This winter I focused on smaller projects. I got into bandsaw boxes.  Here are a couple I made this winter. One was a Valentine’s Day gift for my wife using a piece of unusual wood we brought back from Ghana.

The souvenirs I’m always looking for during international travels are cutting boards made from local wood. I have cutting boards from Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Russia.  These are usually not found in tourist shops.

The inspiration for doing bandsaw boxes was the video you did a while back making the “yin/yang” box.

I found a piece of spalled wood in my workshop and made a small box.  This inspiration came from your video of making a small box from a two foot piece of scrap.

-Don Gwinn

This is one of my best big projects.

-Susie Marcade

This is a prototype of a table I designed. I wanted to work out any issues before going to the final. This one is made out of Maple. The final one will be African Mahogany. I still finished it as if it were the final, as we will be using it until I get to the mahogany one, and after that, it will move to our camp.

-Joe Sarna

In honor of National Woodworking Month, here are some photos of my latest project – built-in bookshelves and cabinets, complete with a Murphy bed, for my basement. Last fall, the company I work for announced that our temporary work-from-home arrangement would be permanent, so I knew I needed a dedicated work space.

Four months and one big basement renovation later, I have my home office and a family rec room. The rec room features built-in cabinets around a murphy bed for when my parents come to visit, and the office showcases maple built-in bookshelves for my oh-too-many books.

-Brian Sigmon

I wanted an end table that would fit between my recliner and the wall. It had to fit under the drapes, include a shelf for my woodworking catalogs, and a drawer to help manage the clutter on the window sill. A little time with Sketchup and this meets my needs.

-Jim Ryan

This is my latest piece. The box is walnut, the drawer is ash, the drawer handle is walnut, and the sliding dovetail drawer runner is oak. I know that you said to send one picture, but felt that a single photo didn’t really show it off.

-Richard Ross

I just completed this work bench I have been wanting to build. It is heavy duty with 4×6 construction and a1 1/2 inch butcher block top 36 x 72. The bench is fitted with a five drawer insert which provides storage for commonly used tools at your bench. I have been wanting to do this for sometime. I did not have any plans however did view many pictures.

-Dennis Sheehan
Antioch, IL

Recently my wife had to relocate her small business office to a new building. She hired a contractor to do most of the renovation, but she asked me to replace the vanity in the bathroom.

-Allan Knowlden
Evansville, IN

The first project is a live double edge Ash table. It measures 2″ thick, 17″ wide and 47″ long. I finished with high gloss epoxy and 16″ hair pin legs.

The second is a Walnut table with blue epoxy to fill a void. Measures 2″ thick by 11″ wide by 46″ long and 16″ hair pins legs

-Richard Lampe
Ellsworth, IL

Thank you all once again for sharing your latest projects!

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I read Dan Cary’s story of building a custom dining room table. I especially enjoyed that his build was custom to a specific place and function.

I too had a special need. At our lake house the area for a table is limited. Plus at the lake everyone wants to eat with a view so no one wants their back to the water if you are inside. My special need was a dining table that was very narrow and long. The sliding glass door is a 9′ door with only 3′ sliding to go outside so I wanted a table only 24″ by 72″. This way I could put the the table against the windows and only sit on one side.

Basically the table only cost me $15 to make. I had to buy a quart of gloss polyurethane for the top. Polyurethane is something very hard that would resist water rings and food. Everything else was scraps I had from other projects that I cut down and glued up. Walnut, hickory, cherry, oak, purple heart and Brazilian cherry are the woods in the top outlined with 6/4 oak and breadboard ends. It fits us and the space perfectly.

The true advantage of woodworking is the ability to customize. Woodworkers can be ingenious without plans and only armed with an idea to solve a problem.

Ron Grover

This is my latest Kumiko project that I just finished.

-Russ Franken

Here is my latest Adirondack bench.

-Gary Mast

Here is a a King size bed I finished this past year. It was a gift to my wife of 39 years, Becky.

It was quite a project to complete. At times I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew, but with faith and patience, (both hers and mine,) it turned out fine. Thank you for letting me share and giving all of the woodworking community a chance to do so.

-Michael Yeary

This is my latest project. My wife requested a jewelry box. I asked her to draw a rough sketch of what she had in mind. Well, what she had in mind was a full jewelry CABINET. I selected air dried hickory from a tree that was removed from our small farmette property. The learning points for this project were building the T&G beadboard panels for the side cabinets and using dye to color just the sapwood variations in the hickory. The customer was pleased and pointed out the fact that she now had much more room for NEW jewelry!

Be well and be safe,

-Gregory Harmon
Pennsylvania

Here is what I did for part of the last two winters. This is not a kit or a CNC made project. It is all hand made from cut offs of 1 by and 2 by from other woodshop projects. Yes, just fire wood junk. It is my idea of a 1920s-style rail road station with second story meeting room . Everything is made to 1″ to 1′ scale. All of the studs, tables and benches So, the doors are 3″ wide by 6-3/4″ high. The size is 48″ long x 32″ wide x 37″ tall. The square end is the freight room, the multi-sided room is a coffee shop and the tall part is a three sided clock tower. The clock faces are 11 min. after 9 (911) , 7 min. after 11 (Nov. 7, 1941) and the other is my birthday 22 min after 7. All important dates  to me.

