Here are a few quick snaps of the entry bench I'm currently building.
The frame is walnut while the panel is veneered birdseye maple.
Learning quite a lot with this project, first time I've done sliding dovetails. These were made using a pretty standard shopbuilt mortising jig (that I built for this project) although it probably would have been easier just doing them on the router table.It's also the first time I've done any veneering. I built a vacuum pump system using the plans from joewoodworker.com. Dead easy. The substrate for the panel is MDF which is a great material for veneering as it's very flat and extremely stable.
Next step is to attach the panel, sand everything, gild a white gold border around the maple (first time I'll have done that too), and then finish it with some polyurethane from Target Coatings.
So far so good!
Update
So I decided against the gilded border, the maple looked great on it's own and I didn't want it to end up too busy, I also decided against poly, and went with Maloofs Poly/Oil, Oil/Wax finish for a softer silkier feel. All in all pretty pleased with the results :) Next on the list is a matching console table..
