Build your own shoe bench: simple instructions for hobby craftsmen
Of the hallway looks messy again because shoes are left everywhere? Solve the problem by building a shoe bench yourself! You can arrange all pairs of shoes underneath and sit comfortably on the bench while you put your shoes on. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Of course, you can also buy the piece of furniture ready-made, but building it yourself is fun and in this post we give you simple instructions that you can follow. We hope you like our DIY idea!
Build your own shoe bench: necessary materials
As mentioned above, recreating our shoe bench is not a difficult task – even for people who are not skilled at handwork or have little experience with such DIY projects. Of course, if necessary, you can ask your spouse or a good friend for help. We recommend that you buy the beech laminated wood material from the hardware store and have it cut to size there. You will see for yourself that our bench is particularly practical: underneath there is space for at least 5 pairs of shoes. The piece of furniture also offers space for a few baskets. There you can store not only shoes, but also hats, gloves, scarves and other accessories.
To build the shoe bench yourself, you will need the following materials:
- 4 leg boards – 450 x 115 cm
- Wood glue
- 5 stop bars -190 x 25 cm
- 1 base plate – 1058 x 340 cm
- 4 partitions – 243 x 340 cm
- 1 cover plate – 1112 x 340 cm
- 2 side panels – 270 x 110 cm
- Nylon dowel
- Wooden dowels (8 cm in diameter)
- Clear coat
- Chipboard screws
- as desired: 5 shelf baskets of seaweed (from Mömax: 30.5 x 17.5 x 23 cm)
Shoe bench assembly instructions step by step
Now we will explain step by step how you can build the bank yourself:
- First, fold the leg boards for the bench with the help of the end mill. Only fold up to the height of the middle part and do not mill through the boards! Now chisel out the cutter outlet – preferably at right angles. Help yourself with this task with a hammer. Then also fold the inside head edge by using the rip fence on the surface. But do not mill the narrow edge – because of the small contact surface. It is best to remove this with a precision saw.
- Now drill holes for dowels in both side edges of the middle section of the side section. Use the low stop. Then use dowel marker pens to mark the drilling positions on the leg boards. In the drawer – over the middle board, place a 27 mm long drawer. Then drill the dowel holes, add some glue and press the sides together.
- Next, drill holes in the front wood of the partition walls and mark the exact positions with a pen on the cover and base. Now drill holes at the markings.
- The next step is to glue the bottom, lid and partitions together. Then drill dowel holes in the head wood of the base and cover and transfer them as already done. Then glue the whole construction completely and press it with tension belts.
- Next, glue on the stop strips. Carefully knock in the wire pins and pinch off the heads with the hammer so that nothing slips.
- Then sand all wooden surfaces. It is best to use a triangular sander – this can also be used to smooth the inside corners. Then treat the bench with clear lacquer, oil or hard wax. If you wish, you can paint these in any color. Already finished!
Make a hook bar for the hallway yourself
The self-made shoe bench is stylish and extremely practical, but if you wish you can also make a heel bar for the hallway. There you can conveniently hang up jackets, coats, hats, etc. You can make the hook bar yourself with your eyes closed – it’s that easy! &# 128578; All you need is 3 beechwood planks that are 1112 x 115 cm, wooden dowels, nails and 4 or 5 hooks. First of all, you should dowel the three boards together. Then simply attach the clothes pegs with your nails and you’re done! Of course, you should also sand the boards for the heel bar and treat them with varnish or oil. Finally, simply nail the molding to the wall.