– Lowell Taylor
Cedaredge, CO

I repurposed a solar LED light array by housing it in a butternut box with a copper clad roof. After scroll sawing my house number and some nice flower designs into the front, I painted the inside of the box white to reflect the light, I filled the voids with epoxy, and then joined the sides together with finger joints. The bottom is just set in a groove, the top has some holes that align with dowel pins that sit proud of the top of the box for a snug fit. I made a cedar beveled strip for the back to match the slope of my steel lap siding on my house, and flush mounted 5 strong rare-earth magnets into that strip. Then I coated the box with a thin coat of pour-on epoxy inside and out because there’s just no easy way to make the box water tight. I set the light to dusk to dawn setting and set it into place with some persuasion from a dead blow mallet. It can be removed if I ever need to replace the 18650 batteries in it…I have several hundred salvaged from old laptop battery packs.

Thanks to the steel siding and magnetic mount, I can put the sign anywhere I want on the house (while sitting inside with no cell reception because I live in a Faraday cage).

It has really helped out the Door Dashers and Uber Eats drivers to find my house though.

-Michael Swenson

This is from a downed tree on my friends property. He also has me making tuna plugs for him out of the same tree!

Never thought I would be turning tuna lures!

-Wayne Greygor

Made from recycled cherry from an elevator for my grand daughter. Used nothing but five coats of General Finish’s semi gloss. Totally natural.

-Andy Borland
Severna Park, MD

This is a 9″, 11 course vase turned from canary wood.

Thank you again for these great projects! Join us again next week!

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A Craftsman-style cabinet. The wood is red oak and I used golden oak finish.

An urn, turned on my Robust lathe. The woods are cherry burl and ebony.

A miniature cabinet, made from white oak (natural oil finish), with hand-turned cocobolo door pulls. Two small hollowed turnings sitting on top of the cabinet: a cherry burl vase and a persimmon vessel with ebony finial.

-John Nicholson

Here is a small project that I made within the past year.  It is a sundial that has been designed to give accurate readings specifically for MY backyard. It can be set up leveled and oriented to North with the gnome sent to the proper month. The dimensions of the oval, spacing of the months and compass orientation required considerable research. But it was a fun project – just not practical.

-Dave Fogt

There are 4 species blended into each board so you have to make them in multiples of 4. I usually make 8 at a time.

I donate them to a local non-profit called VISTE (Volunteers in Service to the Elderly). They reward major donors and long term volunteers with one as a thank you.

I buy 4/4 rough sawn 4/S material and transform it into 8 boards in 9-10 hours of work. That time does not include glue or finish drying times.

No, I don’t own a CNC machine. Tools required include a table saw, band saw, glue brush, clamps, thickness planer, router table and sanders. See photos. All cutting is done free style so no 2 boards are alike. Each is an original artistic piece. Designs can be infinite in number.

My “how do you do it” secret sauce? Double Stick Tape.

-Don Van Houtte
Lakeland, FL

This is from a purchased plan, probably from Rockler. I made several of these for my construction customers.

-Phillip Hansen

This is an old workbench that belonged to my wife’s father. I had forever and decided to put a hardwood top over the old laminate that is always coming off. I have been collecting wood my entire life, and when I decided to do this I didn’t really have a plan. It kind of evolved with what lumber and sizes I had to work with. Walnut,, Maple, Zebra, Brazilwood, Oak. I know it looks too good to be a workbench but that’s what it is and it is very nice. Well to me anyway. I put six coats of Tung Oil and that’s all.

-Ricky Cherup
Grove City, OH

Here’s my Beer Paddle Project.

-Brian Kise

Thank you again for these great projects! We’ll see you again next week!

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Here is a picture for National Woodworking Month. It’s a carving made from a piece of wood I found in the forest.

-Scott Beyer

This is my latest project, a Morris chair in quarter sawn white oak.

-Sam Morris

I just completed this keepsake box.

-Mike Orlasky

Here is my corner cabinet.

-Dave Busta
Decorah, Iowa

A of the bowl I made using a Ringmaster. Domestic and exotic woods.

-Robert Newton
Sheboygan, WI

I just completed this Urn for our Grand dog (Chocolate Lab, we all miss him) he passed away last year. I selected a really nice figured Walnut for the main body and added an insert of Ash so I could engrave Name and Dates on the lighter coloured wood. The project is finished with multiple coats of Tung Oil and the last two coats were taken back to matte finish with 0000 Steel Wool. The size is 7″ tall and 4″ diameter.

I am very proud of how it turned out and I hope my Son and his family will like it.

-Peter Fabricius
Woodturner, Ontario

More to come throughout the month of May! Thank you all again!

The post Your National Woodworking Month Projects – Part Two appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

-Paul Hofheins
Tonawanda, NY

I just finished this end grain butcher block table for my daughter’s anniversary. It is made of walnut, cherry, maple and oak.

-Herb Brodie
Chestertown, MD

Here is my latest project, a 9 x 13 cherry and walnut cutting board finished with walnut oil.

-Bob Weaver

This is a photo of a “Queen Anne” style desk made for my son. It is made of cherry and features Blumotion drawer slides.

-Jerome A. Armbruster
Cincinnati, Ohio

My latest project, in walnut. It’s my latest variation on a theme of useful end tables.

-Charles Carney
Newtown, CT

To replace the old central panel of a door a friend of mine asked for a new panel and I decided to make a 3D panel. Pictures show the final result.

-Alexis Herrera

More to come throughout the month of May! Thank you all again!

The post Your National Woodworking Month Projects – Part One appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

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– Rob Maguire
Cheltenham, UK

See the Gallery Below:

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– Bruce Miller
Huntsville, AL

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I am 86 years old and am legally blind, but still work in my shop nearly every day. My wife says I am too stubborn to give up. With my limited vision the old saying “measure twice, cut once” takes on a whole new meaning.

– James Sahli
Othello, WA

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– Roger Robinson
Dover, OH

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