Hi, I don't know how much you've built. I would saw one piece in half for the arms. You can cut the legs shorter if you want the arms to be shorter than the back. A jigsaw with a metal blade will cut the metal. The clamp below will help you attach the poles to a wooden seat. They're available at any hardware store, come in lots of different sizes and are cheap. The metal arms can be attached to the back with small corner brackets. Put them underneath so they don't show. This metal should drill fairly easy for the corner brackets. I pound a dent where I need to drill metal with a hammer and big nail. If you drill lots of holes, use a new nail after each one or two dents. This will help stop the drill bit from jumping around. Another option is to build two benches with no arms, at least not metal arms. Build 2 bottoms. They would look sort of like a coffee table and be the same width, or slightly wider than the headboard. Then just attach the headboards to the backs with at least 4 clamps. This way, you wouldn't drill any metal. If it will be outside, be sure to prime and paint with exterior paints. Even if the headboard stays the same color, repaint with exterior paint. Part of the fun of this stuff is to make it up as you go along. Post pics of the headboard and you may get more ideas. Type bed bench in the search and you'll find others. Linda
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Good Luck Halley Rose,way to score ;) I'm with Linda,make 2 benches!

Halley, check out the post entitled "Headboard/Flower Box" - it has pics of a metal headboard made into a flower pot stand and there are pics of benches made from headboards.

Sal

You read my mind, Crafty. I have it bookmarked!

Here is a link that might be useful: Headboard/Flower box

Why not just put the bed together, make the seat part out of something that w/withstand the elements (mosaic it, of course), and have a bench w/o a back. Much simpler. I made one for the inside of my house years ago. It was WONDERFUL w/the mattress covered in a quilt w/a hanging skirt.

halley_rose
I sent photos of my metal bedstead bench to you by yahoo and Snapfish invite. I think something should have come thru! If you want to post them here feel free. I used to have the pics on GWGJ or THS T2T but haven't found them again.
I tried several types of brackets to try to build the bench from metal but I thought it was just tooooo flimsy to support active people. With a reciprocating saw (sawz-all), my DH and I cut the foot board in thirds and discarded the middle section, then lined up the ends to the headboard ends and welded carefully every place we could make metal touch metal. It was easy to put the seat on by cutting sections of a 2X6 that was pulled from a trash pile at a constructions site. It had a crack in the end and couldn't be used as a floor joist. Woohoo for me! The carpenters even carried it to my house for me. I rewarded them with a few cold ones when they were done for the day. The bottom rails across both peices were the same hieght (just perfect for sitting after the wood was added) so we just trimmed out a notch of wood where the metal side piece was in the way. Then went underneath
drilled thru the metal tube and inserted 2 2 1/2" screws in each end of each board. Right thru the tube and into the board like butter. Srapy painted all the metal fisrt flat black and the boards were painted a light gray. All paint gotten from freecycling friends. We made it in Jan. 04, it is still strong and in use. It has been outside all this time in the heat, humidity, rain and shine and 4 out of 5 hurricanes to blow thru. I may have to give it another coat of spray paint this spring. We used PVC end-caps on the upright front arms and put the pretty glass tulip globes on the back for the candles to sit in. After I sliced my arm open moving around the bench back to trim a bush the DH got more end caps and put them on instead of the candle holders. He didn't want anyone else to get cut. I don't believe losing the candle holders hurt the looks at all. The total cost of the bench was a little sweat and one pricked finger. I'm such a clutz with sharp metal shavings. The hours of enjoyment sitting and sharing with friends PRICELESS! Have fun good luck!
Blessings Abound
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