DIY Shoe Storage Bench | How to Build

Please watch the video to see all the steps.

What’s up guys? I’m brad from Fix This Build That.. Today I’m, going to show you how to make a shoe storage bench. It’s, a great project to wrangle all those shoes that you got laying around the house.

Let’s, check it out and see how we did it. The sides of the Bench have a modified frame and panel construction. I started by cutting the legs to size from two by two material. The bench is going to have a quarter-inch plywood back also, So I laid out a recess or a rabbit into the back legs to hold the back.

I made one cut to define the depth of the rabbit and then I raised the blade to match the leftover material and cleared out the rest of it. With another cut You can see, I went a little deeper than I needed to on that first cut, but it won’t affect the function.

The legs are joined by a pair of side rails. I started by cutting one by fours to length. Then I rip them down to get two rails out of each piece. That’ll be one by two. After that, I drill pocket holes in the ends of all the rails Before joining the rails on the legs.

Together, I cut the side panels to size from 3/4 inch plywood. I laid the legs in the rails face down, and then I secured the top rail with screws. Then I use the panels that I just cut to position the lower rail.

This eliminates any room for error and measuring and to get that exact match. I secure the lower rails And then I moved on to the panels. I drilled pocket holes on the sides to join the legs and one on the top of the panel to attach the walnut feet later.

Since 3/4, inch plywood isn’t really 3/4 of an inch. I use some playing cards to shim the panels up and make them flush with the inside face of the legs. Then I locked everything in place with some more pocket screws.

The base of the bench will be painted and for a smooth surface, I wanted to fill the pocket holes. My intent here was to show you this cool little jig that I made to cut my own plug from dowels, But, as it turns out, installing these plugs was a huge pain in my neck.

Since I couldn’t find a great way to push these in. I reverted to using a scratch awl to push the plugs in bad idea, Yeah that was me. Just taking a scratch awl in the finger. I got lucky there And I only escaped with just a small cut after pushing a few more of these in by hand, I had an epiphany if I didn’t tuck the angle I could just cap the dowels in with a hammer This works.

So much better., I’ll, never be cutting these angled plugs again and doing stupid things with a scratch awl After the glue dried, I came back and I cut the plugs flush and then I blocked planed and sanded things smooth.

I also put a small chamfer on the bottom of the legs to help prevent chipping when the bench is being slid Now. The whole reason I’m using three-quarter inch panels versus a floating quarter, inch panel it so I could mount adjustable shelf pins.

I used a shelf, pin jig and I drilled the holes on both sides and then I sanded the whole side assembly to 150 grit. Next up, I cut the parts for the lower and adjustable shelves from 3/4 inch. Plywood, Each shelf will receive a piece of trim on the front to hide the plywood edge and give it a beefier look.

I need the 1 by 4 again to make the trim. I cut it to size on the miter saw and then I took it back to the table saw. I ran the board through to get to 1 by 2 trim pieces. Then I used the trim to measure the cross cut on the lower shelf.

This gave me an exact match and I’ll do the same for the adjustable shelf later I drill pocket holes along the front of the lower shelf to attach the trim and along the side to attach the side assembly.

The ply that I was using for the shelf was a little warped from sitting in the shop for a while. So I clamped it down firmly to the work surface, then I attach the trim with pocket screws. The last piece I needed was a back stretcher and I cut that from the plywood as well.

Since it’s, going to be hidden and You won’t see it To attach the top. I drilled. Three large counter bore holes with a forstner bit and the underside of the front and the back stretchers. I stopped three-quarters of an inch from the other side.

Then I came back with a twist bit and drilled a hole all the way through the stretcher. I over sized these through holes to give the screws room for wood movement later.. I didn’t, have a four foot clamp, so I used a makeshift clamping strip with some s clamps to pull the sides together.

I attached the front the back stretchers. Then flip the base over and attach the lower shelf, I used spring clamps to position the shelf. Then I reference the distance between the bottom of the shelf and the bottom of the legs to make sure everything was even around the bench.

With everything in the right position, I attach the shelf with the pocket screws. With the base assembled, I cut the plywood for the adjustable shelf to width factoring in the shelf. Pin I cut a 1 by 4 to that same length, And then I ripped it down on the table saw to the 1 by 2 sides for the trim.

