I love this little side table! It is such a space saver and was really simple to build.

Like I mentioned in the reveal post of my son’s new space, he wanted a side table with a lamp. I had a side table that I had built but then had a “duh” moment when I realized that his bed has drawers. If I had a regular side table the drawer would be blocked. So I moved on to plan B.

I decided to make a side table that didn’t have legs and then mount it to the wall. I had done something similar in my bedroom with an old medicine cabinet.

Fist off, you need to decide on the size that you want. I didn’t want the door to hit into it when the door opened so I measured based on that. I cut some wood I already had out in the garage to the right size.

The using a table saw with the blade at an angle, the pieces got cut at a 45 degree angle so the fit together like this:

I like to do this so there are not any noticeable seams. Especially if you are going to stain it.

Another option though is to do a butt joint. Here is picture from my shadow box tutorial showing an example of a butt joint. It means the pieces of wood are butt up against each other.

Then I used some scrap plywood to make the drawer. I only did three sides of the box and used the drawer front as the 4 side which means I nailed through the front of the drawer to attach it. If you don’t want nail holes on the drawer front then make the fourth side out of plywood and then you can nail through the plywood into the drawer front and you will never see the nail holes.

I was going to be using a Walnut colored stainable putty so I was not concerned.

Remember that you will have a board on the wall that this table will be attached to so don’t make your drawer as deep as the shelf. Leave at least 3 inches of space or the drawer won’t shut. Also, don’t make the drawer as tall as the shelf. Leave at least an inch for wiggle room.

Here you can see the nail holes on the drawer front. I traced the drawer so I knew where to nail and so I could make sure it was centered. Then I puttied the nail holes. Sanded, and stained it using my favorite stain…. Gel Stain in Walnut from Minwax. Best. Stuff. Ever! I put a lot on because I wanted it really dark and rich.

As far as haning it goes, I hung them the same way as I did the floating shelves (with a drawer) in my office. The difference was that I held the drawer up where I wanted it with the level on the top. I made sure it was where it needed to be and then traced the inside of it with a pencil. When I set the shelf down, there was a rectangle on the wall. This way I knew where the 2×2 boards needed to go.

(Pardon the bad cell phone picture taken by my son!)

The other difference was this time I used two boards on the wall. It was because this table/shelf is so much bigger than the ones in my office. I wanted the fit to be snug.

I slid the shelf/table on and then screwed the shelf onto the boards on the wall. I screwed from the top and from the bottom.

And there you have it! One shelf/table/drawer!!!

And it is perfect for holding all sorts of treasures :)

I built a bench for the entryway of my brother-in-law’s new home while we were there. I kind of loved it and wanted to strap it to the top of the van to bring it home! I wish I could have seen it all finished. You see there is this thing about the Northwest…….

It is humid! I was all in love with how green it was and almost wanted to move there until I realized that the chilly humid air made stain take FOREVER to dry!!! I am use to dry Utah air that allows things to dry quickly. I did not factor in the extra dry time. So I was not able to seal it with the wipe-on poly and see it with the pillows and other decor. You can even see the little pieces of cardboard under the legs of the bench since it was still tacky when we brought it inside.

My sister-in-law loves red ( ME TOO!) so I went shopping in her office where all the boxes of her things from the old house were. The cheapest way to decorate is to go shopping in your own home :) I grabbed some things to use in the entry.

When my sister-in-law and I were shopping at antique stores, we came across an old church pew. We both loved it, but not the price tag. It was very simple in its design. So when we decided to have me build one instead of buying one, I decided to make it similar to the antique pew we had seen.

When I build things I do not follow any plans other than my own sketch. I think of what I want it to look like first and then decided how big I want it to be. Because of this, I measure and cut as I go. I do not cut all my wood at once and then assemble. I have found that even when you are following a set of professional plans, that sometimes things can be a little “off” here and there and it is better to measure along the way before cutting. I always end up with really solid pieces of furniture without gaps and other issues because of this.

One of the main reasons I build furniture is because I need something to be a certain size to fit a certain space. So when I show tutorials I don’t generally share each and every measurement of every single piece of wood I cut. The point of the tutorial is to show you HOW. Then you can take it and make it to fit your size of space.  You can make it custom to fit your needs :)

This bench was 47 inches long, 22 inches deep, and 39 inches tall. It was built using:

(3) 8ft 2×4′s

(5) 8ft 1×4′s

(1) 8ft 1×3

a box of 2 1/2″ wood screws

stainable  paintable sandable wood putty (I recommend Elmers)

I also bought a quart of Minwax oil based wood stain in Walnut, wipe-on Poly (also Minwax) and foam brushes. This project was between $50 and $60 to make.

Before we get started I have to give a big shout out to my Sis-in-law and Brother-in-law’s neighbors who graciously let me use not only their tools, but their garage. I took it over for a couple of days :) It was a very nice place to work.

