Nothing fancy, just a couple filing cabinets I built to hold a ton of LEGO manuals and to match the existing cabinets I had also built. Carcass is 3/4” Birch ply and the drawer fronts are 3/4” Poplar. Drawers themselves are made of 1/2” unpainted Maple ply. Backs, door panels, and drawer bottoms are 1/4” ply. Some pre-primed trim from Home Depot and some full extension drawer slides and painted handles and there you have it.

Like the cabinets these are built with pocket hole screws and no glue (except for the trim around the top). Came in quite handy since after these pictures I actually took the drawers apart and cut the sides down by another 1/4”. The file cabinets were made to match the height of the main cabinets and as-built the folder tabs were scraping the tops when opening and closing. If they weren’t built to match I’d have made them about 3-4” taller.

I really like the runners for the hanging folders. You can cut them to length and they just slip-over the edges and work great. Probably the cheapest way to build one of these. If you’re curious these are the runners and drawer slides I used:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EJFTTW/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019FWFC6/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Needed some better shoe and coat storage in the entry way. Got the design out of one of my wood magazines and modified it to fit the space. Built of cheap edge-glued pine panels and a 2×4 base and painted with spray enamel after priming and topcoated with a clear lacquer.

I would like to mention that the edge-glued pine panels I bough at Menards were largely junk. The panels all varied in thickness and were 5/8” on the low end so I had to plane and power sand them all down to that thickness instead of the 3/4” I originally planned. Several of the panels split at the edges so little to no glue had been applied during construction. I had to re-glue several of the boards together. I bought these generally to save time but I’d have been better-off gluing my own panels together. I’ll never buy that junk from them again.

My son has a “small” Lego collection that was slowly taking-over the house. My wife decided they needed to be corralled into one room so I designed and built this 3 piece bookcase. Carcasses and shelves are birch plywood and the face frames and shelf edging is a combination of pine and poplar. Construction is just glue and pocket screws. My wife primed the cabinets by hand but I brought-out the Wagner sprayer to put the finish paint on them quickly. Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 semi-gloss in Dover White to match the trim in the house.

This was built during the hottest days of the year so I was sweating buckets in my garage. I hope to avoid doing that again in the near future!

It’s hard to get in the shop with a 4 yr old boy running-around, and my list of to-do projects continues to grow. Most of them are larger detailed projects I just don’t have the time or space to do right now (especially since many of my larger tools are in a freezing-cold garage in Ohio).

Fortunately, I saw a small project another user posted that I both needed and could be done on a couple warm days in December:

My recliner sits next to a wall with no easy way to reach the end table without getting-out of my chair. I needed some place to put a laptop and a beverage. This provided a perfect way to use a small amount of space.

I modified the original somewhat by adding more bracing and including a magazine rack. The braces are all attached with biscuits and the bottom and top pieces attached with pocket screws hidden underneath the bottom and the table top. The top is attached with 4 screws in oversized holes to allow for wood movement.

The entire piece is solid oak and oak dowels. The top is 2 pieces edge glues together. The finish is a base coat of colonial maple and a top coat of golden oak to match the existing furniture. Three coats of oil-based poly and a paste wax rubdown and it’s done.

If you are interested, I have the SkethcUp projects and material list at the following location:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.office.live.com/browse.aspx/Couch%20Table

Thanks for looking!

I nice little printer stand I designed and built. Solid maple top, sides, and drawer with maple ply interior shelves. You can read more about it in my blog on the subject. Sketchup plans and material list here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Printer%20Stand?uc=1&nl=1

The plans and the actual project vary slightly since I cut the “legs” on the wrong end of the side pieces (doh!)

Nothing you haven’t seen a half-dozen times now. I made this today out of some maple scrap. Extremely quick and easy to build. I made the rabbets on the jointer and used an 1 1/4” carriage bolt and a wingnut with a large fender washer to hold it together.

Works pretty-well, but if you can see in the crappy cell phone picture an ATB blade is not the best choice here. I’ll need to get a flat-bottom blade if I plan to use this for anything other than cross lap joints where you don’t see the bottom of the kerf.

Since I cut the one piece to match the saw blade kerf I’ll either need to get a thicker blade or create an adjustment feature with a screw or such as other have done.

EDIT: You can get a couple Sketchup files I made with an alternative no-rabbet design here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Kerfmaker%20Clone

Continuing in my quest to steal everyone’s projects, here is my latest theft:

Rather than using steel pipes for legs I split a 2’x’4 into 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” square blanks. After chamfering the edges I hammered 1/4” threaded inserts into the bottom and attached adjustable plastic feet. I also just used strap hinges for the wings and legs. While I wouldn’t jump up-and-down on the wings they are still plenty strong. To secure the legs when folded I added rare earth magnets and a strike plate to each leg. Just offset the legs so they will fold next to each other and you’re set. I built the entire thing with pocket screws. If you plan on having the shelves the same height on both sides make sure you offset the pocket screw holes. I’ll probably put some type of protective finish on the top and edge banding as well. I also attached a utility handle for easy movement.

