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Phil Huber, a senior editor for ShopNotes magazine details in this seminar all the steps necessary for building a sturdy set of drawers on a router table.

First, he’ll demonstrate how to build drawers using a specialized drawer joint bit in just two simple steps. Then, for those of us who choose not to buy the special bit, Phil will take us through the steps of building drawers with an ordinary 1/4″-dia. straight bit.

Get the Seminar Guide here: Building Drawers Using Drawer Joint Bits

 

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Kenneth Owen of Tulsa, Oklahoma is proud of his wife. And he has every right to be. They were looking to outfit a new bedroom and fell in love with a Moser-style bed. So she decided to build one. That’s right — she did the milling and gluing and bending and clamping.  Everything.  And the results are outstanding.

Ken posted photos of the process of building this bed. You can read all about it over on WoodNet. It’s an amazing story of how the project was completed and Ken gives all the details of how his wife progressed from start to finish.

I have a dream job. Yep, I really do. I get to read and write about woodworking every day. And I get to talk woodworking with my coworkers. And access to our well-equipped shop is just across the street. Yep, I have a dream job.

As an editor, I don’t get as much time in the shop as I’d sometimes like. I was talking with one of our managing editors yesterday about woodworking and shop time and taking on side projects. You know what I mean. Like the neighbor who happens to see a table saw in your garage and says, “Can you build me a set of bookshelves?” Or your mother-in-law who sees that $99 coffee table in the Sunday paper advertisements and says, “Can you build one like that? Only I want one made out of walnut.” That started a whole discussion about how and if we charge for our time. And if we do, what do we really make per hour and is it really worth it. Read the rest of this article »

Well, I was able to complete my first real project since moving to Iowa over a year ago.  My shop is still a mess and some of my things are still in boxes.  My shop’s condition is no where near where I’d like it to be (a total mess), but I somehow managed to complete a project.

While I spent over twelve hours in the shop on Saturday, I learned some new things and reconfirmed some things I already knew about myself. Read the rest of this article »

A few weeks ago, I put out an appeal to the readers of WoodworkingONLINE to send me project images that I could post to our gallery. Since then, I’ve received a response from just one woodworker — a gentleman named Garry Smith. Garry has a super shop that he likes to show off (and for good reason!). His beautiful headboard and footboard is made from cherry and curly yellow birch. To complement the headboard and footboard, Garry also incorporated this matching bench designed to set at the end of the bed.

Now, it’s possible that the quality of Garry’s work has kept people from sending in photos of their work, but I doubt it. I’ve seen some really nice stuff being built out there and I’d like to show if off here.

Yesterday, I received another email from Bill Hendrick of Ankeny, Iowa. Bill attends the weekly seminars at the Woodsmith Store, where we are constantly promoting our two woodworking blogs: WoodworkingONLINE.com and WoodworkingSeminars.com. He wanted to show off one of his projects — a screen door that he built for their summer home in Estes Park, Colorado. Bills says, “…it is a copy of a door my wife and I saw in Maine while we were on a tandem bicycle trip across the USA!”

Most of the projects that Bill has worked on so far are for outdoor use. This cupola is based on one Norm Abram did for the PBS television series, New Yankee Workshop. He fabricated the copper roof, but bought the “trout” wind vane from a local artist.

Bill also sent me some shots of the new dust collection system that he just finished installing. He’s new to woodworking and says he would like to get a look at other people’s shops. The images he sent me don’t fit into the furniture gallery that I have set up, but I’m looking into adding a “Shops” Gallery in the near future, so I’ll post them there when its complete.

If you’d like to show off your work (either projects or of your shop), please email them as attachments to Joel Hess (jhess(at)augusthome(dot)com) and I’ll get them added. Also, tell me a little about yourself and what you’re doing in the shop.

It’s time we got this gallery up and going!

LumberJocks is promoting woodworking with a website that makes the work of home shop woodworkers the sole focus. Although the name would seem to imply that only men are allowed, it’s obvious that there are lots of women and young people posting their work to the site.

Martin Sojka started LumberJocks as a place for woodworkers (both DIY’ers and professionals) to display their work. This morning, Martin sent me a link to the Summer 2006 Woodworking Contest winners. Projects were submitted for viewing and then voted on. Congratulations to Karson, Mark, and Ellen — the top three place winners. There’s some nice work on display here. Good work Martin, thanks for sharing.

If you have a woodworking blog or website that you would like to share, please do so here. I’d love to showcase your work on our blog gallery. You can post a link in the comments section, or contact me direct.

I got on the elevator after leaving the IWF show at the Georgia Congress Center last week and overheard this comment: “If I had a hundred thousand dollars, I could build a heckuva woodworking shop.”

Earlier in the day, I overheard a product rep explain to a young lady who was interviewing him for a promo video, “All you need is a table saw and a Kreg jig and you can build any piece of furniture.”

Which explains the two extremes I experienced at this huge woodworking show — you can spend $150 on a pocket hole jig, or you can spend literally thousands on industrial machines and each will bring you to the same destination. Read the rest of this article »

In July 2006, I had the privilege of traveling to Welkom, South Africa to help Brian and Lois Neihoff. Originally from Iowa, they operate “The Pines” orphanage for young children who are orphaned because of AIDS. You can learn more and see a video about Brian and Lois by clicking here.Our team of eight was tasked with converting some donated office space into a three-bedroom apartment for orphans of AIDS. That we did in record time, but while we were there Lois asked if I could build some boxes for the children to store their belongings. These boxes would fit under the beds.

But there were some challenges. The only material they had available was 1/2″ (13mm) particle board. And we all know that particle board does not hold screws very well. So I used an age-old trick of drilling and inserting short lengths of 8mm dowel at all the screw locations (see drawings below). I created a SketchUp model you can download and view or modify here.

The dowels gave the 1-1/4″ wood screws something to “bite” into. A little glue during assembly made for a strong and sturdy box. We added two lengths of 3/4″-wide half-round molding on the bottom as “runners” to make it easier for the box to slide under the beds. And a knob on the front and some brightly-colored paint completed the box.

This simple act of service got me to thinking. Sometimes we as woodworkers are forced to get back to basics to meet a need. In this case, I didn’t have the luxury of working with hardwood or creating attractive dovetail joints. I was forced to think about working with the material at hand yet making it as practical and attractive as possible. I enjoyed the challenge and knowing that I was able to contribute to a need.

A special thanks to Steve Ames for assisting me on this project. We had a great time working on this together.

I love hearing and reading about other woodworkers. I enjoy reading about hobbyists and what they do in their shops. I also gain inspiration from those woodworkers that have managed to make a living from their craft. It’s not easy and it takes a huge commitment to make a go of woodworking as a livelihood.

John Schwartzkopf of Cedar Falls, Iowa has found a niche making tables and sculptures…and sometimes a combination of both. He describes his work as half functional and half sculptural. He combines power tools with hand techniques for his one-of-a-kind pieces. You can read more about John’s work here. Read the rest of this article »

Doug has created a really enjoyable series of articles for building a project to fit a specific need. In this last installment, Doug completes the table top and attaches it to the base.

Read the rest of this article »