Remember when I said I don’t cut out everything ahead of time and then assemble? Well, I kind of broke that “rule” here at first because it made sense to cut all the slats that would become the seat and back. That is BECAUSE they all needed to be exactly the same and they were on top. So I went ahead and cut them to be 47 inches. Why not 48 since that is half of the eight feet that the board started out as? The blade when it cuts, shaves off part of the board. So you wouldn’t have an exact 48 inches anyway. Plus, the ends of 2×4′s can be rough so I cut them off.

Then I cut the four legs. Two at 39 inches and the other 2 were 17 inches. The shorter ones you cut to whatever height you want the seat to be at.  You can adjust that to be higher or lower depending on what you feel is comfortable.

The piece that you attach them with determines the depth of the bench. I wanted the bench seat to be about 18 inches deep so I cut it it to be 22 inches because as you can see in the picture above, about 4 inches are attached to what will be part of the back.

Also remember to make the 2 sides of the bench opposites of each other. You want the piece that attaches to 2 legs to be on the inside (see below).

I attached the front slats first to hold it together. I had to call my husband to run over for a second to help hold it up while I screwed it together. This was a crucial step to making sure the whole bench was square and set straight so it helps to have another person. It also helps if they are cute and patient :)

The board on top is the first one of the seat and the one on the front covers up the joints.

The next board I screwed on was the board up against the back of the bench. This way, I can evenly space the seat boards in between and I don’t have to stress over the math of how big each gap will be. I totally eyeballed it but you can do the math if it makes you feel better. :)

I am going to talk for a minute about screws.  I originally didn’t buy wood screws when I bought the lumber because the friends who let me barrow their tools thought they had some. It turned out they were drywall screws. I was dropped off at the house and then everyone left. So I was stuck there for the first part of the project without the right screws and no way to get new ones. I went ahead and started because the first screws wouldn’t show in the final project and therefore wouldn’t need to be puttied. But MAN IT SUCKED trying to use those coated screws.

If you have the right screws they will automatically sink into the wood making it easy to fill them over with putty for a finished look. Be careful when using soft wood like pine that you don’t sink them too far.

This next step would have been easier had I done it BEFORE assembling the bench. But because I had never made this bench before and I made up the plans, there are always little things along the way that I learn from. So if you make this, I recommend cutting this at the beginning when you could clamp it to a flat surface. If I would have done it from the beginning I would have measured about 20 inches up from the bottom (to start the line).

I wanted the back slanted. I drew the line to be cut and used my jigsaw to cut it.

I used the same concept on the back of the bench as I did on the seat. I started with the top one. I made sure it was flush and pretty. Then I screwed on the bottom one. Then I eyeballed the ones in between.

Now it was time to add a little support in the center below the seat. It can be argued that it is not needed, but it never hurts to have added support. The first step was to add a board in the back (underneath). Cut a board that is the width between the two 22 inch boards ( the ones that connected the legs together in the first step). You can see where the board was added in this next picture.

I screwed this support board in from the side of the bench. That is why it is set in a bit. I had to put it past the legs or else I would have had to of  used a VERY long screw :)

Then I flipped the bench upside down.

I cut a board to fit right in the middle. This board is right smack dab in the center of the seat running perpendicular to the boards of the seat. It will prevent the boards from sagging when sat on. You can see in the picture where I screwed it together.

Here is a side shot of the bench so far.

If this bench were going outside I probably would not have worried about doing anything else with the side. But this was for an entryway and I wanted a more finished look so I added a piece.

You need to measure in between the two legs and cut a 2×4 that size.

I do not have pictures of this next step. I sometimes get caught up in trying to finish and forget to take pictures. So hopefully these arrows help me explain.

This is where the 1×3 boards come into play. In order to have a gap between the seat board that is up against the back legs and not have it overhang, you need a 1×3 for the last seat board. It will also be shorter than the other seat boards since it goes in between the back legs.

I also added a 1×3 board to the top to make it look more finished.

Here it is all stained! I did two coats of the walnut oil based stain.

Like I said before, I wish I could have been able to seal it before I left. I felt bad leaving a job for them to do after I left. But I love how it turned out :)

I think out of everything in my office the 2 things that have made the biggest difference as far as how my office ( and home) function are the shelves, and this bench. We had a shoe storage problem. We have tried the basket approach. But that has major flaws. You are constantly digging through the whole thing to find your shoe’s mate, they get scratched up and dirty, and I never had a great place to put the basket.It always seemed like we were tripping over it. We had tried drawers, closets, and the things that hang on the back of the door with pockets. I have never been happy with those options. We are a “take your shoes off when you come in ” kind of family. And our bedrooms are downstairs. So hauling them to our closets was a pain.  So far this bench has been amazing. The office door is directly across from the door that we use to go in and out of the house. The boys come home, take off their shoes, and go put them away. We have not had any lost shoes! I have not tripped over any shoes either. It is a small miracle.

