This router table was built 2 years ago just prior to the writing desk I made for my wife. It was actually created specifically for that very project.

Simple construction made from my own design. The frame is made using mortise and tenon joinery of poplar for the base frame, the doors and sides are ¼” birch ply, and the top is ¾” MDF& ¾” Ply, edged in red oak. As you can tell, I was experimenting with staining techniques, hence the finish. The router fence is Freud, which I must admit; I’m not all that thrilled with but it hasn’t caused too many problems so I can’t complain. I have doors both on the front and back for easy access to storage and dust collection.

The miter gauge is made out of scraps and I dadoed the miter slot with multiple passes through the table saw making sure the angle was perpendicular to the router base plate. The top has a few layers of wipe on poly and a good waxing every once in a while keeps it nice and slick.

All in all I’ve been very happy with the result. Thanks for looking.

Marc,

I came across your website last year, which lead me to the Lumberjocks website and I have found a community of people who share my passion. Thank you for all of your work as well as the work of all the skilled craftsman on this site who help those of us still on the front side of the learning curve. Your podcasts are fantastic because they are filled with legitimate information while being wrapped in humor. Excellent work.

These cutting boards were made as gifts and although I hadn’t yet finished the “cheese board” for my Mom when she opened it I think the picture says it all, she liked it!!! Priceless!

Keep up the great work,

Mike

This is a project better suited for the Spring, but I never turn down a chance to make something. This was a bench that was left in our backyard when we moved into our home 3 years ago from the previous owners; obviously it had seen better days. All cleaned up with new hardware and fresh cedar, it’s looking pretty good again. I especially like the aged look of the iron contrasting the new cedar, which I must admit I wanted to repaint, but it wasn’t at my wife’s request as she was right.

All in all this was a little tricky project for me due to the curved back, that by the way weighs a ton, which was made using a pattern I created and my router with a pattern bit. Unfortunately I am without a bandsaw in my arsenal! (Please Santa I have been good!) The miters are held together with pocket screws and lag screws hold the back piece and legs together. Quite a few coats of spray on spar varnish and outside it went. As always your comments and critiques are appreciated.

Mike

Well, my wife and I just had a new patio added to the front of our house, so of course we needed new planter boxes!! (I didn’t do the patio myself…don’t have that skill…yet!)

Since I am a novice, I began to panic a bit after thinking aromatic cedar was only for inside projects (blanket chests etc..) and other types of cedar were for outdoor projects. Well, thanks to the forum page, my mind was put to ease and I followed their advice using several coats of spar varnish. The planters were moved outside to the patio and thank you to my fellow LJ’s who helped me by sharing their knowledge and experience!

This a writing desk I made for my wife using Norm’s plans that I completed last year. I convinced my wife that I had to get a dovetail jig to complete the top because it was in the plans!! Well, I can’t remember being any more nervous than I was the day I cut those dovetails in the side pieces for the top, but thankfully it came out ok and my wife is very happy. I used red oak and finished it several coats of Formby’s wipe on varnish.

Like I said, my friend is a gifted musician who only plays in his spare time, so to see the look on he and his wife’s face when I delivered this cover to the was priceless. I made the G-Clef using a template that I drew on a 1/4 MDF and used my router to cut it out of a solid piece of poplar. Since, I didn’t and still do not own a band saw, this was my best option. Not the easiest way of doing it and certainly there are better ways, but I am pleased with the result. They loved the covers and even gave me a donation which covered my Jet ambient air filter!!! Got to design and build two radiator covers and got a tool as a result…Priceless!!! Thanks Paul & Julie.

A friend and his wife approached me to make 2 radiator covers for their home. They didn’t ask for any particular design or model, but they made it clear that they wanted to paint them. So, I took a few pictures and measurements and went home to design and build these covers.

The greatest part of this project was when I delivered this first cover, they were so shocked at how well it looked that they got into designing the second radiator cover. My friend is an Attorney, but has a gift with music, so the second cover represented that theme.

I started woodworking 2 years ago when my wife registered me for a woodworking class at our local BOCES (vocational school) as a Christmas gift. Well, my teacher who was a carpenter/furniture maker was teaching this class for 1st time and told his 6 students “build whatever you want!” I’m sure he will not make that mistake again!! Anyway, I went home and designed this bench on some graph paper and after 10 three hour classes I came home with my first piece of furniture!

Because I didn’t own a single tool and I took right up to the last second of my last class to cut all of the mortises, the first picture was taken the night I got home from my last class and dry fit the bench for the very first time! I started this class 5 weeks earlier never having cut a piece of wood with a power tool in my life…Seeing this bench together for the first time was one of the proudest moments of my life.