Thought I share a new build I started last night. There's a set of windows in our new house that we currently have a small circular dining table siting under that doesn't get used for anything other than a cat perch. Since this little table sits about 6 feet from our main dining table and never gets used, we've decided there is likely a better way to use that space. I suggested that a bench with some built in storage might be nice to have in the dining room under those windows, so after consulting my wife and looking through a bunch of pictures online to figure out what she would like I came up with this design.

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It's pretty straight forward. The woodworker in me wanted to make something more curvy or with more complex joinery, but the homeowner and husband in me wanted something that would make my wife happy, fit in with our dining table, and not take forever to make. To feed the designer in me, I've added some subtle curves to the aprons and on to the sides of the armrests that I think will make it look less generic whilst still fitting with the overall piece and the room it is in.

I have some nice wide walnut boards that will serve as the deep aprons/sides of the storage area. The top I'll probably actually just trim with walnut and use a secondary for the center section of it since the plan is to have my MIL make some type of cushion/upholstery that will cover it anyway.

All the joinery will pretty much be M&T, and there really isn't that much of it. The one part I still need to think through is the best way to tenon the aprons into the legs. I'm thinking since they are so wide I'll do some type of breadboard style tenon glued and pegged at the top, but just pegged into elongate holes lower down so that they can expand downward but not upward which would potentially screw up the top/seat.

I got started on the leg stock last night, which I'll need to make from laminations due to the thickness of the wood I have on hand. Technically, I should probably go buy some 8/4-10/4 walnut, but the stuff I have all comes from the same tree so using it for each part will ensure a color match throughout the piece (also I have it, it was free, and I'm both cheap and lazy, so I might as well use it....and also, I confess, I'm one of those idiots who sometime spends money on tools when I should be spending it on wood....so what I have is what gets used)

This will not be 100% handtool build. My new best friend His Excellency Sir Bandsaw as already been participating, and there is a good chance that his relative Mr. Drill Press will be involved in those long leg mortises.

Will be 90-95% handtool though...

Here's what I got done last night...

Jointing a wide board to rip the leg stock from

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Sir Bandsaw did a nice job ripping the pieces...much faster, cleaner, and likely quieter than I could do by hand.
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4 out of 8 sections for leg prepped for lamination
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Didn't have a lot of time last night so that's it so far. Trying get 2" by 2" legs out of these, but if they're a hair smaller, that's ok too. Hoping to have the legs glued up by the weekend so I can start on the joinery.

No idea how long this will take. Hoping just a handful of weekends, but even though its pretty simple, I can never be sure if a project will take 6 weeks or 6 months to be completed. We'll see how it goes.