Because of the depth of the bench it can hold two rows deep of most shoes.  I counted and it can hold almost 30 pairs of our families shoes!

I hope this tutorial makes sense. I do not use drawn up plans when I build furniture. I picture it in my head how I want it and then sketch it out on paper. I just make it up. I am very visual and love seeing actual pictures of the steps. I know I should probably learn to use sketch up or something, but this works for me and I hope you will understand too :)

I bought all the lumber for this project at Home Depot. I think I made a few dozen trips there while doing my office :)

I was trying to do this as cheap as possible with out sacrificing quality. The top and sides are pine boards  and the shelf, back, and bottom are sanded plywood. The trim is also pine. Be very picky when buying lumber. Spend the extra time looking through all the pieces and make sure they are flat, smooth, and not at all warped.  The shape of your wood can make or break a project.

I  used a  jigsaw, a miter saw, a level, a brad nail gun (air compressor) and a little wood glue to build my furniture.

Lets talk structure. This picture is of the bench standing up on its side. I hope the labels of ” top” and ” bottom” help. If I would have put the side piece over top of the top and bottom it would have been seamless when looking at it from the side. The side piece would have covered up the top and bottom piece. But structurally it would have been weak. By sandwiching it in between the top and bottom it is stronger. When you sit on it, the side piece is held in there. If I had nailed it the other way there would have been nothing under the top piece to hold the weight.

I am sure you noticed the 1″ by 1″ pieces in the corners. They add strength as well and help make sure the corners are square. I nailed the side pice to the top of the bench first then nailed the 1×1 in the corners before adding the bottom board on.

To add a shelf, you need something for it to rest on, something to support the weight. I used 1×2. I measured where the halfway point was. And drew a line. I nailed the 1×2 with the top of the 1×2 on the line.  My “half way line” is actually one inch lower than halfway. I did that because the shelf itself is one inch thick. When you lay the shelf on the 1×2 supports, then the top of the shelf will be at the true halfway point.

Here is the basic “shell” of the bench

So the basic shell is not all that attractive. Here comes the trim! I used 1×2. Again, look for the best wood. You can buy rough cut (not sanded down) or the nice and perfectly smooth 1×2. It is worth the extra $ to get the nicer 1×2.

So I have now added 1×2 to the front of the bench to hide all the seams and the 1×1 in the corners. Now for the sides…..

I didn’t want to use 1×2 here because it would have stuck out too far and created a deep ledge. So I bought what is called lattice trim. It is about 1/8 of an inch by 1 1/2 inches. I framed out the sides to hide all the seams. It gives it such a finished look!

For added support I put two pieces of wood down the center of the inside of the bench. I could have done one piece down the center and then 2 shelves on either side of it, but this worked as well. I decided to do it this way based on the board sizes I had on hand.

This is a blurry picture, but what I wanted to show here was a little trick I learned. When you need to nail along the top or side of something, instead of guessing where to nail and hope that you don’t have a few strays that go through in the wrong spot, draw a line.

The center pieces got covered with 1×2 as well. The 1×2 that got nailed to the center piece is what the hinges got screwed to for the doors.

I added the back to finish of the actual bench and then moved on to the doors. I apologize for not having any pictures. It was at this point that I had a “my kitchen has been covered in saw dust for weeks and I need to just get this done” melt down. I was in gitter done mode and not tutorial mode.

But they were easy. I waited until the shell was made before I even took measurements. I figured out how big they had to be and cut them. I wanted to use the same hinges as my kitchen cabinets and for that I needed a circle cut out of the inside. I do not have a drill press which would have been ideal so I used a bore bit. The down side was that the pointed part went all the way through the board. I was okay with this because I knew I would be adding trim that would hide it. Drill down just deep enough for the hinge to set down in. Don’t drill all the way through.

I added the same lattice trim to the doors as I did to the sides. And in the same framed out way.

After building something I always use sandable, paintable, stainable putty to fill in the nail holes or any small gaps. I wait for it to dry and then sand the whole thing smooth. Then wipe it with a damp rag to get the dust off before staining or painting. I wanted the bench to have a dark espresso finish like I did on my desk so I used Minwax Gel Stain in WALNUT. I do not brush it on and them wipe it off like it suggests on the can. I brush a thin coat on with a FOAM BRUSH and let it dry the required time and then brush on another layer. This bench has 3 coats of stain. Then I sealed it with Minwax Wipe-On Poly. I LOVE that stuff. It is so easy to apply and it doesn’t smell nearly as strong as regular polyurethane. It also dries incredibly fast. I used the satin finish.

*Please feel free to email if you have any questions. It always seems I leave out something in a tutorial. I blame the late hours :)