THE ENTRY BENCH
MAKE THE BENCH TOP
Glue the two halves of the bench top together, using dowels to help keep them aligned during glue-up.
I was lucky; my lumberyard had milled 4/4 and 6/4 cherry— the perfect thicknesses to edgeglue pieces together to achieve the width I needed. Don’t be shy about asking your lumberyard if it offers milling services!
ATTACH THE LEGS
I found steel legs in the style I was after at tablelegs.com (see p. 36 for details), so I decided to save time and buy, not build. Screw the legs to the bottom side of the bench with
1-in. washer-head screws. I made a positioning jig out of scrap 1/2-in.plywood. This easy-to-make jig will ensure precise spacing and alignment of all four legs.
CUT SKIRTS TO SIZE AND ATTACH
Use a bevel gauge to determine the angle of the leg, and then transfer that to your table saw blade. Cut that bevel on one edge of a little more than 2 ft. of the skirt material.
With the legs attached, mark the two end pieces against the legs and cut them to length. Once those have been screwed into place, set the longer skirt pieces up against them and mark for cuts. Cut them on the miter saw and attach them with pocket screws.
MAKE THE DRAWER CASE
The cabinet case will be made from solid cherry and will feature mitered corners. Make the 45-degree cuts using a table saw. To glue these parts together, lay them flat with the insides facing down, and tape the edges together. Flip everything over, apply glue to the joint and tape the two sides together, keeping them square.
Drill your pocket holes before glue-up.
FIT THE DRAWER CASE BACK
Once the drawer case is glued together, take an exact measurement and cut the back to fit. Use a few clamps to hold it in place, and secure it with 1-1/4-in. pocket screws.
ATTACH THE CASE TO THE BENCH TOP
The drawer case should be offset 1/2 in. from the side and front of the bench. Clamp it in place. Start with the outer side first, attaching it to the bench top with 1-1/4-in. pocket screws. Doublecheck for square and then repeat that process for the inner side.
ASSEMBLE THE CROSS MEMBER
Assemble the cross member with a little glue. Then screw the dovetail drawer slide perfectly centered.
PRO TIP: I cut the cross member parts a little oversize, and then cut them to fit once the case was assembled and installed.
COMPLETE THE CASE
Install the lower dovetail drawer slide. Then cut the cross member to fit and attach it with 1-1/4-in. pocket screws. I used a spacer block to help me position it perfectly.
MAKE THE DRAWERS
Assemble the drawers using 1-in. pocket screws. Notch a space in the drawer back for the center-mounted drawer slide. Using a small square, make sure the slide is square to the box, then glue it in place.
PRO TIP: Premade drawer stock saves a lot of time—it’s preslotted for the drawer bottom and comes prefinished. Woodcraft sells 60-in. lengths for $16.
ATTACH THE DRAWER FACES
I used wood spacers to help me achieve a 1/8-in. reveal around the drawer faces. With the drawer box inserted, place two dabs of hot melt adhesive on the back of the face then press it against the drawer box. After the glue sets, secure the drawer face with 1-in. washer-head screws.
INSTALL THE DRAWER PULLS
Center and mark the holes for the drawer-pull mounting screws on the drawer face. Using a 5/16-in. drill bit, drill completely through the drawer face and drawer box. Mount the drawer pulls with the supplied mounting screws.
PRO TIP: Make your marks on a piece of tape on the drawer face. Your marks will be easier to see, and you’ll protect the wood while it’s being drilled.