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Sit down, take your boots off, put them underneath. Painted poplar over a plywood carcass.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L | Material | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sides | 2 | 3/4" × 15" × 17 1/4" | Birch Plywood | ☐ |
| Dividers Creates three cubbies. Each ends up ~14" wide — enough for a pair of boots. | 2 | 3/4" × 15" × 17 1/4" | Birch Plywood | ☐ |
| Bottom | 1 | 3/4" × 15" × 46 1/2" | Birch Plywood | ☐ |
| Back Full-thickness back. Racking resistance. | 1 | 3/4" × 17 1/4" × 46 1/2" | Birch Plywood | ☐ |
| Seat Glued up from narrower boards. Overhangs 1" front and sides. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 16 1/2" × 49" | Poplar | ☐ |
| Face frame stiles | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 17 1/4" | Poplar | ☐ |
| Face frame rails | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 45" | Poplar | ☐ |
| Toe kick | 1 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 46 1/2" | Poplar | ☐ |
| Item | Qty | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Birch plywood, 3/4", 4x8 Cabinet-grade. Construction ply has voids that show as holes in your edges. | 1.5 sheet | ☐ |
| Poplar, 4/4, for the face frame (Poplar) | 8 board feet | ☐ |
| Poplar, 8/4, for the seat (Poplar) Solid and thick. The seat carries the load. | 6 board feet | ☐ |
| Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4" | 60 each | ☐ |
| Wood glue | 8 oz | ☐ |
| Primer + latex enamel paint Enamel, not wall paint. This surface gets kicked by boots. | 32 oz | ☐ |
| Wood filler | 8 oz | ☐ |
| Sandpaper, assorted grits | 12 each | ☐ |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.
Tools: Circular Saw. Materials: Birch plywood, 3/4", 4x8
Cut the sheets into manageable pieces with a circular saw and a straight-edge before you try to wrestle a full 4x8 sheet across a table saw. Fighting a full sheet alone is how people get hurt and how cuts go crooked.
Then cut to final size on the table saw.
Tools: Drill / Driver, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: Pocket hole screws, 1-1/4", Wood glue
Pocket-hole the bottom to the sides and the two dividers, screwing from the underside and inside faces where the holes won't show.
Add the back — glue and screw it. It squares the case and stops it from racking when someone drops onto the seat.
Check the diagonals before the glue grabs.
Tools: Bar / Pipe Clamps. Materials: Poplar, 8/4, for the seat, Wood glue
Edge-glue poplar to make a 16-1/2" x 49" slab, 1-1/2" thick. Alternate the growth rings, use cauls, clamp it flat.
This is the only structural solid-wood part. Take your time.
Tools: Bar / Pipe Clamps, Pocket Hole Jig. Materials: Poplar, 4/4, for the face frame, Wood glue
Pocket-hole the poplar stiles and rails into a frame, then glue and clamp it onto the front of the plywood carcass.
The face frame is what hides the plywood edges and makes it read as furniture instead of a box.
Tools: Drill / Driver. Materials: Poplar, 8/4, for the seat
Screw up through the top of the carcass into the seat, using oversized clearance holes so the solid seat can move seasonally without splitting.
A 16"-wide poplar slab moves about 1/8" across the year. Give it room.
Tools: Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Primer + latex enamel paint, Wood filler, Sandpaper, assorted grits
Fill every screw hole and every plywood edge void. Sand it all flush at 150, then 180.
Prime. Then sand the primer — this is the step that separates a paint job that looks professional from one that looks like a weekend project. Primer raises grain; knock it back with 220.
Two coats of enamel. Let it cure a few days before you load it with boots — latex enamel takes a week to reach full hardness, and boots on soft paint leave marks forever.