I could probably also call this “an overuse of the lap joint“. Its very sturdy though. 
My wife let me know that she would like a place to store some of our daughters toys. They have some that are kept downstairs in our living room, and they always ended up in a pile next to the couch. As we could also use some extra seating, a bench/toy box seemed like a good idea. My wife suggested we upholster it, leaving me much more freedom in design and materials.
As with my beehives, I started this by making a design using Google SketchUp. One thing I noticed about this method is that it allows me to play with the joints a bunch, and I end up making them more complex than is probably needed. With this one, I ended up making lap joint for all the connections. As this was to end up fabric covered, I was free to make it out of less expensive wood. Since I’m cheap, its made completely out of 2×4’s and panel board. I’ve put the model which can be used as blueprints in Google’s 3D warehouse. The model does not include the panel board, but thats pretty easy to figure out. You can download the model here if your interested.
The bench is 42″ long, 20″ wide, and 19.5″ tall (39″ x 17″ x 16.5″ inside). The top is slightly larger however to allow a little overhang to make opening it easier, and the height is a little more with the uphostery and feet added. The sided panels and bottom are slipped into dados cut in the body using frame and panel like construction. The top is simply attached to the top of the lid.
The main frame is made of 2×4’s with the ends cut to make the various lap joints, while the top and floor frame are made from 2×4’s that have been ripped in half and the had the lap joints cut. The lap joints were cut with my table saw by nibbling away the wood after setting the blade to the correct height (a dado set might make that a little easier). After cutting all the frame pieces, I assembled the whole thing and marked where the slots needed to be cut for the bottom and panels. The panel slots were not centered in the wood, but just inset from the outside a little. I set the fence of the table saw, and then cut the slot in all the peices so they would match. The slot for the bottom was cut just above the frame of the floor. This way the bottom is held in place in the slots in the sides of the frame and supported by the bottom frame. The bottom and panels are not attached, but float freely in the slots. The frame was glued and screwed together. It ended up being very strong. The lid was attached at the back by three stron hinges. I added a small wood block and plastic feet at the bottom corners.
I didn’t remember to get pictures during construction, but tried to take pictures afterward to show all the joints and such.
After I finished, by wife sewed fabric sides that are held on by velcro just belw the lid (so they can be removed and cleaned if needed). They are pleated at the corners, and simply hang freely. We attached a foam to the top and stretched fabric around it and attached it with a staple gun. I had drilled two holes in the lid through which the two buttons were attached and pulled down to make the puckers. My wife painted the inside to try and decrease any splinter risk, and it was done. It hold a good amount of toys, is comfortable, and looks pretty nice. It was quite cheap and easy to make to boot.
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