Wood stove bench - part1

One of the things that I love to do in the shop in the winter is roast marshmallows in the wood burning stove once in a while. It's the most fun when kids gather around and compare their technique and results. In order to have a better gathering area, I decided to build a wood bench to accompany the vintage stools that I use (they cam with the house). I took my inspiration from an antique bench in my parents house back in Nova Scotia. Here's part one of the process I went through to build it.