I attached the trim the same way I did before, and then I gave the shelf a little test fit To turn off the side panels. I used cove molding, I mitered it to fit around the inside of the panel.. Then I tacked it in place with pin nailer Next I cut a back panel from quarter inch plywood and I was ready for paint I sanded everything to 150 grit.

Then I put my first of three coats of semi-gloss latex paint on.. The final two coats were done with a foam roller versus the nap roller. You see here.. It gives a much smoother finish Now it’s. My favorite part, the walnut top.

I picked out this huge 12 foot long board from my walnut stash and I started by breaking it down on the miter saw. I cut it into three four foot sections., Which was great because it was exactly what I needed.

I cleaned the boards up a little bit. They have a lot of dirt and bark on them, So I want to make sure it was a little bit easier on my jointer and Planer knives. Each board had a little bit of a cup to it as well.

So I started by face joining the board, making sure I had one smooth and flat side From there. I went over to the planer and I flattened the other sides of the boards Until all the boards had the rough milling marks gone and had smooth surfaces on both sides.

If you don’t have a jointer or planer, you can purchase hardwood boards. Already milled on all four sides at a number of different places online, as well as local, hardwood dealers With the boards flat and smooth on the faces.

I went back to the jointer and I milled a flat edge on each board And I finished off by taking the boards to the table, saw and ripping them all to the width that I needed. I ended up having to leave some sap wood on the boards, but I really like the character that it gives it To join the boards together I use wood glue and a bevy of clamps, no biscuits, dominoes or other oddly named joinery methods are needed here.

I just put a few small clamps on the glue joints at the end of the boards and that helps keep everything aligned. There are a few bug holes in this and I’m going to fill those with epoxy.. I’m just going to mix it up It’s, just some cheap stuff.

. I’ve got from Harbor Freight, but it & # 39. S worked well on a project. I hope I have enough. Let’s, see how it goes. I mixed the two-part epoxy together and then I used a popsicle stick to fill it into the holes.

I ended up having just enough to cover all the repairs, so it was perfect When the epoxy was dry. Came back with a card scraper and went over the repairs just to get everything down to a smooth surface before final surfacing From here, you could go straight to an orbital Sander, but since I have a drum sander, I used it for the final flattening.

. This thing saves a ton of time. Next I took the top over to the table, saw I cut it down to its final size on the Crosscut sled, The top looks pretty thick at an inch and an eighth and the front edge have some voids left over from the bark removal.

So I decided to put a bevel on the underside of the top, because this is going to help lighten the look it’s also going To help me deal with those bark voids all in one step I set the saw blade to 45 degrees.

Then I just slid the fence so that the blade lined up with my layout lines. I cut the front edge this way and then I turned the board and cut the side bevels after removing the fence Using a chamfer bit.

My router would have been a much easier task here, but my bit just wasn’t big enough to give the size bevel that I needed Cutting the sides was a little unwieldy and it left some burning on the bevel.

During the cut, I used a block plane and a card scraper to remove any of the burning from the cut and to smooth everything out. I finished up by sanding the whole top to 220 grit and I was ready for finish.

I used a satin polyurethane finish for some extra protection and some durability on this one. I applied two coats that were thinned 25 % and then two more coats that were thinned 50/50 with Mineral spirits.

I really love how this top came. Out. It’s, just a nice warm feel to it, and I always love walnut After the top was dry put it on the base and position it for consistent reveal around the front and the sides.

I clamped it down with some quick clamps, and then I secured it to the base through the oversized holes that I drilled earlier in the stretchers. This is going to allow for that seasonal movement that I talked about as the wood on the wall.

Up top expands and contracts, I flipped the bench around and then I nailed all on the back with a brad nailer. The last thing I did was install the adjustable shelf.. I used those shelf pins that have a hole in them, And this is so.

I can secure that shelf in there with some screws Because it’s, going to see a lot of action of shoes going in and out. So here’s. What was going on in our entryway that brought on this project? I love the heart pine bench that I made, but it does nothing for organization, but now oh yeah, My wife and I really love this project so organized.

If you want to build your own shoe storage bench, there’s, a link down below in the description That will take you to my website. There’s. Full plans available there, as well as all the materials that I use to make.

