I Can Do ThatRSS

Looking for the best resource for the beginning woodworker or just a simple project you can turn out quickly? Here it is. Our long-standing “I Can Do That” column features beginner woodworking projects and furniture plans for easy-to-build pieces that are not only handsome but also designed by expert furniture makers to help refine your “skills and techniques” while building your confidence as a woodworker. All of these beginner projects that can be completed by any woodworker with a modest (but decent) kit of tools in less than two days of shop time, and using raw materials that are available at any home center. Building these simple projects is the perfect step toward taking your work to the next level.

Our free online manual (in PDF format) explains all the tools and shows you how to perform the basic operations in a step-by-step format. You’ll learn to rip with a jigsaw, crosscut with a miter saw and drill straight with the help of our manual. Whenever we introduce a new tool or technique to the column, we’ll update the manual, too. (You might want to bookmark this page so you can easily find it when we update the manual.)

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Made to order. Fit the cases to your books to avoid wasting space, lower your material costs and make moving easy.

I Can Do That: Stacking Bookcases

Make Boxes to fit your books – and your space

By Robert W. Lang
Pages 22-23

From the June 2011 issue #190
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The typical bookcase is a good example of poor design. We make them that way because that’s the way we’ve always made them; almost every plan you see is 12″ deep, yet few books require that much space. Most bookcases are heavy and a pain to move. These stacking bookcases solve those problems, and won’t take long to build.
Plan: Download the free SketchUp plan for the stacking bookcases.
Articles: All the “I Can Do That” articles are free online.

From the June 2011 issue #190
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I Can Do That: Tool Rack

Swiped from a French engraving, this rack works in your shop or even in your kitchen.

By Christopher Schwarz
Pages: 26-27

From the April 2011 issue #189
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It’s good to keep your tools protected (think: tool chest). But it’s also good to keep them handy (think: at arm’s reach). My favorite way to accomplish both goals is a stout tool rack. I’ve made many tool racks since I became a woodworker, most of them crude affairs that were cobbled together in a few minutes. I’ve always wanted a rack that both looks good and is easy to build. Then, while browsing a French book on vintage handplanes, I saw it.
PDF of “Tool Rack”
Video: Watch a free video tour of the author’s shop at home.
Plan: Download the free SketchUp model for this tool rack.
Articles: Most of the “I Can Do That” articles are free online.
Download the complete “I Can Do That” manual.

From the April 2011 issue #189
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I Can Do That: Victorian Side Table

Pattern routing makes quick and easy work of these urn-shaped sides.
By Megan Fitzpatrick
Pages: 30-31

From the December 2010 issue # 187
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While vacuuming a few weeks back, I was thinking about what to build for this issue’s “I Can Do That” project when it hit me … actually, when I hit it with my vacuum. I’ve had a small Victorian table/bookshelf in my guest room for years, tucked away in a corner where I rarely see it. It’s suffered from a broken foot for as long as I’ve had it. I decided the time had come to fix the problem so that I could put the table where it belongs – next to my favorite reading chair.
Plan: Download the free SketchUp plan for this project.
Articles: All the “I Can Do That” articles are free online.
In our store: Online and DVD video instruction on woodworking basics.
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I Can Do That: Pirate Chest

Masonry nails and two XXL leather belts impart the ‘arghh!’ in this build.

By Megan Fitzpatrick
Page: 24-25

From the February 2011 issue #188
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Don’t let the curved top of this “pirate chest” scare you. It’s a lot less tricky than it may appear – and it’s excellent practice with your block plane.
In Our Store: Every aspiring pirate needs “The Pirate Primer.”
Plan: Download the free SketchUp plan for the Pirate Chest.
Articles: All the “I can Do That” articles are free online.
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I Can Do That: Free Contemporary Shelves Project

Our “I Can Do That” project for the November issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine is this set of Contemporary Shelves. The material for this project, like all of our I Can Do That projects came from the local home center. For this project, I bypassed the pricey project wood at the front of the store … Read more »