.ru
When making transformable furniture, accuracy and precision are one of the most important conditions. All parts in it must have dimensions, angles and radii strictly defined by the design, otherwise when moving they will jam, touch each other, and not fall into place, thereby making the structure unstable and unreliable. Or simply inoperative. Therefore, if you lack design skills, you should not invent something yourself. On the Internet and specialized literature there are ready-made projects on how to make a transformer bench with your own hands, drawings from which can be used, modifying and changing them if necessary.
However, it is better to leave the supporting part unchanged so as not to affect the load-bearing capacity of the product. It will not suffer if you increase the width of the bench or the length of the table top, especially if you add additional jumpers for strength. But even here it is advisable to know when to stop and not make the total length of the transformer more than 2 meters. This will increase the load on the hinges and make the furniture too heavy.
Since you want to make a transforming bench with your own hands that is not only comfortable and beautiful, but also fits well into the surrounding exterior, experiments with its design are also allowed: using other materials for seats and backs instead of boards, adding carved or forged elements to the design, etc. .
The canopy will make the bench even more comfortable Source ytimg.com
See also: Catalog of companies that specialize in garden furniture