The project So go check it out. If you’re not subscribed. I’d love to have you as part of the channel Comment down below, and let me know what you think about the video until next time guys get out there and build something awesome.

What’s up guys? I’m. Brad can fix this, build that today I’m, going to show you how to make a shoe storage bench. It’s, a great project to wrangle all those shoes that you got laying around the house.

Let’s, check it out and see how we did it. The sides of the bench have a modified frame and panel construction. I started by cutting the legs to size from 2×2 material. The bench is going to have a quarter inch plywood back also, so I laid out a recess or a rabbit into the back legs to hold the ply.

I made one cut to define the depth of the rabbit and then I raised the blade to match the leftover material and cleared out the rest of it. With another cut you can see, I went a little deeper than I needed to on that first cut, but it won’t affect the function.

The legs are joined by a pair of side rails. I started by cutting one by fours to length. Then I rip them down to get two rails out of each piece. That’ll, be one by two. After that, I drill pocket holes in the ends of all the rails before joining the rails and the legs.

Together, I cut the side panels to size from 3/4 inch plywood, I’ll, add the legs and the rails face down, and then I secured the top rail with screws. Then I use the panels that I just cut to position the lower rail.

This eliminates any room for air and measuring and gives that exact match. I secured the lower rails and then I moved on to the panels. I drill pocket holes on the sides to join the legs and one on the top of the panel to attach the walnuts eat later since 3/4 inch plywood isn’t really 3/4 of an inch.

I use some playing cards to shim the panels up and make them flush with the inside face of the legs. Then I locked everything in place with some more pocket screws. The base of the bench will be painted and for a smooth surface, I wanted to fill the pocket hole.

My intent here was to show you this cool little jig that I made to cut my own plugs from dowels, but, as it turns out, installing these plugs was a huge pain in my neck. Since I couldn’t find a great way to push these in.

I reverted to using a scratch awl to push the plugs in a bad idea, yeah. That was me just taking a scratch all right in the finger. I got lucky there and I only escaped with just a small cut after pushing a few more of these in by hand, I had an epiphany.

If I didn’t cut the angle, I could just tap the dowels in with a hammer this works. So much better, I’ll, never be cutting these angled plugs again and doing stupid things with a scratch awl after the glue dried, I came back and I cut the plugs flush and then I blocked planed and Santa everything smooth.

I also put a small chamfer on the bottom of the legs to help prevent chipping when the bench is being slid now. The whole reason I’m using three-quarter inch panels versus a floating quarter inch panel, and so I could mount adjustable shelf pins.

I use the Shelf, pin jig and I drilled the holes on both sides and then I sanded the whole side assemblies to 150 grit. Next up, I cut the parts for the lower and adjustable shelves from 3/4 inch. Plywood each shelf will receive a piece of trim on the front to hide the plywood edge and give it a beefier look.

I used the 1 by 4 again to get the trim. I cut it to size on the miter saw and then I took it back to the table saw. I ran the board through to get to 1 by 2 trim pieces. Then I used the trim to measure the cross cut on the lower shelf.

This gave me an exact match and I’ll. Do the same for the adjustable shelf later I drove pocket holes along the front of the lower shelf to attach the trim and along the sides to attach the side assemblies.

The plywood I was using for the Shelf was a little warped from sitting in the shop for a while, so I clamped it down firmly to the work surface and then I attached the trim with pocket screws. The last piece I needed was a back stretcher and I cut that from the plywood as well.

Since it’s, gonna be hidden and you won’t, see it to attach the top. I drilled three large counter boreholes with a Forstner bit in the underside of the front and the back stretchers. I stopped 3/4 of an inch from the other side and then I came back with a twist bit and drilled a hole all the way through the stretcher I oversized these through holes to give the screws room for wood movement.

Later I didn’t, have a four-foot clamp, so I used a makeshift clamping strip with some F clamps to pull the sides together. I attached the front. The back stretchers then flip the base over and attach the lower shelf.

I use spring clamps to position the shelf and then I referenced the distance between the bottom of the shelf and the bottom of the legs to make sure everything was even around the bench. With everything in the right position, I attached the shelf with pocket screws.

