Okay, let me tell you about this little project I got myself into recently. It involved some beech timber, making cushions, and it was all sort of inspired by basketball, well, my backyard hoop anyway.

Getting Started

So, I’ve got this hoop set up out back, spend a fair bit of time shooting around. But there wasn’t really a good spot to just sit down for a minute, catch my breath, you know? Just the grass or the patio steps. I thought, I need a proper bench. Something solid, something that looks decent.

I started thinking about materials. Didn’t want plastic junk. Wood seemed right. I landed on beech timber. Heard it was tough, hard-wearing, and honestly, I just like the look of it. Seemed like a good choice for something that’ll live outdoors, mostly.

Working with the Beech

Off I went to the timber place. Found some nice planks of beech. Wasn’t cheap, but I figured it’s a long-term thing. Got them back home. Then came the measuring and cutting. I’m no master carpenter, mind you. It was a lot of measure twice, cut once… sometimes measure three times.

• Got the legs cut.
• Cut the pieces for the seat frame.
• Cut the slats for the seat top itself.

Sanding took ages. Beech is hard, so sanding it smooth takes elbow grease. But I wanted it nice and smooth, no splinters when you sit down, right?

Assembly was next. Used some beefy screws and wood glue. Clamped it all together while the glue dried. I spent a while just making sure it was level and didn’t wobble. Nothing worse than a wobbly bench. Finally, I put a couple of coats of clear varnish on it. Really brought out the nice grain of the beech wood and should give it some weather protection.

The Cushion Challenge

The beech bench looked great, really solid. But hard wood isn’t exactly comfy for long. It needed cushions. This turned out to be trickier than the woodwork.

I looked around for ready-made outdoor cushions. Couldn’t find anything I really liked, or they were crazy expensive. And I kind of wanted something that tied into the basketball theme, even subtly. Maybe orange? Or just something tough.

So, I decided to try making them myself. How hard could it be? Hah.

Got some thick foam, the kind for outdoor furniture. Found some decent, heavy-duty canvas fabric – went for a simple dark grey in the end, figuring it wouldn’t show dirt as much. Making the covers… well, let’s just say my sewing machine and I had some disagreements. My stitching isn’t exactly professional grade. It took a few tries to get the covers sized right so they were snug on the foam but not impossible to put on.

Finished Product (Sort Of)

Eventually, I wrestled the foam into the covers. Placed the finished cushions on the beech bench. Stepped back. You know what? It didn’t look half bad!

It’s sturdy, the beech looks classy, and the cushions make it comfortable enough to sit and watch the kids shoot hoops (or catch my own breath). It’s not perfect, the cushion sewing is a bit rough if you look close, but I made it. From picking the timber to wrestling with the sewing machine. Feels good to use something you put together yourself. That beech bench should last years, and the cushions, well, I know how to make replacements now!