As mentioned, safety should be your top priority. Make sure to put on your safety glasses, gloves, mask and any other required safety equipment like steel-tipped boots. Take care when working with the machinery and turn off or unplug it when not in use. Step 2: Measure the railway sleepers Before drilling, make sure to start in the centre of the plus sign where the lines cross. Drill until you’ve drilled through the top railway sleeper into the one functioning as a leg. You can now either switch drill bits or continue on to the next cross. If you continue on, drill all the pilot holes before switching your spade bit for the auger bit. The best time for sanding is before assembly. This will allow you to nicely round off all the edges and create a beautifully smooth surface. You will need the sander and sandpaper for this job. Make sure to use sandpaper with a fine grid to avoid creating ugly lines on the wood. The Sleeper range is manufactured from Pressure Treated timber that has been smooth-planed for a splinter-free finish, ensuring it is comfortable and safe for children too. The timber is FSC certified from sustainable sources and comes with a 15 year guarantee against rot and fungal decay. Coffee tables have a standard height of around 40 – 45 cm (16-18 inches). This is also the perfect height to sit on if you want to use it as a bench instead.

Forest Garden Forest Sleeper Bench 1.2 m, Pressure Treated

You most likely have long uncut railway sleepers to work with. To make your design a reality, you’ll have to do some measuring and planning. Using the Double Sleeper Bench 1.8m from Forest is a great way to make the most of your garden during the summer months Make sure your auger bit is the perfect size by holding it up next to the dowels you intend to use. The bit and dowel should be very close in size with the bit just very slightly bigger to create a tight fit. Once you are sure, you can place some wood glue on the areas where the leg attaches to the top railway sleepers. Again make sure everything is perfectly lined up. To keep everything stable in place, you can put in a long hex screw.

If you don’t want to damage your wood while hammering the dowel in place, either use a wooden mallet or an offcut and a metal hammer. The offcut will protect the wood underneath from getting damaged by the metal hammer. Use your method of choice and hammer all the dowels in place. You can put a bit of glue in the hole to make it extra secure. The length of the legs will depend on the kind of railway sleeper you have. If it’s the square variety, you’ll have to take into account the width of the surface area, if you have the one that resembles a plank, you’ll have to add railway sleepers on top of each other to get the height right. To make it simple, measure the width of the railway sleeper you’re working with and add length to it until the total measurement is around 40 cm (16 inches) high. To place the screws, drill a small pilot hole. The head of the screw should not be visible above the rim of the hole and also leave some space for a filling that will come later on. Once ready, secure everything together with the screws inside the pilot holes you just created. Step 6: Secure the dowels in place

Sleeper Table - Etsy UK Sleeper Table - Etsy UK

Line up the auger with the pilot holes and start drilling. Before you do them all, however, secure one dowel in place to make sure the fit is correct. If you haven’t cut your dowels to the correct length yet, now is the time to do it. Line up your table legs and place the two or three railway sleepers that will make up the seat/tabletop on top of the legs. Before you start to secure anything, move the legs into position. Measure the distance from the edge to the leg to make sure both sides are the same. The screws will help to hold everything in place while you prepare the railway sleepers to be secured by the dowels. Take great care when sawing your railway sleepers. Credit: @the_scaffold_furniture_co Step 4: Sand everything downBuilding railway sleeper furniture is fairly simple but you need to be careful. The machinery required can be dangerous and railway sleepers are very heavy. Make sure to acquire the appropriate safety equipment beforehand and take precautions when using the tools required for this project. Step 1: Safety Now you’ll need the sander again to gently taper off the edges of the dowels. Don’t throw away any scrap pieces since you’ll be using those to hide the hex screws later. The innovative Sleeper range of furniture from Forest has been designed to be mixed and matched in any configuration. The furniture is sturdy and contemporary with simple lines to create a more informal look. The 1.8M Double Sleeper Bench looks great on its own but when the benches and table are combined they can create the ideal seating area to sit and relax with friends and family - bringing the inside out and making the most of summer days.