How to Build a Bench From an Old Tailgate: 4 Plans
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Kristin Hitchcock
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It is actually very easy to turn an old tailgate into a stylish bench. If you find yourself with an old tailgate, turning it into a bench is a great way to memorialize the car and build something useful. Because old tailgates are rather sturdy, these benches tend to be rather sturdy, too.
Of course, there are several ways that you can go about doing this. Therefore, we’ve included multiple different plans to help you out. While some of these are rather similar, many of them include unique features that you may want to include.
The Top 4 Ways to Build a Bence From an Old Tailgate
1. Tailgate Wall Bench
This bench is designed to fit onto a wall then fold down, becoming a bench. When you aren’t using it as a bench, it simply looks like you have a tailgate attached to your wall. This is a great option if you only plan on using your tailgate bench sometimes. It is also useful if you want to attach it directly to your wall without having a bottom portion.
The weight capacity of these benches is debatable since they are not attached to legs. Furthermore, they are decently uncomfortable unless you take extra steps to make them comfortable. Many people use them as tables or workbenches instead of actual benches that you sit on for this reason.
With that said, these benches are pretty cool. It mostly depends on what your priorities are.
2. Simple Tailgate Bench
For this plan, you use the tailgate as the back of the bench and then basically build the rest of the bench like normal. It isn’t necessarily as fancy as some other options out there, but it does absolutely work. If you’ve ever built a bench before, then this option should be pretty straightforward.
You shouldn’t need any special tools for this project. Most of your time will be spent ensuring that the measurements match the specific tailgate that you own. Otherwise, you’ll end up with uneven measurements and a bench that simply won’t work.
This bench is a great way to display an older tailgate and use it as something functional.
3. Rustic Tailgate Bench
This plan is pretty similar to the last one. However, it has a distinctive rustic look that may match your sensibilities a bit better. We must say, the rustic feel matches the older tailgate a lot better than in some other plans. The whole piece just looks a bit more put together.
With that said, you will need many different tools to accomplish this task. You’ll need a few different saws to cut all the wood into the right shape, as well as many different pieces of wood. The overall cost may be a bit more, as this project includes many different components.
Overall, though, this project is pretty straightforward and simple. You should be able to accomplish this project even if you aren’t a super experienced DIYer.
You might also be interested in: 9 DIY Shooting Bench Plans You Can Build Today
4. Garden Bench
This plan is specifically designed to produce a garden bench. It uses old license plates as the arms, which is a cool touch. However, it does assume that you have old license plates floating around, which you may not.
This bench is completely made using pallet wood, besides the tailgate on the back. In fact, this bench mostly includes making a normal bench and then adding the tailgate over the normal backing. If you’ve ever built a bench before, then this one should be pretty straightforward.
Even if you haven’t built a bench before, though, this option should be pretty straightforward. We don’t expect that anyone will find it too terribly difficult.
Conclusion
Turning an old tailgate into a bench is generally pretty straightforward. Generally speaking, you’ll just need to build a regular bench and then attach the tailgate to it as the back. You can either do this by building a back and then setting the tailgate on top of it or leaving the backoff and completely substituting it with the tailgate.
You can also attach the tailgate to a wall and have it come down into a bench. This method is a great option for those that only need temporary sitting space occasionally and who would much rather have the tailgate decorating the wall during other times.
Whatever plan you choose, none of these methods are terribly difficult. They do require that you have a few specific tools, though most of these are owned by your average woodworker.
Related Read: 10 DIY 2×4 Workbench Plans You Can Build Today
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay
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