A beautiful do-it-yourself chest. Bench with storage drawer Make a drawer bench for storage

Decor elements 04.03.2020

Decor elements

The chest is an old piece of furniture that has not lost its popularity. The secret of its success lies in the fact that several useful functions are combined in one product. First of all, this is a closed storage box, secondly, the chest can be used as a bench or table, and thirdly, with a little imagination, it becomes a decorative object. In the living room, bedroom, such a box can be used as a coffee table or bedside table, but in the hallway, in the children's room, on the balcony or kitchen, you will need a bench more.

The traditional, most suitable material from which the chest is made is wood. Depending on the interior of the room and the tasks that the box will perform, you can decorate it with your own hands with fabric or leather upholstery, applying ceramic, mosaic, and artistic decor. And also add a mattress, soft pillows, etc.

We propose to make a chest, which, thanks to its small size and flat lid, can be placed on the balcony, in the nursery, in the hallway. It is universal, has a reliable design, everyone will choose the finishing option independently, depending on their own taste and interior requirements.

To make a chest on the balcony, you should prepare tools and finishing materials:

hacksaw;
jigsaw;
screwdriver;
piano loop;
folding or telescopic arms to hold the lid open;
self-tapping screws, screws;
clamps;
paint;
paint brush;
masking tape;
hot glue, construction gun;
grinding machine with nozzles or emery cloth;
wood glue.

We advise you to choose veneered chipboard (16 mm) or dense plywood as the main manufacturing material.

It is necessary to cut with your own hands or order cutting the following blanks:

2 pcs. for the front and rear walls (in diagram A) - 26x85 cm;
2 pcs. side walls (B) - 26x37 cm;
1 detail for the bottom (E) - 37x82 cm;
1 for the lid (G) - 42.2x87.2 cm;

For supports, use a wooden beam with a section of 15x15 mm:

2 parts (C) 820x15x15 mm;
2 parts (D) 340x15x15 mm.

From a board of 15 mm it is necessary to cut out:

mounting rail (F) with parameters 696x15x33 mm;
4 leg blanks 350x15x92 mm;
4 leg blanks 350x15x77 mm.

In the presented version, square-shaped wooden frames made of boards (9x33 mm) are used as decorative elements. You will need:

12 planks of 13 cm;
8 strips of 10 cm.

You will also need 1 mounting rail (in diagram H) - 80 cm.

The diagram below clearly demonstrates all the components to make a chest on the balcony.

You will also need 3 linear meters of wooden lath (16x4 mm) to make overlays - finishing the box lid. If an edge tape or a special profile is used instead of a rail, the parameters of the cover (G) should be reviewed, the size of the rail thickness should be increased.

Prepare the blanks for work: grind their surfaces and ends with an emery cloth. Then start building:

Attach support bars D and C with glue and self-tapping screws to the inside of the box walls. This should be done in such a way that they become flush with the lower edges of the sidewalls. The bottom of the box will be mounted to these bars.
Drill holes for self-tapping screws (53x3.5 mm) in the walls of the assembly box. Connect the parts, having previously smeared all contact surfaces with glue. False legs will hide the caps of the screws.
We put the bottom inside the box, fasten it with self-tapping screws to the installed supports. The bottom is an important detail of the whole structure, ensures its rigidity.

The box will be more comfortable to sit on if you sew a soft mattress with your own hands. To do this, measure the parameters of the cover, cut out a similar rectangular piece of thick foam rubber. Then you should cut out the fabric and sew a cover for it. By sinking the stitches into the filler, additionally sew the mattress. This will allow him to keep his shape better. Attach the soft seat to the lid of the chest in a convenient way for you. We suggest drilling two holes in each corner to pass through the laces to secure the product.

Beautiful bright pillows will make the arrangement more comfortable, in addition, they will decorate your balcony.

Do-it-yourself soft products that are in harmony with the general style of the space can be placed not only on top of the seat, but also make them part of a wooden or improvised hinged back.

Improvise, turn on your imagination, and the chest-shop will help you organize the storage of the necessary things and sit comfortably on the balcony.

Chests have been known for a very long time. They were taken with them on trips, given as a sign of special favor, merchants carried their goods in them, and girls folded their dowry. The form could be different:

In most countries, a rectangular box with a securely closing lid was preferred - many things were placed there, and if necessary, one could lie down or sit down.
Other nations had chests in the form of a barrel. Things were placed there no less, but it was impossible to lie on such an object. But it could be rolled.

In a modern apartment, of course, a rectangular box is preferable. It will fit things that are not needed every day, and if necessary, you can very quickly organize an extra bed or seat.

