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" I admit that I wasn&amp;#039;t really paying attention when my wife said, &amp;quot;Oh, I love this little bench. Wouldn&amp;#039;t it look great in our foyer or a child&amp;#039;s room?&amp;quot; She was looking at one of those furniture catalogs full of pictures of excessively styled rooms with way too many pillows. (I won&amp;#039;t say which one, but it rhymes with &amp;quot;bottery parn.&amp;quot;)  By the time I finally looked at the catalog, I saw a nice enough bench, well designed and properly proportioned\u2014but nothing I couldn&amp;#039;t build myself. Since she had her heart set on it, I offered a compromise: I&amp;#039;d build my own version of the bench, customized to her exact specifications, down to the paint color.  With great reluctance, she finally agreed. On an occasion or two (or 10), I&amp;#039;ve promised to make something, then haven&amp;#039;t. But much to her surprise\u2014and mine, too\u2014I bought all the materials the next day and soon presented her with the bench shown here. As she says, it looks great. Here&amp;#039;s how I built it. Click to see full printable plans for this classic bench plus a 3D animation of its pieces coming together, created by Alibre. [PDF, 1MB] Step 1: Cut the Panels  I used a circular saw to cut the four main bench parts\u2014top, shelf and both ends\u2014from 3/4-in.-thick birch plywood. I placed the plywood&amp;#039;s best side facing down so any splintering would occur on the top&amp;#039;s underside.  Next, I used a router with a 3/4-in.-dia. straight bit to cut a shallow rabbet into the rear inside edge of each side piece. The 5/16-in.-wide, 3/8-in.-deep rabbets frame the bench&amp;#039;s tongue-and-groove beadboard back. I routed a 3/4-in.-wide, 3/8-in.-deep dado (a groove cut across the grain) on each side piece. The dadoes, 4 in. from the bottom of the sides, cradle the bench&amp;#039;s plywood shelf.  Step 2: Cut the Panels  To mark the arches of each end piece and the 1 x 4 pine apron, I simply bent a steel ruler to the desired radius and then traced along it with a pencil. Step 3: Cut the Panels  I used a jigsaw to cut along each curve then smoothed the edges with 120-grit sandpaper.  Step 4: Assemble the Box  I began the assembly by spreading carpenter&amp;#039;s glue into the end-piece dadoes. Next, I set the horizontal shelf into the dadoes and fastened it with 1 5/8-in.-long trim-head screws. I like trim-heads because they don&amp;#039;t need pilot holes and their tiny heads easily sink below the surface.  Step 5: Assemble the Box  Once the shelf was attached, I cut a 1 x 2 cleat to fit between the upper rear corners of the ends. Holding the shelf in place with a bar clamp, I fastened it with trim-head screws. The cleat provides support when attaching the top and the beadboard planks.  Step 6: Assemble the Box  Next, I glued and nailed the pine face frame using 1 1/2-in. (4d) finish nails, driven below the surface with a hammer and nail set. Before attaching the plywood top, I trimmed its ends and front edge with 3/4-in.-wide, 1/2-in.-deep pine, which concealed the exposed plywood edges and created a more finished look. Step 7: Finishing the Top and Back  I attached the top with drywall screws but had to use two different lengths. I drove 1 1/4-in. screws upward through the 1 x 2 cleat and 2 1/2-in. screws up through the face frame&amp;#039;s horizontal upper rail. To prevent the wood from splitting, I drilled screw-pilot and countersink holes into both the cleat and rail.  Step 8: Finishing the Top and Back  Then, I primed and attached the tongue-and-groove beadboard planks that make up the back of the bench. Step 9: Finishing the Top and Back  I filled all visible nail and screw holes with wood putty, let it dry and then sanded the surface smooth with a random-orbit sander fitted with 150-grit sandpaper.  Once the bench was fully assembled, I primed all remaining bare wood surfaces. When the primer was dry, I lightly hand sanded with 150-grit sandpaper and then applied two coats of semigloss latex paint.  Step 10: Time to Prime  Priming the interior surfaces as they&amp;#039;re cut is much easier\u2014and neater\u2014than waiting to prime everything once the entire bench is assembled. This works when building any box that you plan to paint.  I built this bench with birch plywood and 3/4-in. clear pine, because both accept paint well. If you&amp;#039;re staining, use oak-, cherry- or mahogany-faced plywood and lumber.  Priming the inside faces before any assembly ensures an even coat in tight spots. I balanced this panel on my hammer to prevent the primer from pooling on the surface.  Step 11: Time to Prime  Coat each of the tongue-and-groove planks individually or you&amp;#039;ll see an unpainted line when they expand and contract. Step 12: Time to Prime  To get a steady, consistent stream, spray horizontally toward a vertical surface, sweeping back and forth. This is how a pro in a spray booth would do it. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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