Storing kitchen knives is a perpetual problem. Some people buy them one by one, and when not in use, the knives jangle inside a drawer getting dull and nicked. Other people store an enormous set of nine or ten kitchen knives, six steak knives, scissors, and a sharpening steel in a huge angled knife block…
This clever and gorgeous iPad stand is a great last-minute gift project; you can complete it over the course of 2 to 3 days. The stand has both a high and a low setting, and to amaze the audience, the leg seems magically held in place! The secret? Small rare earth magnets. Almost everyone has…
I recently built a table for my daughter. The phone call telling me she had ruined the finish by putting something hot directly on the table wasn’t good. That got me thinking about trivets. This is a great CNC project; an example of accurately cutting from two faces. This article includes step by step VCarve…
If you like to play music on your cell phone you’ll find lots to love about this wooden phone amplifier. It provides an attractive platform to cradle your phone while playing music, and it boosts the sounds level by 8-10 dB (decibels) while also distributing the sound around the room using a megaphone style sound…
Looking for a quick “mass production” gift project? These tapered wooden salt and pepper shakers make a stylish addition to any table setting, and they can be made in a jiffy in a modestly equipped woodshop. You can make just the shakers, or if you have time, add the platform that is pictured here which…
This bookcase plan is designed to be large enough to handle all of the books belonging to the voracious reader in your family, virtually indestructible to withstand years of abuse, and easy on the pocket book using inexpensive materials from your local home center. For about $100 you can have a bookcase that would cost…
Oftentimes, you need a special blend of hand/eye coordination to get those fine details just right, and typical sanding methods don’t always provide it. A bow sander is great for sanding irregular shapes or cleaning up radius corners. This cool tool is made from a lamination of five 1/8” strips of white oak and features…
A very good friend and mentor once told me it’s a mistake to play cribbage with your significant other – unless you really relish conflict in your relationship. Hey, I just make cribbage boards. Well, I do play a little cribbage. Cribbage Board Template Material Choices Any shop accumulates scrap materials. My wife accuses me…
Bandsaw boxes are easy to make, but you need to follow a few rules of the road. It’s very important that you use the right blade, and that you make the cuts in the correct sequence. This story lays out the bandsaw project for you, start to finish. Click on the images to enlarge them…
Some friends of mine have a cabin in the north woods with an out building for extra overnight guests to bunk up for the evening. It’s a great place to fall asleep on a moonlit night listening to the cooing owls and the foxes rustling through the brush. Both friends have a Swedish heritage so…