The back door of our house leads directly into our kitchen, and it's also a very awkward corner, with two other doors right there that lead to the basement and laundry room. That corner also seemed to collect shoes, which usually become one big pile. This has frustrated both my wife and I, so I asked her if she would want a shoe bench. Her answer was a definite yes, and the project got put on the top of the list because neither of us like tripping over the pile of shoes. Worked on this on and off (more off than on) over the last 5 or 6 weeks.
Made of hard maple, with a couple 1/4" strips of cherry in the top for accent. All dowel construction, save for attaching the top, which I made some cleats for out of poplar scraps. (Holes were elongated in one side of the cleats to allow for seasonal expansion.) Finish is two coats of Watco Danish Oil. That was followed up by a coat of paste wax, which I had just finished buffing out when these pics were taken.
Also, I don't have a doweling jig yet, but did make my own for this specific project. Drilled the holes where needed in small cutoffs using my drill press and then attached some scraps on top with super glue to help me line them up. Clamped them in place by the scraps, and they allowed me to drill straight and properly lined up holes for the dowels and everything lined up perfectly.
And the best part, the "customer" is happy - my wife loves it!
Made of hard maple, with a couple 1/4" strips of cherry in the top for accent. All dowel construction, save for attaching the top, which I made some cleats for out of poplar scraps. (Holes were elongated in one side of the cleats to allow for seasonal expansion.) Finish is two coats of Watco Danish Oil. That was followed up by a coat of paste wax, which I had just finished buffing out when these pics were taken.
Also, I don't have a doweling jig yet, but did make my own for this specific project. Drilled the holes where needed in small cutoffs using my drill press and then attached some scraps on top with super glue to help me line them up. Clamped them in place by the scraps, and they allowed me to drill straight and properly lined up holes for the dowels and everything lined up perfectly.
And the best part, the "customer" is happy - my wife loves it!