Woodworking Talk banner

Maple Shoe Bench

2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Sprung 
#1 ·
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!
 

Attachments

See less See more
3
#3 ·
Thanks!

My shoes will go on the rug that this bench will be on, my wife's will go on the level below the bench top, and the bench provides a nice place to sit while putting on shoes, since we like to leave our shoes at the door and not carry dirt through the house. Keeping the floors clean has become very important for us with a nearly 10 month old crawling around!
 
#5 ·
Sprung said:
Thanks!

My shoes will go on the rug that this bench will be on, my wife's will go on the level below the bench top, and the bench provides a nice place to sit while putting on shoes, since we like to leave our shoes at the door and not carry dirt through the house. Keeping the floors clean has become very important for us with a nearly 10 month old crawling around!
So how many pairs can you put on there?
 
#7 ·
Haven't put the bench in place yet, but should be able to fit about 3 pairs of my shoes and 4 or 5 pairs of my wife's shoes under there, which is enough to have a home for the shoes that we frequently wear.

Nice work- Don't worry the kid will still find stuff on the floor......... :)
Yeah, he's good at that... :laughing:
 
#9 ·
Nice looking bench you have there. The stripes in the top are a nice touch. I can't tell from the pictures, are the cherry strips inlaid or do they extend all the way through? Also, I'm glad to hear the your wife is happy with it. Happy spouses go a long way to our continuing woodworking hobbies.
 
#10 ·
Thanks!

The cherry strips go all the way through. The bench seat is made of 5 pieces - the two wide boards of maple, two 1/4" x 3/4" strips of cherry, and one 3/4" x 3/4" strip of maple in the center.

You are so right - happy spouses do go a long way to being able to continue in woodworking! She really likes having a husband who is handy and likes to build things. The plan is to have me build as much of our furnishings as possible, replacing our hodge-podge of mixed, mostly used furniture as time goes on, as finances allow the purchase of tools and material, and as time allows to build such projects.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top