How to Build Breakfast Nook Benches From a Church Pew

Tip the pew over seat face down on the sawhorses. The supports of the pew should be sticking straight up in the air. Place one clamp under each sawhorse clamping the seat to the saw horses. Remove all the screws from everything. Remove the supports and the pew back.

Set the skill saw at 90-degrees and adjust the depth of the blade to cut through the seat.There is a 15 degree angle on the back of the seat where the back screws onto the seat. Turn on the saw and trim along the back of the seat trimming the angle off the back of the seat bringing it into square.

Measure to the center of the seat lengthwise on the back. Set the protractor at 45-degrees. Starting from the center point, draw a line to the left, flip the protractor over, and draw a line to the right. These are the miter cut lines; one line should angle left towards the front, one line should angle right to the front from the center point on the back.

Starting from the back of the seat, cut along the lines, cutting the pew in half with the skill saw. Hold onto the triangular shaped cut-off piece so it does not fall and hit your foot.

Remove all the clamps and set the seats on the floor. Set the skill saw blade to 45-degrees. Set the protractor at 90 degrees. Place the back of the pew on the saw horses. Measure to the exact center, draw a line with the protractor and cut the back directly in half. Turn the piece of the back around with the reverse 45 degree angle, and trim the 45 degree angle on this piece. Sawing from the opposite direction cuts the corresponding angle on the reverse angle, allowing the pieces to fit together.

Flush the backs to the seats and screw the backs onto the seats. You now have two mitered sections.

Measure the center support to get the height, and then screw the 12-inch 2-by-4 cleats to both end supports at the same height. Screw a 12-inch 2-by-4 cleat to the top of each side of the center support.

Using the same height measurement of center support and the cleats on the end supports, screw the 32- inch 2-by-4's horizontally to the corners of the wall at the same height.

Slide the mitered pew ends together on top of the 2-by-4's; the mitered ends should come together in the corner.

Trim the top off the center support and slide it underneath the mitered seat joint. Screw through the back on the left and right side into the wall to secure the breakfast nook to the wall. Lie down under the pew and finish by pre-drilling at a slight angle, then screw the cleats into the bottom of the seat.

Screw the supports to the floor through pre-existing anchor holes.