For my husband who likes to cut the cheese!

I made this for my husband for Valentine’s Day. While he’s good for some comic relief in my comments, he’s a fantastic husband. He knows when to just walk past the Home Depot bags without saying a word. After 20 years , he’s still the first person I want to tell when something funny happens or when I’ve had a yucky day.

The cutting board is 7” across at its widest. It’s made of walnut and maple. The knife wasn’t planned, but for the first time, the wood ‘spoke’ to me. I was looking at the scraps, admiring the grain when the knife shape made sense.

The basic shapes were cut on my Rikon bandsaw using a 1/4” blade. I softened the edges with a 1/4” roundover bit on my router table. Sanded by hand and ROS. Finished with Danish oil.

The grain on the walnut was a bit more ‘open’ than I expected.

Thanks for looking.

I modified the plans from ShopNotes
http://www.shopnotes.com/plans/shop-vacuum-station/ to build this for my garage/shop.

The station is made of 3/4” ply on 3” casters. The centre holds the vacuum wand, broom and dustpan. The other accessories fit right onto the base of my Ridgid vacuum. The handle at the top makes it easy to wheel around. The hose that came with the dust deputy is too short, so I’ll be shopping for a longer hose and a variety of connectors so that I can easily connect to my bandsaw, table saw, router table and CMS.

The cut-outs were a bit of a challenge and were done with my jigsaw. While I had this half done before my bandsaw arrived, I still got to use my new Rikon 10-325 for some of the cuts.

While my shop will always be ‘under development’, everything is now mobile. My goal for my next project is to make something NOT shop related.

Cheers,
Sandra

This Frankencart was made based on the wood scraps I had on hand. I had 3/4” plywood left from my planer cart, so the largest piece was used for the base and I worked from there. It’s based somewhat on LJ Ellen35s cart because I wanted a section in the back for sheet goods.

I went crazy using my dado blade. I was having so much fun that I cut dadoes on both sides of each large triangular divider, forgetting that I didn’t need them for the end dividers. By the time I was ready to make the secondary dividers, I had used up most of my larger pieces of plywood, so those are a hodge-podge of different pieces of lumber. The back section for sheet goods is framed with the failed attempts at routing stopped grooves and a few pieces of warped wood.

Without the casters, the cart is 31” high, 46” long and 28” deep. It would have been nice to have the length at 48” for sheet goods, but when I buy plywood, I get it cut down at the store and the large pieces get used right away anyway.

This was an enjoyable project and used up a lot of the scraps I had been accumulating. It rolls on six 3” casters and fits perfectly between the end of my workbench and the wall. The casters were the only items I had to buy.

Lots of sawdust, organized storage. Works for me.

S

This is a blatant copy of LJ David Craig’s jigs. Thanks David!

While for many this might not qualify as a ‘project’, I wanted to show how easy but practical these are. I used a scrap piece of 3/4” plywood, cut to size on my TS, did the angles on my CMS, drilled the holes with my impact driver and cut out the notches using my jigsaw. It’s going to take me longer to clean up than it did to make these.

The corners are cut off for glue run-off, and I presume the holes are for hanging them when not in use.

I needed these for my next project which will be a cart for cutoffs. I intend to use the jigs to clamp the upright dividers. I had looked at a similar jig in the Lee Valley catalogue, but knew I’d find a better solution on this site.

It was a very satisfying hour in the shop. Thanks again David.

S

This was built following the plans at woodsmithshop.com

It was somewhat of an ambitious project for me, but I’m happy with the results.
The carcass is made of 3/4” plywood using dado joints, the trim is pine. The drawer is birch with a 1/4” birch plywood bottom. I finished it with wipe on poly.

One of the outfeed supports is fixed, and the other is moveable by means of a threaded rod sandwiched between the cross pieces. When not in use, the arms fold up toward the back of the planer. They stay in that position by means a ‘latch’ made of two pieces of aluminum angle. The planer is bolted to the stand and the whole thing is moveable on 3” locking casters.

When in use, the work piece slides across the pieces of PVC pipe which are level with the planer infeed and outfeed surfaces. If any minor adjustments are needed, the pvc pipe is easily raised or lowered. The arms are also easily adjustable at the ‘elbow’.