A do-it-yourself bench-chest is made almost the same as a chest-bed, the difference is only in dimensions.

What to do?

In the old days chests were made of natural wood. Now you can safely continue this tradition, fortunately, in hardware stores you will always find boards from a variety of breeds and all possible sizes. But other materials are also suitable:

plywood;
laminate;

Depending on what materials you have at your disposal, you need to choose one or another design of the chest-couch:

frame;
frameless.

The frame version is used for thin materials - plywood and laminate, because otherwise they will sag. For the frame, you will need more slats or timber. For boards and chipboard, the frameless method is quite suitable. In both cases, the floor board is very suitable, which fits perfectly.

Important! The thickness of plywood or chipboard must be at least 16 mm.

Making calculations

Making a rectangular box with a lid will be much easier if you properly calculate the dimensions and unfold:

Determine the place where the chest-bed will stand - it is best to mark with chalk its future position on the wall and on the floor.
On the wall, draw two more horizontal lines, thus marking the height of the legs and the bottom of the lid.
Measure the floor length and width.
On the wall, measure the height of the box (from the legs to the bottom of the lid) and the lid.
Subtract twice the thickness of the beam from the height.

Making a sweep

First you need to make a drawing to scale. It is best to take graph paper for this purpose. A scale of 1:10 is convenient, when one centimeter on a sheet corresponds to 10 cm of the board. Further - everything is simple:

Draw a rectangle, the length and width of which correspond to the length and width of the future chest in the selected scale - this will be the bottom.
Draw the front and back parts - their lower sides are in contact with the long lines of the already existing rectangle, and the short ones are equal to the height of the body.
Draw the sides, respectively - the lower sides of these two parts coincide with the short sides of the bottom, and the sides are equal in height.
Circle the contours with a bold pencil, and the fold lines with a dotted line.
Build the lid in the same way: first, a large rectangle that will be exactly the same as the bottom, and then attach the rest of the sides to it.
On all sides, sign the dimensions, but not on a scale, but as they will be in reality.

Important! If you have a good spatial imagination, you can skip the sweep.

Cooking Tools

Before starting work, take care of the tools that should always be at hand. It is also necessary to allocate at least a small space for a workshop in order to assemble a bed-chest with your own hands.

Important! It is desirable that where you will work, there was not very high humidity. When working with wood, sudden changes in temperature should also be avoided. The chest, of course, is not a musical instrument, for which high humidity can be simply catastrophic. But the right conditions can avoid many problems.

You will need the following tools:

electric jigsaw or wood saw;
drill;
Sander;
screwdriver (you can use a drill at low speeds);
a hammer;
pencil;
long line;
square.

In addition, fasteners are needed, as well as carpentry glue. The following are used as fasteners:

self-tapping screws;
metal corners;
wooden scarves.

Laying out the frame

For the frame structure of the chest-bed, we take a bar 5x5. You need to choose it carefully - knots do not particularly harm the case, but there should not be noticeable chips and gluing.

Frame

For the body you need 12 parts:

4 pieces equal to the length of the chest;
4 pieces equal to its width;
4 - equal to the height minus twice the thickness of the beam.

Important! For a large chest, you will also need side braces - one for each short side and 2 for each long side. Their length is equal to the height of the box minus twice the thickness of the beam, since they are placed between the upper and lower bases.

Lid

You will also need 12 parts for the lid frame. But there is also a semi-frame option, if the height of this part is equal to a single or double the thickness of the timber. In both situations, side ribs can be dispensed with. In the first case, only the frame is made, in the second, the frame is doubled, that is, 4 or 8 parts are needed, respectively.

Important! The double frame option may be too heavy.

Assembling the box frame

To connect the parts you need self-tapping screws. Before you start assembling the bed-chest with your own hands, sand the elements. This can be done with a large and small sandpaper, but a grinder is much more convenient:

Start the assembly from the base - connect the bottom parts, observing right angles.
Assemble the top in the same way.
Compare the fragments - the contours must match exactly.
Place the corner ribs, attach them to the bottom, then secure the top frame frame.
Install intermediate supports.
Reinforce support bars from the inside of the frame, except for angled ones, with triangular or T-shaped plywood scarves on screws - this will reduce the tendency of the structure to loosen.

We cut the skin

Despite the fact that you have a drawing of a bed-chest, it is better to cut the sheathing after the frame is ready - you need to carefully measure it so that there are no gaps in the finished product.

Plywood or boards should be the same thickness. Cut to size:

1 bottom;
2 sidewalls;
2 identical pieces for front and back.