If you’re interested, you can get my Sketchup drawings, cutting diagram, and material list here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Assembly%20Table?uc=3

The leg length will vary slightly depending on the size of the wheels you choose to use. Just make them long enough to allow for foot adjustment. If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks,

Greg

Shamelessly copied from here:

I needed a place to store sheet goods that was out of the way yet easily accessible and this fit the bill. It’s made from a couple 2×8’s, a 4×8 sheet of 1/2” plywood, a couple 2×4’s, a 3” heavy-duty fixed caster from Harbor Freight, and 3 strap hinges. Total cost less than $30.

I had to drill new holes for the caster to lower it’s footprint to fit under some wall sockets; but otherwise very straightforward. Cut the plywood on the diagonal (I made the rear piece larger than the front). Screw an 8’ 2×8 to a 4’ 2×8 and attach the plywood to the sides. Mount the wheel on the front and attach a suitable support to your wall if needed. Prop it up level, attach the hinges, and you’re done.

Not my original idea, but I though I’d share this with you. My new Grizzly 14” band saw did not come with any wheel brushes to keep the tires clean, so I did some searching for options. I could buy them from Rockler, but people complained about the bristles not being firm enough and I thought I could do better. Plenty of people attached tooth brushes to their cases, but I didn’t want to screw into the machine if I could avoid it.

Finally, I came upon a picture of someone attaching a brush head to an L-bracket and attaching it with rare earth magnets. This allows me to easily replace the head if the bristles wear-out, and I didn’t have to drill into the wheel covers. They work well enough with one magnet, but they will rotate a little so if you can’t get sufficient pressure on yours I’d recommend using two magnets to hold the L-bracket in place. The size of the L-bracket depends on the depth of your band saw wheel covers.

Here’s my fourth mirror and fourth wood type. This one was for my mother and is black walnut with a Danish oil and polyurethane finish. As my fourth attempt, this one is the best-built of the bunch. I’m really getting to like building these, but it’s time to move on to other projects for awhile.

This a crosscut sled design I got out of ShopNotes issue 99. It is adjustable in width for use with dado blades. There is an extension you can add for crosscutting longer pieces. The aluminum fence has a tape measure and stop for making accurate repeat cuts. I also added the box joint attachment. You can make multiple faceplates for different joint sizes. I made a 1/4”, 1/2”. and 3/4” to start. I wrote the exact combination of cutters and shims used for each size on the faceplate. The 3/4”” was used primarily to create the dentil piece you see in the last picture. It has a micro adjuster that allows you to easily fine-tune the width between the slots. I use this all the time now. The adjustable base means you only have one slot to align the fence, which is the only real drawback I see. The bar guide in the slot uses a spring-loaded ball bearing to keep it firm in the slot. If you push it too hard to the right you can knock your cut out of square. I just keep the pressure on the left side of the sled and it works great.

Oh yes, the Sketchup file:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Crosscut%20Sled

Here’s another mirror in my “journey in wood”. After an oak and sapele mirror this one is cherry. I built it for my sister as a house warming gift. I’m working on a walnut one for my mother currently.

The finish is a Minwax Cherrywood gel stain. This was my first time using a gel stain. It worked, but I’m not sure how much I care for gel stains. They just sit on the wood and don’t really dry very well. They do help to alleviate blotchiness and differences between heart and sapwood. I then sprayed it with 4 coats of Minwax high-gloss polyurethane before rubbing-out the finish with Johnson’s paste wax and 0000 steel wool.

These mirrors look nice and aren’t too hard to build. I get a lot of people interested in having me make one for them. The design isn’t mine, so I’d have to come-up with some variation if I decided to sell any.

I’d been meaning to make one of these since I saw it in Woodsmith issue 176. I was reminded of it when I saw this one here:

So, I took a day off an got off my duff and built it. I also went with walnut for the sides and maple for the front and trays. I finished it with Watco Danish Oil followed by de-waxed shellac and a couple coats of Formby’s wiping varnish. The most expensive part of it was the ball catches for the front door, which cost $8 each! The 3 outlet strip was bought at Ikea for around $3 for a 2 pack.

While I am pleased with the outcome, I was disappointed in the instructions. Usually I build these in Sketchup first just to make sure everything is correct; but I just went ahead and built this one from the plans. There were a couple dimensions that were wrong, and I missed one and had to cut the maple pieces down by 1/4” to compensate. They also didn’t give a location for the pivot hole for the support panel, so I guesstimated and the brass pins are slightly too long to fit behind the closed front door. They look ok sitting on top, but I was still disappointed. Next time I’ll make sure to build any projects in Sketchup first.

My wife wanted a tea box to hold her many types of tea bags. She had so many the box ended-up pretty-large, but I think it looks fairly nice. The sides are made of 1/2” Padauk and the dividers are 1/4” Maple. The top and bottom are 3/4” MDF veneered on both sides. My wife did the top and I veneered the other 3 faces. The veneer is largely curly cherry and other veneers for the cup. The Padauk just had a Danish Oil finish while the veneer is finished with Danish Oil and some Cherry stain. The maple dividers are natural with no finish. I’m still debating putting some kind of clear poly finish on the box.