The shallow drawer in the front of the stand was the biggest challenge for me. I measured and measured and measured, but somehow the dimensions of the drawer didn’t work. The drawer was also supposed to ride on two rails which would have thrown off the measurements even more. In the end, I cut the drawer down to size and it opens and closes no problem. It ain’t pretty, but it works.

The project brought with it a few firsts – first time using a dado blade. First time making a drawer with dadoes and rabbets, first time using 3/4” plywood.

Thanks for looking.
S

Now that I have a designated area for my crafts (still working on a designated area for ww) I wanted to build a wrapping station. The last picture is from the Pottery Barn which triggered the idea.

I built the frame out of 1×4 pine. For the first time, I tried my hand at dados (sort of), using my palm router.
The original design I tried had the side pieces extending past the top like the Pottery Barn one, but I didn’t like the look of it and ended up cutting them off just beyond the dado that houses the top of the frame.

I also rounded over the length of the shelves with the intention of stopping the dado before the front edge. I wasn’t pleased with the look, so ended up flipping the shelves over and keeping the square edges showing.

The dadoes for the dowels took a bit of thought. I ended up using my angle tool and cutting a block of wood to the angle I wanted and used it as a guide for my palm router. Only after I did all 12 of them did I realize I hadn’t done them deep enough so I had to go back and do them again. Note to self: NEVER remove a clamp until I’m sure.

I used 1/4 inch ply for the back. I needed something to keep it sturdy as the whole thing is mounted on one stud. I used three 3 inch screws along the centre without any problem.

The entire unit measures 48” by 37”. I’m pleased with what I learned doing this project, but in hindsight would have changed several things to make it smaller.

Thanks for looking.

Thanks to all the tips from LJs on cutting thin MDF, I completed this small project. If some of the segments look a bit off-kilter, it’s because they are. The shelves consist of four long horizontal pieces and five shorter uprights. Each piece is notched half-way through and then wedged together. (Patron – I didn’t listen and un-clamped the pieces before testing the notches. You were soo right!)

I had wanted a way to store my crafting ink pads inside a cabinet. So I used a smaller wall version as a template and made this to fit the space and the amount of ink I have. The total width is 30”. I have my garage shop where I’m learning to make sawdust, but this is for my newly finished craft area in the basement.

What I learned – MDF creates a LOT of dust. I wore a mask, but that stuff is evil!
- I needed a good straight edge to use with my circular saw. Again, I read other posts here and made a 4’ jig for my circular saw and a shorter jig for my jigsaw. Using the jig helped with my comfort level handling the circular saw.
- you can’t beat c-clamps. The quick clamps I have are fine for clamping something to my work bench, but weren’t up to the task of keeping the jig on the cut-line.
-I don’t have to make do with the craft storage units sold for outrageous prices in the stores. With a bit of patience, I can make exactly what I need.

Next project for the craft area will be a wall mounted unit with dowels to hold wrapping paper.

Thanks for looking
Sandra

Look up, look waaaay up.

After buying some rough boards of maple and birch I was faced with the problem of how to store them. Floor space is at a premium in the garage, so the only way to go was up.

I copied the plans from the Wood Whisperer in “Racking my Brains” It was pretty straightforward, only pia was climbing up and down the ladder. An extra pair of hands would have been useful.

The brackets are two pieces of plywood glued and screwed onto a piece of 2×4. The whole thing acts as a mortise with the 2×4 attached to the wall.

I used 5” lag screws to make sure it was sturdy and able to hold the weight of the hardwood.

Of course getting the boards down will also be a pia, but that’s the way it goes.

Thanks to all the suggestions on LJ, I made quick work of this base this morning. Nothing fancy, but it’s square, level, sturdy and exactly what I had in mind.

I had purchased a second hand router table a few weeks ago, but after trying to put casters on it, realized the base was too flimsy.
So I removed the table top and built this base out of 2×4s.

I cut the legs to 33”. With the table top and casters, the height is a bit higher than standard 36”, but it’s perfect for my height. Each of the casters are locking but I was more concerned about being able to easily move the table.

I attached the table top to the base with some brackets I had leftover from my 2×4 shelves.

The only purchase I had to make was 4 8ft 2×4 studs. The shelf on the bottom was made with the remnants of a piece of garbage shelving unit I wasted money on before I started spending time in the garage.