We sheathe the box

The sheathing is attached to self-tapping screws of small length:

Attach the bottom - first screw in the screws along the long sides, then along the short ones.
Attach the ends.
Attach the front and back pieces.

Important! If you are making the sheathing not from solid sheets, but from separate boards, it is best to join them in the area of \u200b\u200bthe spacers.

legs

They can be of any shape - carved, barrel-shaped, rectangular or square. The easiest option is the last one. You can also use the legs from an old sofa, if they are strong enough and match the color and style:

Stick rubber or felt pads on the underside to keep your chest from damaging the floor.
Screw the legs, and to be sure, coat the joints with wood glue.
Check how horizontal the bottom is - if it is tilted, stick another gasket under the dubious leg.

Important! The chest can be without legs at all, such a design will be even simpler.

How to make a lid for a chest from plywood?

The lid is made in much the same way as the box. Start with a frame, that is, with a rectangle. In addition to it, for a large chest you will need 2-3 transverse struts, which are placed between the long sides.

You need to cut:

1 rectangle for the top - in size it is equal to the bottom;
2 sidewalls;
front and back.

Connect the side bars, frame parts of the front and rear parts into a rectangular frame. As in the manufacture of the box, it is convenient to use self-tapping screws. Insert spacers, and then sheathe the cover.

Lid should open

You can, of course, just put it on, but it's hard and inconvenient. It is much more interesting to make a real chest with a hinged lid. You will need:

3-4 window hinges;
mortise lock, latch or bolt.

We attach window hinges to the back side. It is better to sink them by sawing recesses of the appropriate size in the casing - only the axles should protrude. All this is screwed with the same screws.

Place a device in front with which the chest will close. Pirate films usually show chests with mortise locks, but they are not as convenient as, say, a latch or bolt. You can attach one latch in the center, or you can attach two in the corners, as you like.

Final finishing

The do-it-yourself chest bed is almost ready, but you don’t really like how it looks? It doesn't matter, you can decorate it. The wooden parts will look much more interesting if they are covered with stain, fortunately, in hardware stores you will probably be offered stain in a variety of colors, including walnut or ebony. In addition, the walls can be painted, pasted over with a cloth, burned out or cut out patterns on them.

Important! Joints can be sealed with a decorative glazing bead. But nothing prevents you from making forged linings or their plywood imitation.

Do-it-yourself laminate chest

Can you make a chest out of laminate? Why not? True, this material is hardly suitable for a chest-bed - it is deformed from a large weight. But you can make a small chest in the hallway. Lying on it is definitely not worth it, but sitting down to lace up your boots is fine. Such a chest is made in the same way as plywood, only a beam for a small product needs a thinner one.

Important! This option is also good for a nursery - your little nephew or daughter of a friend, who are sometimes left with you for the night, weigh a little and are unlikely to be able to push through the lid.

If you really like this material and you just dream that a large chest-couch was made of it - well, this is also possible, but subject to certain conditions:

Do not make a cover out of laminate.
It is quite possible to use it for sidewalls.
You can make a double skin - a layer of plywood, then a layer of laminate. But the design will turn out to be very massive.

In a word, a bed-chest or a bench-chest can become a very interesting and useful item in your apartment. And you can make something unique quite quickly and without great material losses, because even boards from old furniture that you decided to part with can come up.

But on this we do not say goodbye, come again!

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September 14, 2016
Specialization: master in the construction of plasterboard structures, finishing work and laying flooring. Installation of door and window blocks, facade finishing, installation of electrics, plumbing and heating - I can give detailed advice on all types of work.

If you want to use the balcony as a seating area, but you have nowhere to store vegetables and homemade preparations, then the problem can be solved in an interesting way. A bench on the balcony can become a way out - it will not be difficult to build a structure that combines a chest and a place to rest with your own hands. I will talk in detail about how to organize the workflow and what is needed to implement the project.

What you need to work

A bench with a drawer on the balcony can be made of different materials, I will tell you about wood options, as it is the most reliable of all. In addition, such designs look very attractive and it is easy to assemble them on your own.

