This easy-to-make project is sure to thrill the garden lovers in your life! This sturdy little stand is perfect for your deck or patio. It’s got room for your favorite plants and it doesn’t take up a lot of space. When the weather gets cold, you can easily bring it, and a bit of summertime,…

Make any climbing plant happy with this 6-ft. tall, freestanding trellis. We used dadoes, glue and screws to fasten the slats because trellises take a beating each year when you tear off the old vines. We built our trellis from cypress, one of the longest-lasting outdoor woods. Ours was recycled from old water tanks and…

If you can build a box, you can build this planter. It’s much sturdier than most commercial versions, so it should last for many years. It’s also the perfect opportunity for you to try your hand at shingling. The opening accommodates a 30″ drop-in plastic window-box planter. They’re available at any garden store in several…

Design without compromise: An exercise in high-end handwork. Sometimes a cup of tea is more than a cup of tea. Its surface may be still, its color translucent and its container unadorned. But in a single sip of hot water, you can taste the time of year the leaves were harvested, the sun that touched…

This handsome piece is simple to build and easily adapted to fit your stock. A friend asked me to design and build a table using a special piece of walnut. I was given approximate measurements, but everything else was up to me. I love the freedom these types of projects offer. While the table would…

This early form – an aumbry – spawned many different types of furniture. It is easy to forget that many of our favorite pieces of furniture are recent innovations. Forms such as coffee tables, bookcases and desks are – archaeologically speaking – new objects brought on by incredible modern wealth. When you cast your eye…

Mortise-and-tenon joinery and side-hung drawers make for a simple but impressive build. Early in my career I met an avid antiques collector whose focus was objects from the William & Mary period. Like many people, my first reaction was, “That stuff with those big, ugly ball feet?” Under his guidance I began studying various periods…

A simple approach to a sublime design. I’ve been enamored of Greene & Greene furniture since my early days of woodworking, well before I possessed the skills to produce such a piece. Since that time, this style has become a regular part of my woodworking vocabulary, and I enjoy making reproductions and interpretations of classic…

Though not as lightweight as an eReader, this portable library is far more stylish. Bookcases that fold up like a clamshell were common among British travelers of the 19th century. Soldiers, students, clerks and the clergy were all fond of this easy way to take a library with them anywhere in the world. This version…

With $100 in lumber and two days, you can build this sturdy stowaway bench. Many knockdown workbenches suffer from unfortunate compromises. Inexpensive commercial benches that can be knocked down for shipping use skimpy hardware and thin components to reduce shipping weight. The result is that the bench never feels sturdy. Plus, assembly usually takes a…

Tool: Universal Bench Manufacturer: Kreg MSRP: $145+ Every shop needs a bench. In fact, two or three is even better, as you’ll want an assembly table that’s a little lower than your workbench. Then what about all those benchtop power tools? Where do they go? The folks at Kreg and their Universal Bench cover pretty much any…

An 18th-century French workbench is quite possibly the most perfect design ever put to paper. In the 18th century it was common for the workrooms and living areas of a home to share the same space. A workbench, for example, would not be out of place in the front room of the house. This small…

This sawhorse/workbench combo is made using dimensional pine construction lumber from a home center. It’s rugged and inexpensive, with no complicated joinery – just butt joints, glue and screws. While my sawhorse bench is perfect for taking along to a job site, its versatility makes it equally handy in the shop. Sawhorses and workbenches are…

“The bench is probably the most important item in the workshop.” Those are Charles H. Hayward’s first words in his article “Fitting up the workshop: the bench.” As a woodworking vise manufacturer and bench maker, I couldn’t agree more. Tons of ink has been spilled about workbenches in the last 20 years, and I’m one…

Built for hard usage, this traditional-style bench won’t vibrate like a kettledrum when you chop a mortise or skitter across the floor then you plane a board. It features a spacious 1-1/2″ thick solid-wood top and an extra-large double-screw face vise that can securely hold work of almost any size. Heavy timbers form the trestle-style…

This easy-to-make project is sure to thrill the garden lovers in your life! This sturdy little stand is perfect for your deck or patio. It’s got room for your favorite plants and it doesn’t take up a lot of space. When the weather gets cold, you can easily bring it, and a bit of summertime,…

Make any climbing plant happy with this 6-ft. tall, freestanding trellis. We used dadoes, glue and screws to fasten the slats because trellises take a beating each year when you tear off the old vines. We built our trellis from cypress, one of the longest-lasting outdoor woods. Ours was recycled from old water tanks and…

If you can build a box, you can build this planter. It’s much sturdier than most commercial versions, so it should last for many years. It’s also the perfect opportunity for you to try your hand at shingling. The opening accommodates a 30″ drop-in plastic window-box planter. They’re available at any garden store in several…