Sturdy garden seats (Fig. 40) can be made of concrete with but little equipment. Two forms made as shown in Fig. 41 will serve for making benches for the gardens of an entire neighborhood. A few alert boys working together can make seats for their own yards and sell others to friends and neighbors. As a matter of fact, many of these seats have been made in the course of their school work by boys and girls not more than twelve years old.

Fig. 41. - How the wooden forms are constructed for casting the reinforced concrete slab for the seat top and the two ornamental end Supports of the bench illustrated in Fig. 40.

The form for the top, or seat portion, is made from 1-in. stock, preferably pine; it should be about 22 in. wide and 4 ft. 10 in. long. As the seat is to be 3 in. thick, the edge pieces should be made 3 by 18 in. for the short sides and 3 in. by 4 ft. 8 in. for the long. Strips cut with a 7/8-in. bevel - that is, triangular pieces - are mitered at the corners and nailed as shown to the sides but not to the bottom board.

Make short cleats to hold the side-pieces in place and screw the sides to the ends with 1½ No. 8 flathead screws. Two pieces for suspending iron dowel pins in the cement are next made and placed in position as shown.

Only one end form is necessary. The curved pieces are best sawed from blocks of pine 4 in. thick, 6 in. wide, and 15½ in. long. The curves may be cut with a turning or web saw, but for a very small expenditure this will be done at a woodworking mill or carpenter's shop on the band saw.

A top and bottom board are screwed on as shown, and well oiled wooden dowels are suspended from the top board (to leave holes in the cement for the iron pins which prevent the seat top from shifting).

Apply linseed oil to all parts that come in contact with the cement mixture. Prepare reinforcing wire and rods as indicated for the seat top. and provide two ¾ by 14½ in. iron rods and sufficient wire mesh to reinforce each of the seat supports. The mesh, or hardware (doth as it is preferably called, should extend to within about 1 in. of the edges all around.

Mix thoroughly one part cement and two parts dry, clean, sharp sand. Cup this up cone shape with a square-nosed shovel and scoop out the center, into which pour enough water to fill the hollow three quarters full. Scrape the sides of the cone into the hollow evenly all around and add enough water to make a quaky mixture.

Take four times as much gravel - running from ¾ to 1½ in. in diameter - as the amount of cement originally used. Wet the gravel thoroughly and work it into the cement and sand mixture. Have the final mixture still of a quaky consistency.

Place the mixture evenly in the forms, working it into corners with a trowel.

See that all air pockets are broken up. Allow the concrete to set for half an hour; then smooth the surface lightly with a trowel.

The casting will harden overnight but should remain in the form about three days. Sprinkling it daily will insure its drying out evenly.

To improve the surface and conceal any slight air pockets and roughnesses, apply with a 2-in. paint brush a mixture of one part cement to one part sand. A still more even, smooth surface may be obtained by rubbing the concrete with a carborundum stone or a common brick dipped in cement and water.

For one seat, 1 bag cement, 1½ cu. ft. sand, and 2 cu. ft. gravel will be ample.

In placing the seat in its desired location, dig holes about 8 by 16 in. in area and about 10 in. deep for the ends to rest on. These holes are filled with a mixture of one part cement to three parts sand and gravel. Let this dry overnight and then lay a mortar of one part cement and one part sand about 1 in. thick for the ends to rest upon. Use loam to fill in level with the grade so grass will grow.