This is the second Adirondack chair I’ve made using the Veritas plans (second chair ever made) Thankfully it’s made out of pine because I still made several mistakes and had to recut some pieces, or use wood filler.

It is a present for one of my best friend’s birthday. (She requested bright yellow. It’s certainly bright!)

In the third picture, you can see that the seat slats sit below the outer chair support on top of the fish shaped support piece. This is by far the most difficult part for me. Also the seat slats toward the front of the chair are cut on a variety of angles, none of which match the angles in the plan.

If I make a third chair, I may try different plans.

What I learned the second time around:

-I was glad to have the jig I made for the first chair for cutting the tapered back slats, but I should have written down the exact blade distance ON the jig.

-the table mounted router saved me a lot of time.

-painting is much easier after a good coat of primer/sealer (duh)

-If there is a third chair, it will be for ME!

I made this last Summer as a ‘learn as I go’ project. I forgot to take a picture at the time, so asked to have this sent to me. I gave it as a gift to my children’s after school sitter. I’m glad to see it by her fire pit being used. In the picture, the back slats don’t appear to be evenly spaced. I’m hoping that it’s the camera angle.

I purchased the Veritas plans from Lee Valley, and then used thin particle board as pattern pieces.

Thankfully I chose pine, because as I learned, I had to redo several elements. The cost snuck up and up…

I made my first jig for the tapered back slats.

What I learned:
-that the instructions were not written with a newby in mind. For example “seat base assembly” was never explained. Which pieces are considered part of the seat base???
-how to countersink screws
-the importance of pre-drilling

I’m presently finishing my second chair, and while some of it was easier the second time around, I’m not sure if I’ll make this style again. The seat slats sit inside the outside leg support on a curved piece. Any slight difference between the two sides becomes very obvious very quickly. Also, the angled cuts on the table saw have been a challenge.

I’ve been eyeing the Adirondack chairs we purchased a few years ago from an older gentleman who has since passed away. The seat slats sit directly on the outside piece and the angles are done on the seat support, not the slats. Hmmmm….

I’d also like to get proficient enough that I can do one and simply stain it rather than painting. The paint helps cover some places where I used wood putty to fill in some mistakes.

As I gain confidence in my skills, I wanted to build sliding shelves in the kitchen to create a baking station.
I looked online at shelf kits and they all looked rather flimsy. So I surfed the web and found a nice set of plans.

The joinery is simple butt joints. I contemplated using a dado for the bottom of the shelves, but wasn’t quite up for that yet.
The sides, front and backs are made of maple and the bottom is birch plywood. I am not happy with the wood plugs on the top shelf as they are too much for that size of a shelf. I plan on taking them out and replacing them with smaller, flush plugs. The wood is finished with two coats of clear lacquer.

What I learned – That the wall cabinet is not square to the floor. That the floor is not square to the wall and the wall is square to NOTHING!!! -that shims are nifty – that I want to learn more about joinery

As a beginning woodworker, this was a bit of a challenge. While I’ve made a few simple items following plans, I had to “plan” these shelves around the specific use, and the dimensions of the wall. We are renovating our basement and needed more storage in the garage to accommodate the basement ‘stuff.’

My neigbhour had built similar shelves last year, so I took pictures, then did a lot of ‘figuring’. I wanted the bottom shelf in one section to be high enough to accommodate golf bags.

My biggest challenge was which how to notch out the wood to accommodate the foundation wall. I opted for my jigsaw and it worked well. The other challenge was going into the hardware store and convincing the guy that I did NOT need 3 1/2 inch screws to put 2×4s together, and that I did NOT want to use plywood on these shelves.

What I learned – that I really really love my compound miter saw and my Fat Max level.
That the clip on my apron for the measuring tape is garbage, and I really need to find a better system to carry around my measuring tape, pencil and screws.

-that using a cardboard template to make sure the screws are spaced evenly just might be over the top.

-that when I grow up, I want to be a carpenter.

This is one of my first projects done without a ‘plan’. I am just learning to use my tools and was very intimidated by the table saw. I wanted to turn an overcrowded closet off the kitchen into a pantry. I bought pine panels at a box store, used scrap 1×3 s for the shelf supports, some paint and voila.

Sandra (aka Mom mom mom mom mom!)