This cabinet insert is designed to organize all the boxes of foil, and Ziploc bags that tend to accumulate in a pile if left to their own devices. My inspiration for this project came when I opened the cabinet and a large box of aluminum foil fell end-first on to my bare foot. The resultant burst of profanity was followed by a burst of inspiration.

The organizer is simply a two-level box with 1/8” grooves that accept hardboard dividers to separate the individual boxes. Close inspection of the upper right corner shows a storage area for extra dividers. Space above allows for storage of extra-long boxes.

Since I don’t own a table-saw, these grooves required a little creative fence work on the router table. The only problem was that the hardboard was a little thicker than the grooves. To solve this, I made a little jig composed of a block of wood with a keeper strip on one edge. When clamped to one of the hardboard dividers, it exposed a width equal to the depth of the groove. A couple of strokes with the shoulder plane solved the problem. The keeper strip made fast positioning possible on the MANY edges I had to trim.

I SUPPOSE I could have painted the dividers, but…....NAHHH!

This is my version of the mobile clamp rack that Norm built on “The New Yankee Workshop”. I was prompted to make something when I ordered a set of the inexpensive bar clamps that Lee Valley had a month or so ago. Being too cheap to buy the “measured drawing and materials list”, I started from scratch and built it to my own dimensions. I used 3/4” birch plywood (none of the cheaper stuff at Home Depot was flat enough”, and all pieces were cut to a 10-degree angle. The clamps simply hang on 2” strips of plywood that are screwed in place. This allows me to modify the placement later if I desire. The center A-frame member allows me to have different lengths of clamp side by side.

I included one picture with my ugly mug to give an idea of scale—I’m 6’4” tall. Yes, it’s a big rack, but I’ve got a big shop area. The extra space also gives me room to add additional clamps later on.

These two stools were made for my granddaughter at the request of my wife. She observed that our granddaughter Hannah didn’t have anything that she could sit on. Her children’s chairs were still too big, and the only place she could simply back up and sit down was the window sill. I promptly measured the height of the sill and made two stools of that height – 9”. One is for our house, and one for hers.

The lumber is 1×4 select pine from the Borg. It is finished with two coats of a mixture of BLO and spar poly, which is topped with three coats of rubbed shellac to provide a barrier until the oil mix cures. Yes, they’re shiny now, but I’m sure that won’t last long. Oh well, that’s one of a granddad’s jobs – live-in toy factory!

This is my version of a jointer fence for my router table. It’s constructed of 3/4” MDF left over from another project, and faced with plastic laminate from a broken piece that I bought for $5.00. The outfeed side is simply a double-thickness of laminate bevelled on the bit side. For simplicity, I attach it to the router table with F-clamps. Simple but effective.

This is a simple cabinet -style stand for my table-top drill press. Like my workbench, it was made using common building materials. The carcase is frame-and panel construction using dressed 2×4’s and 1/4” plywood. The top and adjustable shelves are 3/4” plywood edged with oak for durability. The drawer is 1/2” birch plywood. The pulls are made from scrap oak using 1/2”-radius cove and round-over bits

Joinery on the carcase is with biscuits, which is possible due to the fact that the plywood panels are glued into their grooves—something that would be disastrous with a solid-wood panel. The drawer has tongue-and-groove corners, and the 1/4” plywood bottom is again glued in.

The outside of the cabinet is finished with three coats of 50:50 BLO & spar poly, which is rapidly becoming my favorite for a simple Watco-style finish at a much lower cost. The inside components are all finished with shellac. A close look will reveal that the drawer front has a rubbed-shellac finish. I was experimenting with this type of finish for the first time, and said, “What the heck, why not?”

I decided to place the drawer inside the cabinet to eliminate the need for a third rail on the front. This would give me a bit more room for shelf space, and hopefully help keep chips and dust out of the drawer. Most of my bits, etc. come in their own cases, or have already been organized in boxes. This made shelf space more important than drawer space, so one 4” drawer seemed sufficient. The cabinet is made wider than normal to help eliminate any tippiness when a long piece is being drilled.

As you can see from the third picture, the cabinet has been fully shop-kitty tested and approved.

This bench was constructed in a traditional style, but using common dimension lumber. The concept was to make a bench with good performance from inexpensive components. The top is Home Depot spruce 2X4 studs, and the base is made of 2×4 & 2×6 SYP from a local lumber yard. The only expensive wood is the maple used for the vise chops. The vise hardware is an inexpensive quick release type from Woodcraft.

All joinery on the base is with 1” thick pegged mortise-and-tenon joints, and the top rests on 3/4” oak dowels extending from the top of the legs into 1” holes in the top. This makes for easy removal with no play in the top.

For construction details, see my blog series entitled “A Workbench's Progress.”

These bowls are used to hold stones for the game of Go. Known as Igo in Japan, Wei Chi in China, and Baduk in Korea, Go is widely considered to be the oldest board game still in common play. It is widely popular throughout the orient, with major tournaments backed by huge corporate sponsors, and a tremendous international rivalry between Japan, China, and Korea. The basics can be learned in a few minutes, but the strategic concepts can take a lifetime to master (if then!).

The bowls are shaped in the Go-Seigen style, which is characterized by a very simple form. The other predominant Japanese bowl style is Kitani, which is slightly narrower and taller with a more ornate beaded rim to the lid. I chose the Go-Seigen style because the simpler style worked better with the prominent grain of the wood. Kitani is more appropriate for a finer-grained wood such as mahogany, cherry, or maple. The lids of the bowls are used to hold captured stones , and therefore need a dished inside as well as a reasonably flat top so that they won’t rock when inverted. The trick is to provide this flat space without spoiling the lines of the bowl.

These bowls are turned from black locust, which is widely considered to be the hardest wood in North America. I don’t doubt it. Outside turning wasn’t so bad, but the hollowing was a nightmare. The payoff came in the glossy smooth surface that resulted from finishing. I rarely go this high, but final sanding was done with 800 grit, and actually improved the surface. The tung oil finish was simply a protectant, and added little extra gloss. I chose tung oil because it would be easy to refresh the look of the bowls as they wear in use.