This is a Christmas present for my wife. She pinned this sometime back and has forgotten about it. Lucky me! I stumbled upon and old chevy while exploring our land with my young sons and so the project began.

Step 1: The Design

I am a drafter so I like to begin every project with a drawing. *Note not all my projects turn out to follow the measurements in my sketches...

Materials:
Tailgate

Frame:

(1) Treated 4"x4"x10'

(2) Treated 2"x4"x8'

Seat: (as color coded in the drawing @ 1" thick)

Blue (2) 1'-10 1/4"x4"

Green (2) 1'-10 1/4"x2"

Pink (9) 1'-10 1/4"x3"

Red (12) 1'-10 1/4"x1"

Step 2: The Model

Here is what I am trying to recreate with the seat of the bench.

Step 3: Progress

Fortunately my family loves wood working so we have plenty of scrap wood around.

Step 4: Getting Ready for the Finishing Nails

Unfortunately not all tailgates are created equal. The width & height of the tailgate will vary from make, model & year of the vehicle you got the tailgate from.

Step 5: Unfinished But Ready for the Christmas Bow

My wife is very much the painter and wood finisher in our family. This bench will be delivered to her on Christmas day so that she can pick which color she will paint the stripes on the seat before we seal all the wood. I may come back and round the arm rests.

Step 6: Conclusion

There is no rhyme or reason to my stripes I worked with what wood I had. I apologize for the lack of instructions. Ask questions and I will edit the post as needed to clarify the steps, this is my first instructable.

Edit* We burned the stripes with a propane torch then stained the entire bench with the same color stain. Then put two coats of polyurethane over all the wood. The bench has been completed and not sits on the patio. Happy Tailgating!

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I will assist as best I can.