First, let's look at what is needed to carry out the work:

Edged board	It is better to use options with a thickness of 25-30 mm, thinner boards are not very reliable, and thicker ones are too heavy. It is ideal to use ground elements, as they do not require additional processing, which greatly simplifies the workflow.
Wooden block	A frame will be made from it, so you need to choose options with a cross section of at least 40x40 mm in order for the structure to be strong and reliable. When choosing, I advise you to pay special attention to the geometry of the bars, often they lead during the drying process, which is extremely undesirable - it is very problematic to assemble an even bench from curved pieces
piano loop	A seat will be attached to it, which simultaneously performs the function of a box lid. Such products are sold in furniture fittings stores and are inexpensive, so you can easily purchase them. For long lengths, several loops may be required, it is important that they are located along the entire cover
self-tapping screws	With their help we will assemble our bench, the length of the fastener depends on the thickness of the board used, it should be about 25-30 mm longer to ensure reliability

If you will make a soft seat, then in addition you will need to purchase foam rubber and upholstery or leatherette. Although this work can be done later, the bench can be used as such.

Another factor to consider in advance is whether there will be a back in the design, if so, then you will need more materials. If the bench will stand still, then the backrest can be attached separately to the wall, this option looks good, and it can be done after assembling the main structure without any alterations.

Instead of wood, you can use a furniture board, it is very durable and well-crafted, but its price is noticeably higher than that of a simple board.

For assembly, we also need a set of tools, the list of basic fixtures is as follows:

To cut materials, you can use a power tool or a hand saw. It is most convenient to use a jigsaw, as it allows you to quickly and accurately cut the board, while you can round the edges, make curved elements, etc. Circular saws or, as they are also called, parquet, are also often used, they are also easy to use, but only cut in a straight line;
Self-tapping screws are screwed in with a screwdriver, the main thing is to have bits of the required configuration (for self-tapping wood screws go PH2). To prevent the board from cracking, you can drill holes with a 2 mm drill, this will also make it easier to screw them in;
For surface grinding (if you have a raw board), the easiest way is to use a grinder, they are different, and in our case, any will do. If it is not possible to find such a power tool, then you can get by with sandpaper, the work will take longer, but the result will be no worse;

To take measurements, you will need a tape measure; for accurate marking, it is better to have a steel ruler, a carpenter's square and a pencil on hand.

The working process

All work can be divided into two parts - preparatory and assembly. We will analyze each of them separately to make it easier for you to understand all the operations performed.

Training

Work begins with the following activities:

First of all, you need to take measurements on the balcony in order to figure out what kind of space you have and what are the maximum dimensions our benches can have. You can make one, or you can make several benches, you yourself must decide how many are needed;
For a comfortable seat, the height should not exceed 60 cm, as for the width, it should be at least 40 cm and not more than 70, otherwise it will again be uncomfortable to sit on it. As for the length, you must determine it yourself, you should not make a 3-meter structure, it is easier and more reasonable to make two benches;
After you have decided on the main parameters, you can make a sketch of the future product. There is no need to be a professional draftsman, you need a diagram that will show all the main dimensions and design features. This will help you clearly visualize the final result and make it easier to understand further work, because you will have a ready-made scheme in front of you;

Also, make sure that the balcony is freed from various rubbish and that all the necessary materials and fixtures are at hand. Also, as I noted above, you can sand the board at least from the front side, so that you don’t have to do this work later.

Assembly

The instructions for carrying out the work are not difficult, to make it even clearer, first I will show a diagram with a sequence of work, and below I will describe in detail each of the points:

First of all, you need to cut the elements for the frame, in our case these are four bars, which will be located at the corners from the inside. You can also cut a board for all walls. The most important thing here is to carefully take measurements so as not to cut off the excess and not spoil the material; when cutting, do not press too hard so as not to damage the ends;

You can assemble the side walls, for this, two bars are taken, placed on a horizontal surface at the right distance, after which the boards are applied on top and screwed with self-tapping screws. As a result, you should get two assembled sidewalls, it is important that they are even and not skewed, so control the even position of each board;
Next, you can attach the sides, for this it is better to involve an assistant so that he holds the received shields during their assembly. The board can be fixed both closely and with slots, if you do not need a blind box, then the distance between the elements should be the same so that the bench on the balcony looks neat;

To fix the bottom, two bars are attached from the inside in the lower part, transverse boards are beaten to them, this is the easiest option;
Then you need to nail to the bottom of the support, this is necessary so that the structure does not come into contact with the floor. This will allow the board not to get damp from the floor, and in case of spilling water, the product will not get wet. The configuration of the legs can be any, as long as they are strong;
The top cover is assembled separately, the simplest option is to fasten two boards from the inside. To prevent warping of the resulting shield, I suggest adding a diagonal brace between the two crossbars, this will make the lid much stronger and more secure;

Lastly, a piano loop is attached to the end side of the lid, cut to the desired size if necessary. Further, the structure leans against the box and is fixed on it, if the seat lies between the bars, then in order for the lid to move normally, it is better to lay washers 1.5 mm thick on the sides in order to accurately fix the loop.