Nothing special here, just a cutoff cart I needed to clear some space in a closet in my workshop for finishing supplies. I found the plans in an old magazine, and changed the dimensions to fit a space I had. Here are a couple pics of the Sketchup plans I drew:

If you’re interested, the Sketchup files and material list can be downloaded here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Cutoff%20Cart?uc=3&nl=1

You can build it from one 49”x97” piece of 3/4” MDF and another 24”x48” piece of 3/4” MDF (Home Depot carries 2×4 sheets of 3/4” MDF). I built the entire thing using coarse pocket screws with no glue and it’s sturdy as can be. I also added 3” casters from Harbor Freight with the front two being locking casters.

I built this tongue drum from a Wood magazine article in the October, 2006 issue. It’s made of red oak with the handles and feet made of some sapele I had left-over. I mounted the side handles on the bottom side of the drum as opposed to the top like they had detailed due to my not noticing. It looks just fine down low as far as I am concerned.

I cut the top with a scroll saw, which cuts so finely I had to cut both sides of the slots. Once the top was mounted one of the fingers was a little too tight so I had to widen the slot with the jig saw. I got a little too wild on the round part and gouged it a bit, but it still looks and plays fine. It’s finished with danish oil and once it fully dries I’ll coat it with a few coats of wiping varnish.

My son seems to like it. Here’s some video of him playing with it. In the first one I dared mute his favorite show and he wouldn’t go back to the drum until I turned the sound back on! ;)

I built this mirror for my in-laws for Christmas this year. Their house is much more formal than mine with dark furniture so I went with African Sapele and a more formal appearance. It’s finished with Danish oil and Minwax spray polyurethane (makes getting into those dentil moldings much easier). I then rubbed-out the finish with 0000 steel wool using Jonhson’s paste wax as a medium. I’ll probably hang it on their house this weekend while they’re away as a surprise. I temporarily put it in place of my mirror to take a picture to show what it looks like on a wall.

As always, you can get my Sketchup files and material list here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Hall%20Mirror%20Inlaws?uc=1

I had some requests for my arcade cabinet, so here it is. MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. You can learn more about MAME here:

http://www.mameworld.net/

I thought about detailing the construction here, but I have way too many pictures so I created a blog here:

http://lumberjocks.com/gwurst/blog/5472

I built this back in 2003 with the design based-on this cabinet:

http://mame.velociworks.com/

Most of the controls can be had here:

http://www.happcontrols.com/

Keyboard and mouse interfaces were bought here:

http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

The PC was one I had lying-around. The monitor is a Gateway 32” VGA monitor I bought from work as surplus.

Thanks for looking!

EDIT I was bored and had some pseudo-requests so I’ve created a Sketchup drawing and material list for the cabinet. It does NOT include the control panel since it will vary depending on what controls you want. I also did not include the 2×4 bracing and MDF braces for the panels on the material list, but they are in the Sketchup drawing so you can get the dimensions from there. You will also have to determine how you want to mount your display since it’s unlikely you’ll have the same monitor I did.

You can get the files as well as a couple marquee images and a JPG of a control board here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/MAME

Built around (mostly) one piece of oak I had lying-around for years and an Ikea mirror. You can read the construction blog here:

http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/gwurst/blog/5182

The Ikea mirror I used is this one:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90049573

If you’re interested the Sketchup files and Excel material list can be had here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Hall%20Mirror?uc=4

While much more challenging and frustrating than it should have been, I am satisfied and the wife likes it so that’s the most important thing! :)

Saw this in an old American Woodworker magazine and modified it to fit my jointer. It only lifts the jointer 1” off the ground.

Nothing but 2×4’s and 3/4” plywood. There are a couple 3/8” dowels on each side and each “foot” is attached with a 3 1/2” x 3/8” lag bolt (I used a 3” lag bolt and countersunk the head). The interior dimensions are based on the footprint of your jointer, and you may not need or even use the center brace if you have a square cabinet jointer. I threw the whole thing together in about an hour using glue and 2 1/2” wood screws.

Here I assembled the frame. The height of the 2×4”s is determined by the total height of your casters minus 1”. The casters I used were 3 3/4” so I cut down the 2×4’s to 2 3/4”.

Here I attached the bottom piece of plywood and the top side pieces.

I then attached the casters. 2 fixed casters and 1 locking swivel caster. Got all three at Harbor Freight for less than $10 (the fixed casters were on sale for $1.99 and the swivels was $3.99).

I thought about just using the locking caster to hold it in place but it moved too much so I went ahead and added the “feet”. The feet are cut down to 2” and then 45 degree bevels are cut on all corners. I didn’t like the way they set when the feet were down so I took the belt sander and flattened the end that touched the floor to sit flat.

Borrow the neighbor to lift the jointer and I’m done.

If you are interested in my Sketchup files (which you would need to modify to fit your jointer) you can get them here:

http://cid-258899c12334cc4d.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Jointer%20Mobile%20Base?uc=2

A great little project and now it is much easier to get my jointer out for use.