Upcycled Bench from old work parts

 

  

We have tons of random scrap material, metal, and old tools lying around. My manager jokingly suggested we turn a bunch of old proprietary tools into a bench instead of throwing them out. Honestly, I thought it was a good idea, so I told him I would do it. 

These metal pieces were effectively large hourglass shaped aluminum plates that had a lot of their internal material removed for mass purposes. These parts were riddled with through holes and tapped holes I could use.

3 of the metal pieces would make the 3 legs of the bench, and the last 2 metal pieces would make cross braces that would support the legs. The braces were going to take advantage of the holes and empty spaces in the metal pieces, and I wanted them to encapsulate the metal pieces from all sides for security. In order to do that, I designed a bunch of 2 part braces that clamped together around the metal plates.

I also needed to increase the wheelbase of the bench, so that you couldn't rock forward and back and risk falling over. I wanted to waterjet horizontal aluminum slats to act as the extended feet of the bench, but the waterjet at work didn't have a large enough work envelope to fit the length that I needed. To compromise, I split it into two and joined it with a brace.

I added some horizontal 2 x 4 pieces to the three metal legs, and then screwed two 2 x 8's to the studs to make a seat.
I bought the wood and then cut, filled, sanded, and lacquered it over a weekend in the machine shop.

   

The bench is now a great addition to our couches during lunch when we run out of seating, and also doubles as a table.