Building a Bench from a Bed

I had picked up an old headboard and footboard at a garage sale for $3.  Maybe I could use it at the cottage; maybe something else.  I had seen beds into  benches on Pinterst and had made plans to do the same  -some time in the future!

I had taken the old bed home, stored it in my workshop and didn't notice it until I was doing a major cleaning recently.  The need to do something with these random project pieces reared its head.

 Sometimes it doesn't pay to clean up because, as in my case, I found those project pieces I had intended do and now am doing -all in one time span it seems.

Here is what it looks like on the work table.  Notice I have not cleaned it as I have a lot of sanding to do.  I put wood filler everywhere as I like things without gaps and in cutting the footboard in half I had left gaps that could not thoroughly be sanded out at the time.

The 3/4 inch oak plywood seat was cut from a piece I had around the workshop.  I cut it and the front panel from the one piece.  Getting the seat panel to fit past the rounded arm rest was a little tricky but I managed.

Cutting the footboard into exact halves is something I need to be more careful about doing.  Where the sides fit onto the back there is a bead of wood that the side is attached to -it is not a flush area to adhere the arms to.  I will need to carve the back of the arm to fit onto the back headboard better.

Just a lot of sanding before painting.  As well as some carving to do.

Here is where everything is held togather.  The under frame was squared and pocket holes where use to adhere all the wood pieces including the seat.The back structure was screwed to the headboard from the back to make it hold fast to the headboard.  Making the seat as square as possible also helped to square off the bench.  It is really solid but not overly heavy.

I am deciding whether or not to use it in the house, up at the cottage or in the garden.
Next will be the sanding and painting.