Shoe Rack & Bench

I made this one summer with my dad as a side project and something to do together. We talked back and forth about how to make it and what to do but no real drawings or sketches were made. The only criteria the shoe rack had was to fit me and my brother's shoes. We are both larger guys with size 14 shoes. This led to our entry way always looking messy because just leaving three pairs of shoes out took up a few feet of space. During this project my dad taught me how to use a router and honed my skills with other power tools such as a miter saw and drill.

Finished Shoe Rack & Bench

Design:

I have no sketches or design documents because the only concepts I had I just discussed with my dad went from there. Using my shoes as a reference, they are about one foot long and four inches wide which determined the design constraints for the shoe rack. I wanted this to store all my shoes and keep them out of the way. The bottom section is made for boots and any high-top shoes, the two upper sections were made for sneakers and sandals. I took my boots and measured a height of roughly 8 inches so I decided the bottom section should be 10 inches tall, the other two sections are 6 inches tall which fits all my other shoes.

My dad and I determined that oak should be used for the construction of the shoe rack. We planned to have people sitting on top of it and wanted to use a hardwood so that it would not bend or break.

Fabrication:

The first step I did was use a miter saw to make all my cuts and a router to makes slot for the boards as well as round the corners that would be the top. The two ends are solid pieces of wood along with the bottom piece of wood that makes the lowest storage area. The piece in the middle is also one piece of wood with slots on both sides to make the shelves that divide the upper storage areas. Once my cuts and router joints were made, I used a cherry stain on all pieces of wood and left them outside to dry. Once the wood had dried, I used a vice and clamps to keep the wood in place and drilled pilot holes that I would then put dowels and wood glue into to secure the boards. Once the boards were secured together a cushion was added to the top. I made the cushion by purchasing foam and cloth from a sewing store and secured it to the bench by using decorative nails.

Results:

This shoe rack and bench has held up well and has now been in my mom's house for almost 5 years. It shows no signs of wear and does its job perfectly. Unfortunately now that my brother has moved out and I spend most of my time at school it often has no shoes in it. However, come the summer and holidays it is once again filled and serving its purpose. There is nothing I would change about this project and loved the way it turned out. My mom is planning on downsizing soon and once she does I plan on taking this shoe rack and putting it in my own apartment where it will get use for years to come.