This simple box is made from black walnut and maple. The bottom is solid walnut and beveled to fit the groove in the sides. I finished it with Danish Oil.

It had been some time since I hand-cut any dovetails, My next project after this one contains some drawers, so I wanted to get the much-needed dovetail practice. Also, I had to do something with that wild piece of curly and wormy maple that I used as the top. I think that the dovetails were made a bit more difficult because the black walnut ended up being thinner than I had hoped. I started with 5/4 rough and resawed it on my bandsaw. There was quite a bit of movement after I resawed, so I lost some thickness getting things straightened out again.

I made this tray as a gift for some friends who are marrying later this summer. They already have more than enough toasters and knives, so I hope that they enjoy this.

It is made of cherry. The miter keys are a laminate of black walnut and padouk. I rounded the edges and corners more than on most projects to prevent it from snagging on blankets and such. The finish is Danish Oil and satin polyurethane.

This was a fun project and a great way to use up some medium-size pieces of stock. I am now working on another tray that we will keep for ourselves – so I will try being a bit more adventurous.

Thanks go to Joe W. for his ideas and tips.

I first saw this cupboard in Thos. Moser’s How to Build Shaker Furniture. At my current skill level, I need more detailed instructions than given in the book. I found and used these plans provided by Christopher Schwarz of Woodworking Magazine. The only (intentional) modification that I made was to add the pins to the joints in the door.

This is made from cherry and finished with BLO and carnuba wax. The last photo shows the cupboard temporarily hanging in the house. I am going to make a peg board to complete the job.

This is a simple piece that I made for use by our entry door. The purpose is to clear up the clutter and give a place to sit while putting on or taking off shoes. The wood is white ash. The finish is natural Danish Oil and polyurethane, to protect against water, mud, snow and such.

This project was a good way for me to get some real practice with my recently-acquired jointer and planer. It is the first time that I have been able to start a project with rough lumber.

These Shaker-style night tables are my first attempt at building furniture. They are made from yellow birch. I based them on a slightly larger table that I once bought as a kit. I also used the book How to Build Shaker Furniture by Thos. Moser.
I finished the tables with three applications of linseed oil and two coats of carnuba wax.
Instead of building both tables at once, I decided to build one to completion and then build the other one. This allowed me to learn from my experience and see if I could do a better job on the second one. The first one is now on the side of the bed that is less visible, even though most people do not notice the differences.

I am just getting started in woodworking. I spent some time working through David Freedman’s book Box-Making Basics. This box is from the last chapter of that book.
I have not yet built any dividers or internal trays. I want to wait to see just how my wife ends up using it and then we will decide on how the interior should be finished.
The box is made from walnut and white ash.