DIY Entryway Bench With Shoe Storage

The combination of moving into a new apartment and being forced to dip into my proudly-hoarded lumber collection is doing some fun things to my creativity (and my website)! I’m basically about to build all of the furniture, and I’m not mad about it. I’ve been wanting to use a specific piece of walnut I’ve been hoarding for a while, and finally made it a reality by creating a fun DIY entryway bench with shoe storage. Ready to see how?

How To Build An Entryway Bench With Shoe Storage

This project is sponsored by DAP Products and may include affiliate links. For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Want to see this build in action? Check it out on my YouTube channel!

I’m really into this mix of metal and wood lately (if you couldn’t tell by the welding projects I’ve been doing). So, why not continue the trend with a new entryway bench?

This was my first time doing waterfall edges on a project and I am so stoked on them!

What You’ll Need:

Tools
Circular Saw/Track Saw
Miter Saw
Biscuit Joiner & Biscuits
Drill
1″ Forstner Bit
Sander/Sandpaper
Wood Clamps
Scotch Brite Pad
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Wood Clamps
Carpenter Square

Materials
1 x 12 x 8′ Board
(4) 1 x 36″ Steel Tubing
DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue
DAP Rapid Fuse
DAP Tank Bond Epoxy
Clear Satin Enamel

The Steps:

1. Measure and cut your pieces. I wanted my bench to be 18″ tall, so I cut the ends at 20″ each to leave room for small adjustments. I used my circular saw to create 45 degree bevel cuts on each end. You can stop here if you’d like, but I wanted my grain to be continuous, so I took this a step further.

Here were my final dimensions (but, always make sure to double check your measurements before starting your own build):

(1) Top @ 35 ½” (short-end to short-end)
(2) Legs/Sides @ 18″ (bottom to tall-end)

2. Next, I matched the grain by cutting the opposite bevels on the leg pieces with my miter saw. By doing this, it flips the bevel cut so the grain continues.

3. Once the bevel cuts were made, I trimmed the ends of the leg pieces on my miter saw and made them 18″ tall.

4. Next, I used my biscuit joiner to add biscuits to my waterfall joints (if you’re looking for another way to make a bench like this with different joinery, check out my friend Tamar’s bench)!

5. Before gluing anything up, I drilled 1″ holes in the bottom of the bench using my forstner bit. I made these holes 3″ from the floor and spaced them equal distances apart. I made sure to drill the holes a bit deeper than ¼” deep to leave room for some movement when gluing up the piece.

6. Once I was happy with the openings, I prepped the piping for adhesive by buffing them with a scotch brite pad.

7. Next, I inserted the pipes into the openings and attached them to the wood using DAP Tank Bond Epoxy. I loved this product because it gave me a few hours of working time.

8. I then added biscuits to the joint with a serious amount of DAP Weldwood Carpenter’s Glue. To help keep the glue-up neat, I used painter’s tape along the seams.

Another tip for glue-ups like this one are to add temporary cauls to the piece with DAP Rapid Fuse and painter’s tape. Cut 45 degree cauls from scrap wood and attach them to the bench by applying painter’s tape to the cauls and the bench. Next, apply Rapid Fuse to the painter’s tape and allow everything to dry (see my video for a better example of this in action). This will make for strong, temporary pieces for the clamps to hold onto during the glue-up. Use a square to make sure everything is flush!

9. Clamp everything together and wait it out!

10. After everything has dried, sand and finish the bench to its final finish. I sanded to 220 grit and used a spray enamel to finish it!

Now, kick off your shoes and relax!

I’ve been saving this piece of lumber for a special project, and I seriously feel like this was the one! I’m so excited about the waterfall edge and the continuous grain!