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This is the bench that started it all. I was looking for outdoor fire wood storage that would double as bench seating around a fire pit. I searched everywhere and it just did not exist. I saw this bench from DIY Candy and the tutorial seemed easy enough to actually try myself! I figured if I added a shelf at the bottom this could be my solution!

I have never used any power tools before other than household drills. So I went out and bought a miter saw. Everyone thought I was crazy. My family, my friends, even the guys at the lumber yard... 

The feeling I had when my car was filled with lumber for the first time is something I will remember forever. I knew this was going to be the start of something special. Then the feeling of using the miter saw for the first time. It made me fall in love with power tools instantly. 

I followed every step of the plans, except I didn't have a table saw at the time, so I couldn't rip off the rounded edges of the 2x4's. That proved to be the biggest challenge in this build. I also added the bottom "shelf". It's not actually a shelf, It's just two 2x4's attached to the inside using pocket holes. 

The bench is not perfect, but it will always remain special to me because it was my first. I could write a novel on the things I learned building this bench. The most important lesson was that I was fully capable to building something from scratch all on my own and anything I imagined could become reality.