The finished box can be used, but it is much more reasonable to pre-cover it with a protective compound. It may or may not be a varnish that will give the surface the desired shade, while not hiding the structure of the wood. If desired, you can paint the surface with patterns or ornaments, it all depends on your wishes and preferences.

If you decide to upholster the seat, then the easiest way to work is to use a furniture stapler, with which you can quickly fix the material on the inside of the cover. In order for the surface to be soft, the foam rubber layer must be at least 5 cm, thinner material is pressed through very strongly.

You can not attach the upholstery, but sew several pillows, this option is both simpler and looks very stylish. In addition, if necessary, the pillows can be washed or used in another place.

And one more tip - if you store potatoes or other vegetables in a box, you can trim the inner surface with a heater with a reflective layer. This will ensure the best preservation of vegetables.

Conclusion

A do-it-yourself bench on a balcony with a drawer is much easier than it might seem at first glance, with its help you get not only a comfortable place to relax, but also a storage compartment for everything you need. The video in this article will clearly show some of the points discussed above, and if you have questions, then write them below in the comments.

If the apartment has a very small balcony and you want to make the most of its space, then you will need a bench with a storage box. With such a comfortable bench, you can arrange both a dining room and a living room on the balcony.

Necessary materials:

1) Boards;
2) Metal corner;
3) Drill;
4) Bolts;
5) Paint;
6) Ruler;
7) Rope;
8) Foam rubber and water-repellent fabric.

Manufacturing instructions

Cut the boards according to the instructions. As a result, you will get a bench measuring 100x100 cm and 45 cm high (minus the legs and pillow).

To keep the boards together, you need to use a metal corner. Use a special triangular ruler to keep the boards at a 90 degree angle.

Use clamps to connect all frames. Then drill holes and install bolts.

The balcony is open, so the bench in this case is painted with paint that protects the wood from bad weather.

Legs are made of boards 25*50 mm.

Attach 25*150 mm boards to the sides of the frame. Start from the bottom, fasten with screws.

In this master class, a board 10 mm thick is used.

In the back of the bench, two boards 25 * 150 mm and one board on the front are attached to the top. Then the cover is made. Boards 25 * 150mm are taken and boards 25 * 50 mm are attached to them. Make sure there are no gaps. Planks 25 * 50 mm should not be very long so as not to interfere with the lid closing. To make a handle, you need to drill 2 holes on the lid and thread a rope through them. Then make knots at the ends of the rope.

“I want a wavy lid. The rest is up to you." Agree that you can rely on the imagination of the master only if you completely trust him. And it is all the more pleasant when the result is better than your most beautiful fantasy.

Forum member illeso did, which was also a shop. Initially I was going to decorate it with a mosaic of broken tiles. However, he later changed his mind. The new idea turned out to be even more interesting.

So, cover. She was made from a furniture board. He sawed it with a jigsaw, processed it with a milling machine. Then I carefully polished everything with sandpaper. The cover needed to be given a beautiful shade. First, illeso varnished it, without a primer, so that the composition penetrated deeper into the wood and more clearly marked its structure. After that, the cover was again processed with sandpaper, painted again, sanded again. The forum member was dissatisfied with the result: the dark and light areas were too contrasting. I fixed this by varnishing the lid with a little azure. Then, twice, I treated it with a colorless varnish. It turned out what was needed.

Forumchanin took up the sides of the chest. I wanted to decorate them with something unusual. I came up with the idea of making grooves interspersed with wooden patches. Another idea came for morning coffee. From the balcony illeso saw a tree. "Why not?" – decided forumchanin. So this plant appeared on the front side of the chest. Later, the same nickels were also pasted into it.

The chest is assembled, it already has a bottom. The inside is painted dark. The master made piglets from dry pine trunks that he found in the forest. I planted them with Titebond glue. He also fastened the sides of the chest. I also used self-tapping screws, which I hid under the same stumps. When all the cavities of the drawing were filled, illeso processed these elements with a grinder. The result exceeded all expectations of the master: it turned out very beautifully.

The forum member filled the space between the nickels with putty. This was preceded by a series of experiments. First, illeso tried wood sealant. However, after drying, the material remained elastic. This didn't fit. This was followed by wood putty - it hardened, but the layer was too thick and slightly cracked (all solutions are tinted dark brown). I was pleasantly surprised by the paste for wood (for laminate and parquet). She froze in half an hour and retained a rich shade. Plus, it turned out to be durable. After a series of manipulations, the forum member nevertheless settled on the usual wood putty.

This is how the chest looked before filling with putty.