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Look at the drawing and you’ll see that, though it looks like a thick slab, the shelf is made up of three layers. The shelf starts out as three 4-foot long 1x8 boards that just get cut into sections. We used maple boards.

First is a long base layer. On top of that are middle and face layers that are cut shorter, and have blocks added at the ends.

That lets you make the recess for the tray by simply cutting an opening in one layer before attaching it to the next.

The same goes for making the deep pockets that accept the shelf ’s mounting arms. They’re made by routing channels (called dadoes) in the middle layer. Attaching this layer to the bottom one produces the pockets.

Forming the mail-sorting slots is easier still: Just glue three blocks onto the base layer.

You can start by cutting all of the pieces to size. A miter saw works perfect for this. You could use a table saw, too. Don't glue anything together yet.

The leather tray sits in a cutout area in the face layer. And that cutout needs to have straight sides and square corners for the leather that gets added later.

The easiest way to ensure that is to start by making a template from 1/4"-thick hardboard.

Just follow the this drawing and cut your template to shape. Then sand the inside edges of the opening smooth.

Now you can create the cutout in the face layer of the shelf for the leather tray. You'll do this in a couple of steps.

First, set the template in place and draw in the opening. Now remove the template and drill holes through the face layer at the corner of the opening. Then cut the opening with a jigsaw, staying about 1/16" to 1/8" inside the lines.

Next, position the template and stick it down using double-faced tape (sometimes called carpet tape). That way, you can smooth and straighten the edges of the cutout using a router and a special bit called a pattern bit. It has a bearing that will follow the edge of the template exactly.

With the cutout done the leather can drop down into the opening, but if you glue it on now, it will sit above the surface of the shelf. So, the next step is to create a recess (called a rabbet) around the opening.

To do that, you'll again use a router and another type of bit called a rabbeting bit. Set the bit in the router so that it sticks out below the router base a distance equal to the thickness of the leather you'll use.

Then, guide the router and bit around the cutout as shown to create the rabbet.

The next step is to create "pockets" for the hidden shelf supports. To create these, you need to rout a pair of shallow openings called dadoes in the middle shelf layer.

Positioning the dadoes is easy. They're placed 16" apart to align with studs in the wall where you'll mount the shelf. So, you'll want to check the wall using a stud finder to locate the studs. Then you can hold the base and middle layer in place on the wall to figure out where to make the dadoes. Mark that location on the middle layer.

Now you'll turn to the router and pattern bit one more time. Use a scrap board, as shown in the drawing, to guide the router and bit. Don't rout all the way across the middle layer. You want to stop short of the front edge.

The hard work is done now, and you're ready to glue the shelf together using wood glue and some clamps. That's just a matter of gluing the middle and face layers to the base, making sure that the the pieces are flush at one end and along the edges.

Make sure, as you do this, to keep glue away from the dadoes that the shelf supports will slip into. If those fill with squeezed-out glue, inserting the supports will be a challenge.

After that, add the blocks that form the notches near the other end.

Once the glue dries, slip the shelf supports into the dadoes to check the fit. Because the supports have plates at the back, you'll need to recess them if you want the shelf to sit flush against the wall, as shown in the drawing.

You can make those recesses by cutting around the plates with a utility knife, and then cutting out the recesses with a chisel. They don't have to be pretty.

You're in the home stretch with this project! The next step is to stain, finish, or paint the shelf as you desire.

After that, you can add the leather tray. Just cut a small piece of leather to fit into the rabbet you routed in the top layer, and then adhere the leather using epoxy.

Once the epoxy dries, you need to stretch the leather to create a pocket. Just wet the leather to soften it, and then use something heavy to weigh it down. A full soda can sitting on a few layers of saturated paper towels worked great. You can also press the leather down gently by hand.

When the leather dries, it will retain its new shape.

Get It On the Wall by mounting the shelf supports to the studs, making sure they're level.

Then just slip the shelf on, and your entryway can be organized in sophisticated style.