The Mighty Couch

Overview: This was by far the biggest, most expensive, and most time consuming project that I have done thus far. I had a total blast. My wife and I needed a new couch because our futon from WalMart that was only 7 months old was curved where you sit instead of flat. I did not make for a comfortable sit. We also didn't want to buy a nice couch yet so I set out to solve the problem. For all of the wood and hardware, I spent $88 at home depot and then we bought a new futon mattress at Big Lots for $100. Not bad for being married college students I say. Plus, this couch that I built I think will last a lot longer than any that we would've bought with our price range. It took me between 15 -20 hours to build it but I learned a lot about wood working. My goal was to build it using common construction products i.e. 2x4's, 2x6's, 2x10's, 4x4's, and even some carriage bolts. The downside is that you have to look for a while to find some good straight pieces of lumber and you have to do more sanding than usual. I hope you enjoy.

Lime Light: I have to give a special thanks to Jeff A. for letting me use his shop and some of his tools. Really without his facility, I don't think this couch would've even been a possibility.

I started out building the legs. I know it looks like there are six legs here but I only used the four in the middle. The outer two were used to help stabilize my router and aid in measuring the three grooves I wanted to put onto each leg.

These legs I sanded first with a 22o grit, 150, and then a 100 grit before I used the router. If I would've used my router first, then the grooves might have had varying depths which nobody likes. So sand first then use your router.

I did the same with the front and side fascia pieces by rough sanding them first and then using my router to make a 1/2" curved groove along the top and bottom of each piece.

I used the 3/4" bit to cut out a 3/4" on the ends of each piece so that I could make a tighter fit. I applied glue and put a lot of clamps on all areas to let it dry. After I clamped it down, I hammered in some nails.

While that was drying I started on the part that would hold the people sitting on the couch. I measured the inside of the base and took off 3 1/2" on all sides for the legs to fit in.

All at the same time, I attached the legs and the framed piece to the base with 5/16" carriage bolts. I did two bolts per leg and notice that I put two smaller 4x4 pieces in the middle to attach the frame to so that the middle wouldn't sag over the years.

Next I worked on the back rest. I cut two pieces of wood which act as the visible side piece and then two smaller pieces which act as the support that I bolt to the base later on. I cut all four pieces at the bottom at a 15 degree angle which is the angle that the back rest will be from straight up.

I then laid out the spacing for my dowel rod top. The dowel rods are connected at their top and bottom. To make sure they are straight, I clamped the top and bottom pieces together and drilled the 1" holes at the same time. The middle marking is where the point of my drill bit goes and the outer two markings are for how wide my bit will be.

I cut the dowel rods long so that they stick out above the top piece. This is so that I can sand them down later and have a uniform flat finish at the top. Make sure and add glue to the tops and bottoms of the rods because I didn't be using any nails to attach them.

The base was then dry after a day of being clamped and I flipped it over. I made sure to have about a 3 - 4 inch drop from the top of the base to the top of the posts and framing so that I can put more padding underneath the cushion.

I then tested out the back rest. It fit perfectly but needed some additional support.

I matched the layout from the base to the back rest. I then cut the pieces at a 15 degree angle. I then added two more pieces that went from the bottom of the dowel rods to the bottom of the base that I then bolted down for the real strength. On the otherside of this 2x10 I attached a piece of 2x4 because my bolts were too long.

This is the couch before the final sanding.

I added some arm rests on both sides with two dowel rods each and then a bolt at the end for extra strength. I made sure to sand the arm rests before I attached them to minimize strength loss do to the sanders vibrating. I then cut out some 3/8" plywood to put where people sit. This makes a uniform seating area that will stay flat over the years. Don't worry the plywood will be covered with the mattress.

It is now ready for the stain. Before staining make sure to get all of the saw dust off of the couch and around it. I used an air compressor with a spray tip to spray off the entire couch.

I used a Pecan colored Polyurethane stain and stain conditioner for this project. I applied three coats total of the stain. I used the stain conditioner because it helps the wood to absorb the stain evenly so as get blotches. Since I used different types of soft woods, the stain might have been darker on some of the woods but the conditioner helps the whole project to be uniform in color.

It's done! The mattress is a little bigger than I thought so you can't really see the decorative top but it is great for giving your head a rest on a nice soft surface. Overall I had a great time trying new bits on my router and really understanding how many pieces can come together to make one masterpiece. This couch is very sturdy and makes me think I am in a log cabin. It has also inspired me to make some more furniture the same color.

I wanted to prove to myself and others that common materials can be made to look great and be strong. This project has also given me the confidence to tackle more difficult projects and when we save up some more money, being able to buy nice hardwoods.

I hope you liked it.