American Woodworker’s Tool Cabinet
Now that the holidays are over, and you have all of those sweet new tools to incorporate into your shop, you might be looking to add some additional storage to organize those sweet new items.
This plan, brought to you by American Woodworker, is a great system to organize tools, accessories and the like, helping keep them right at your fingertips.
Built with plywood and simple joinery, this one is easy to tackle and will give you tons of storage space.
Our friend Lawrence Wroten is at it again at his blog Midnight Woodworking. He and his son Adam have figured out a great project that definitely fills the bill for a Last Minute Elf project…
Using just a simple block of walnut to turn a handle, an inexpensive flashlight and a length of PEX plumbing tubing, this father and son have made enough elegant Jedi weapons to rule the universe together…
With the new edition of Star Wars in production, this may be a great project to finish off your holiday projects.
Hanukkah begins at sundown this coming Tuesday. If you want to build your own Menorah, or have friends or family who celebrate the holiday, this is a fast yet fun project to celebrate the festivities with.
This plan, offered by Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, uses dowels, some construction lumber, paint and a few flameless LED candles to build this traditional symbol of Hanukkah, making it a perfect project to get children and the less-experienced woodworkers involved in a meaningful family project.
Wood Magazine’s graceful reindeer plan
OK, folks, after eating enough turkey to kill a lesser man, I am back to the blog! And, with the holiday season upon us, the time is now to start building those holiday projects.
If you are decorating your home, this is a classic plan you might want to consider banging out in an afternoon. These graceful reindeer have been a staple of woodworking yard decorations since Wood Magazine offered them years ago, and look just as awesome as the day they first came out.
WWGOA How to build a wooden knife block
I make no bones about it – I love to cook as much as I love to woodwork. And, with the holiday season preparing to get into full swing, cooking it about to move to center stage.
Just as in a woodworking shop, there are many tools in a kitchen, and they have to be treated with great respect and care so they can do their jobs well. Some of the most important? Your kitchen knives. From the largest chef’s knife to the smallest paring knife, each should be stored carefully to keep the sharp edges safe from contact with skin and as honed as possible to do any number of kitchen chores.
Today’s plan from the Woodworkers Guild of America shows how to build a simple yet effective knife block that also has room for a pair of kitchen shears. Using simple tools and an easy glue-up method, a custom knife block is well within your reach!
Build a queen size bed with storage
Have I mentioned yet that I live in Florida? Oh, that’s right… I sure have! That means I won’t be shoveling snow anytime soon this winter, but it also means that I don’t have a basement. Which, as you might guess – means that any project that I build has to have a storage component to it.
One project I have been asked to build is a new bed. Rhonda is looking for something to replace the bedframe we bought waaay back when we first got married with something a little sleeker and with some storage space. Right now, I’m evaluating some plans, and I’m starting with this one by Anna White. I like the idea of converting cabinets into a bed riser, and this is probably how I will work my plan, but with some modifications. For instance, I’m not a big fan of the drawers pulling out at the foot of the bed…
Stay tuned… this could be my during-the-holidays build…
Build your own face frame kitchen cabinets
If you ever decide to redo your home’s kitchen, a new set of cabinets can cure a ton of ills. Do the ones there look like they were made of cheap particle board, crappy laminate and maybe went out of style during the Carter administration? Maybe they are the wrong size, in the wrong location… or just look wrong.
Well, building your own kitchen cabinets is a great way to get the right look, the right layout and a great way to save a ton of money over buying a set of custom cabinets.
While the scale of building your own kitchen cabinets can be daunting, the entire job is just a series of very basic, repetitive woodworking steps. This link from the Family Handyman can walk you through the process from the first cut to the showing off of your work.