A useful, beautiful thing. PROJECT #1920 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $200 In 1905, Gustav Stickley published plans for this magazine cabinet in The Craftsman magazine as part of an ongoing home training course in cabinetwork. He claims this to be a useful piece in any living room where loose…

Paul McCartney once said that he always walked around with his antenna up.  Random sounds and images were stored in his cerebral temp folder only to reappear years later in unexpected combinations. My Radial Wave Lamp was born in the same way. It’s an amalgam of an unusual router bit that I purchased before I…

So tell me—how many jigs do you have scattered around your shop? Is it true that a guy can’t have too many, just like you can’t have too many clamps? Well, here’s one that I’ll bet you haven’t seen before. I designed it to make a corrugated lamp reflector, but when I was done, I…

Project #1923 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 1 Week • Cost: $250 I’m not a fan of period furniture from England. The English emphasis on the horizontal conflicts with the American emphasis on the aspiring vertical that I find so appealing in period furniture built in this country. But, of course, there are exceptions,…

Hidden Door Bookcase Turn a closet into a hiding place with a basic bookcase, trimmed to match the room. By Nathan Rinne Project #1919 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $500 The alluring nature of secret rooms has captivated my imagination for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my…

Historic North Carolina Candle Stand A tapered (not turned) post sets this stand apart from contemporaries. By Will Myers PROJECT #1912 • Skill Level:Intermediate • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $250 I have a thing for candle stands. These small tables are quick to make, don’t require a lot of material to build, and are…

Barrister Bookcase We redesigned this classic with techniques so simple even a novice can build it! By Glen D. Huey PROJECT #1918 • Skill Level:Beginner•  Time: 3 days • Cost: $400 Almost everyone likes the look of barrister bookcases. But what makes them so appealing? I think there are a number of characteristics that make…

Concrete & Walnut Coffee Table Add GFRC to your furniture-making arsenal. By Michael Clifford PROJECT #1911 • Skill Level:Intermediate • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $200 I’ve always loved aircraft-inspired design. There’s just something about an everyday item inspired by a plane that evokes a sense of wanderlust in me, and I wanted to make…

LEGO Inlay Table Add artful accents to a play table. By Caleb Harris Last Christmas my wife and I introduced our young boys to LEGO. This was a good reminder that there is something really special about spending time with your kids with toys that you grew up with. It’s been incredible seeing how fast…

Modern design and Tinkertoy construction team up to make this eye-catching rack fun and sophisticated at the same time. A great addition to any kitchen, it displays your favorite dishes in style while keeping them within easy reach for daily use. Store dinner plates, salad plates, cups, saucers, mugs or bowls. Need more space? Make…

Many woodworking tools, like the saw, chisel and plane, go way, way back. We’ve no idea who invented them or who refined them. This jig is one of those anonymous acts of genius. How in the world did somebody come up with such a neat idea? You spin an arm around and around, and instead…

Turned Rolling Pins Even an ordinary kitchen tool can be beautiful. By Tim Heil Project #1921 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: One day • Cost: $25 If you’re looking for an easy-to-make gift for someone who loves to cook, here it is: a custom-made rolling pin. There’s something about this humble tool that really…