in which i make a thing

in which i make a thing

SO a few things have happened since i last blogged! but first things first: i made an entryway bench.
i’ve been using an ottoman for the last year and a half, and i didn’t want to dish out the $100+ for a pre-fab particle board number. so i decided to make one from scratch!
i based my plans on this blog post from ana white, and just adjusted some of the measurements since i wanted it a little bit deeper and a little bit taller. (i’m tall and got a big butt, yo.)
went to menard’s and spent $35 on mid-grade construction lumber and went to town.
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 9.25.08 PM
all my cut boards. i hate working with a circular saw. a table saw would have been so much better for the project.
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in all seriousness, i wasn’t very careful with squaring things up. if my dad had been watching me do this, he would have made me take it apart and do it right. good thing he doesn’t have to look at it! 
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 9.25.35 PM
 
the first time i thought i was finished, i didn’t put a lip on the front, and i’m so glad i went back and redid it. it looks TONS better than when i first left it and thought it was good enough. i also have to go back to menard’s and get another 1×4 to finish off the bottom edges, and i’m glad i did that, too.
 
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 9.25.52 PM
 
sitting on my unfinished bench! you can see the bruise where i beat myself up in my sleep, too. (in reality, it’s from hauling that bench off and on my workstation.)
Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 9.26.03 PM 
finished product! i have to stain the very bottom yet, but otherwise it’s good to go. now all i’ve got to do is make the cushion, and it’ll be ready for the entry!Screen Shot 2015-06-28 at 9.26.29 PM
 
buying and tools list:

Shopping List for the Bench (20″ deep, 4′ wide, and 19″ tall)
3: 1×10 @ 12 feet long
2:  1×4 @ 8 feet long
piece of plywood 4’x2′ for back
Tools: 
measuring tape
pencil
square
Drill
brads
screws
hammer
sander (or if you want to punish yourself, sandpaper and a strong will)
stain/paint of your choice and brush
 

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