I made two of these as gifts. I modified the plans for a smaller bench length and width. They are 33in long on the top with a 1.5 overhang. I chose to place the 1x4 on top at the end as it was easier to stain and finish. Instead of wood glue since it was finished I used 3 pocket hole screws in the back, 2 corner braces with antique bronze finish on the ends under overhang and 2 on the inside of the storage area and gorilla glue.this made it very solid. It also made positioning it easy as I screwed the corner braces to the bottom side of the 1x4 face. I measured for a 1in overhang and 3/4 of an inch for the thickness of the back board. By doing so I could simply place the board on top of the bench and center it for 1.5 in overhang on ends then simply screw in the remaining screw hole in the inside of the storage compartment.