With the base assembled, I cut the plywood for the adjustable shelf to width factoring in the shelf pins. I cut a 1 by 4 to that same length and then I ripped it down on the table saw to the 1 by 2 size for the trim.

I attached the trim the same way I did before, and then I gave the shelf a little test fit to turn off the side panels. I used code multi, i minored it to fit around the inside of the panel and I tacked it in place with a pin nailer.

Next, I cut a back panel from quarter-inch plywood and I was ready for paint I sanded everything to 150 grit. Then I put my first of three coats of semi-gloss latex paint on the final two coats were done with a foam roller versus the Napa roller you see here gives a much smoother finish.

Now it’s. My favorite part, the walnut top. I picked out this huge 12-foot longboard from my walnut stash and I started by breaking it down on the miter saw. I cut it into three four foot sections, which was great because it was exactly what I needed.

I cleaned the board’s up a little bit. They had a lot of dirt and bark on them, so I want to make sure it was a little bit easier on my jointer and planer knives. Each board had a little bit of a cup to it as well, so I started by face joining the boards making sure I had one smooth and flat side from there.

I went over to the planer and I flattened the other sides of the boards until all the boards had the rough milling marks gone and had smooth surfaces on both sides. You don’t, have a jointer roller planer.

You can purchase hardwood boards already milled on all four sides at a number of different places online, as well as local, hardwood dealers with the board’s flat and smooth on the faces. I went back to the jointer and I milled a flat edge on each board and I finished off by taking the boards to the table, saw and ripping them all to the width that I needed.

I ended up having to leave some SAP wood on the boards, but I really liked the character that it gives it to join the boards. Together I used wood glue and a bevy of clamps. No biscuits Domino’s or other oddly named joinery methods are needed here.

I just put a few small clamps on the glue joints at the ends of the boards and that helps keep everything aligned. There are a few bug holes in this and I’m gonna fill those with epoxy. I’m just gonna mix it up it’s, just some cheap stuff.

I’ve got from Harbor Freight, but it & # 39. S worked well on other projects. I hope I have enough. Let’s, see how it goes. I mixed the two-part epoxy together and then I used a popsicle stick to fill it into the holes.

I ended up having just enough to cover all the repairs, so it was perfect when the epoxy was dry, came back with a card scraper, and went over the repairs just to get everything down to a smooth surface before final surfacing from here.

You could go straight to an orbital sander, but since I have a drum sander, I used it for the final flattening. This thing saves a ton of time. Next I took the top over to the table saw and I cut it down to its final size on the crosscut sled.

The top was pretty thick at an inch and an eighth and the front edge had some voids leftover from the bark removal. So I decided to put a bevel on the underside of the top cuz. This is gonna help, lighten the look and it’s also gonna help me deal with those bark, voids.

All in one step I set the saw blade to 45 degrees, then I adjusted the fence so that the blade lined up with my layout lines. I cut the front edge this way and then I turned the board and cut the side bevels after removing the fence.

Using a chamfer bit, my router would have been a much easier task here, but my bit just wasn’t big enough to give the size bevel that I needed cutting the sides was a little unwieldy and it left some burning on the bevel during The cut I used the block plane in a card scraper to remove any of the burnings from the cut and to smooth everything out.

I finished up by sanding the whole top to 220 grit and I was ready for finish. I used a satin polyurethane finish for some extra protection and some durability on this one. I applied two coats that were thin 25 % and then two more coats that were thin 50/50 with mineral spirits.

I really love how this top came out. It’s, just a nice warm feel to it, and I always love walnut after the top was dry put it on the base and positioned it for consistent reveal around the front and the sides.

I clamped it down with some quick clamps, and then I secured it to the base through the oversized holes that I’ve drilled earlier in the stretchers. This is gonna allow for that seasonal movement that I talked about as the wood on the walnut top expands and contracts.

I flipped the bench around and then I nailed all on the back with a brad nailer. The last thing I did was install the adjustable shelf. I used those shelf pins that have a hole in them, and this is so.

I can secure that shelf in there with some screws because it’s going to see a lot of action of shoes going in and out.

Heres whats was going on in our entryway that brought on this project? I love this heart pine bench that I made, but it does nothing for organization, but now oh yeah, my wife and I really love this project so organized.

Until next time guys get out there and build something awesome.