Fancy X Farmhouse Bench 
Building our own patio table and benches has been an amazing experience. I have enjoyed every minute of building these and I am looking forward to our next big project, whatever that may be. I am back to show you how we completed our Farmhouse Table by making the matching benches. Want to know how to build a fancy farmhouse bench? Well you have made it to the right spot...almost...this is a post of our journey, but all of the fancy x farmhouse plans and kudos really goes to Ana White. She is who posts awesome plans for us to make little dreams a reality! (Or drive our husbands MAD with our creativity and next big project) If you enjoy building and creating, I recommend taking a look at her site. She has a ton of plans that you can use to make your own ideas come to life. We got started by purchasing the product needed for the benches. We tossed around the idea of making chairs, but went with benches since this is an outdoor table. (I am still thinking about making chairs...I am in the mood to build!) Make sure you have all of the supplies you will need: screwdriver, drill, 2" and 2 1/2" screws, Kreg Jig, sander, stain and finish. (If you are building, I am a firm believer in the Kreg. This is a product you WANT to have. Note: I don't get paid to say that or have any sponsorship for this post, I am just a firm believer in this product!)
Farmhouse Benches, before they were benches Following theplans, we began by making our fancy X support legs. As we did with the table, we created plugs with a drill bit to fill all of our pocket holes we made with the Kreg Jig. 
Support legs for the benches We made two benches, so we had to make 6 of these legs. 
Support legs and braces for benches Once you have all of your support legs finished and braces cut, it is time to start piecing this bench together! Things go a lot faster once you have the steps above finished. 
Support legs and braces After getting this step complete, the next step is creating the pocket holes with the Kreg for the seat of the bench. Believe it or not, this step actually goes really fast.
Using our mini Kreg piece from our Master kit and the drill bit to create pocket holes for the seat Once you have your seat together, its time to sand, and sand, and sand, and sand!I have arrows in the picture below explaining an issue we had with this build that is probably common. There were uneven spots when we sat on the bench, making one area rise up when you placed weight on the other end. This was because of the bowing of the wood we used for the seat, which in turn made the middle support leg uneven. We were able to correct the wood for the seat a ton by using the pocket holes from the Kreg, but we were unable to completely correct it. We tackled this problem by sanding the feet to make them all even again and the bench perfectly steady.
(Remember to always grab your protective eyewear before using any equipment. You only have two eyes!)
Correcting the uneven bottom due to the bowing of the tops We also created plugs for the seat and every other area, just like we did for the table. We didn't want screw holes showing, and we really like the look of one uniform piece. 
Example of plugging your pocket holes After completing the benches, it was time to stain! Once again, I used 2 coats of the Minwax Dark Walnut, and also the Helmsman Spar Urethane. I LOVE these products from Minwax, and the stains they have to choose from are beautiful. I chose a dark stain for our table and benches, but I am looking forward to trying their different selections for future projects. 
Stain and Finish I will admit that staining these benches was harder than the table. There were a ton of little angles, nooks, and small spaces to have to get into. I did the benches in steps, and with dry time it took a couple of days. 
Applying stain The time it took was well worth it. We are now completely finished with our outdoor patio project, and are in love with our new table and benches. 
Finished bench 
I am looking forward to many meals with friends and family on our new table. 
Now that we are finished, I am trying to decide on what my new big project should be....(but don't tell my husband!)
