Vine Trellis
Make any climbing plant happy with this 6-ft. tall, freestanding trellis. We used dadoes, glue and screws to fasten the slats because trellises take a beating each year when you tear off the old [...]
Patio Planter
If you can build a box, you can build this planter. It’s much sturdier than most commercial versions, so it should last for many years. It’s also the perfect opportunity for you to try your hand [...]
Wooden Bar Clamp
I saw stars the last time I dropped a bar clamp on my foot. Then I saw the light, in the form of a wooden handscrew. I’d been making my own handscrews—wood threads and all—for years. Why [...]
An Ideal Joint for Small Drawers
When you slide open a small drawer that fits nice and tight, it’s a pleasure to see well-crafted joints. Small, handcut dovetails answer well, but sawing and chopping them requires a lot [...]
CAM Marking Gauge
On April 21, 1868, the United States Patent Office issued Patent Number 76,884 to Wessel Brodhead for an improvement to the field of carpenters’ marking gauges. Brodhead developed a tool that [...]
6-Board Chest
Use two planks, two days and two piles of nails to make this age-old form Six-board chests have been an enduring form of furniture in Western cultures for hundreds of years. And while they differ [...]
Skansen Bench
* Read a tutorial on leveling Skansen Bench feet. * Visit Skansen’s web site. I’ve always liked things that are Swedish, impossibly overbuilt and yet somehow graceful. For example: my beloved [...]
Monticello Lap Desk
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Benjamin Randolph, a Philadelphia cabinetmaker, to build a compact lap desk to serve as a portable office. This small mahogany box, now prominently [...]
Air-Tensioned Bandsaw
The bandsaw has always been the prima donna machine in my shop. It requires so much time and attention to make it work right; changing blades, adjusting tension and repositioning guides. It was [...]
Factory Cart Coffee Table
This reproduction of an industrial workhorse will give you years of use in your living room. At the turn-of-the-century, no factory existed without several industrial carts (also known as trucks) [...]
Contemporary Shelves
Construction lumber dressed up for display. For sturdy, attractive and affordable material to build these shelves, bypass the fancy stuff at the front of your local home center and head [...]
Easy Picnic Table
This table is a picnic to build with dimensional lumber, screws and bolts. I’m usually not intimidated by undertaking projects. We need some artwork for the new apartment? I can paint some vivid, [...]
