Built to hold hoses, store garden tools and to last for years. Outdoor Arts & Crafts furniture was almost always made from wicker or hickory sticks, so when it came to designing a garden bench in that style I had almost no examples to turn to. However, after collecting and building this type of furniture…

Build classic from the Arts & Crafts era. I jumped at the chance to examine an original Stickley Brothers dining table, because I love figuring out how to build antique furniture pieces that I admire. The original version of this table, model 2670, as shown in the 1914 Stickley Brothers Quaint Furniture catalog, was offered…

Build accurate replicas of a classic design Having built the Mission oak dining table that appeared in American Woodworker (Dec/Jan 2009, issue 139), my next project was to build chairs to go with it. A friend had a vintage set that I admired, and she graciously loaned me a couple chairs (one with arms, one…

This rolling stand is the perfect mobile workstation. Use it for a computer in your shop or to mount a power tool.  Project #2303 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $120 Over the last few years, I have become interested in CNC. In fact, I recently decided to add a medium sized…

It’s a crate. It’s a cabinet. It’s useful shop furniture. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. One of the enduring features of Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop” PBS television show is the familiar and rambling backdrop of former projects, parts, tools and wood that frames most…

One of magic’s oldest box tricks. Magic boxes… Secret compartments… Items that do more than meets the eye… There is such a mystique surrounding these pieces. The world of magic and magicians is full of these. In fact, most of the magic box “secrets” we see today were invented between the mid-19th century to the…

An anachronism in its time, this table now fits perfectly in our homes. Frank Lloyd Wright would probably be dismayed to see a coffee table built in his Prairie furniture style. In fact he and his fellow early 20th-century designers all would have been disturbed by the concept of a coffee table. Eating or drinking…

This classic Stickley ottoman oozes Craftsman style, but don’t let its simple form fool you—it packs in some great woodworking.  Project #2221 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 4 Days • Cost: $150 Named for a neighborhood in Syracuse, New York, this Gustav Stickley footstool design was an instant favorite. Originally sold with a massive Eastwood…

Art Nouveau meets Arts & Crafts in this oval-topped piece. Although he died in poverty, the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture now sells for tens of thousands of dollars at auction. Part of the appeal of his work comes from the sheer variety of his designs, which range in style from Art Nouveau to…

Build this timeless chair with modern methods. When I was 17 years old, my family had an old craftsman style armchair that we’d inherited years earlier. It was an antique chair with solid bones but badly in need of refinishing. It had all the right details, from the through tenons in the armrests to the…

Harvest green wood saplings, bend ’em, nail ’em and sit yourself down. You can make a pretty good case for bending and attaching green wood sticks as the second oldest wood-furniture making method (after sitting on a log). Today, this type of furniture is labeled “rustic,” so exposed nails, screws, and other hardware are acceptable…

Uncomplicated construction and an easy, attractive finish make this table tops.

I felt like I won the storage-space lottery when I came up with this bench design for my shop. I wanted a way to store lumber and my benchtop tools. The backbones of this bench are the 2 x 4 frames. For my 8-ft. bench, I made four frames. The rest of the materials were…

Tool: 7 in. Carpenters Vise Shop Now   Manufacturer: Doyle MSRP: $69.99 I recently saved an old workbench from the scrap heap, and the first thing I knew it needed (after a good cleaning and flattening) was a vise. I wondered aloud to Logan if Harbor Freight had anything, then decided to check online. Just…

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…

Since I received my Benchcrafted Roubo workbench a year ago, my woodworking life has tremendously improved. My new and heavy bench (I wrote about it here and here) has 1” holdfast holes that can be fitted with the excellent Crucible tools ductile cast iron holdfast that Chris Schwarz makes. The 1” holes and the monumental…

The bench hook is without question one of the most indispensable tools in my wood shop. The force of gravity and the force of using the tool up against a solid fence is all that it takes to keep the work from moving. It’s deceptively sophisticated and exceptionally simple to make. It’s a great choice…

Modern hardware and techniques update this Tage Frid-inspired bench. Scandinavian- or Continental-style workbenches are the vinyl LP records of the woodworking world. These iconic benches have never left the scene. A few are classics and others are the flavor of the month. Some benches in this style are masterworks and some are poor approximations of…

Handmade gifts are one of the most personal ways to say that you love someone. No matter what their interest, you’re sure to find something they’ll enjoy on this list. Most of these gifts can be made in a single weekend, so you have time to make multiple before the holidays hit. Are you shopping…

Optimize your shop space with this multi-function outfeed table that gives your CNC router a convenient home. My one-car-garage-turned-shop doesn’t have room for a 4’x4′ CNC router. I just couldn’t imagine finding the space and dedicating it to a machine that while useful, won’t see everyday use. So after racking my brain for a few…

This rolling stand is the perfect mobile workstation. Use it for a computer in your shop or to mount a power tool.  Project #2303 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $120 Over the last few years, I have become interested in CNC. In fact, I recently decided to add a medium sized…

Get organized fast with easy slat construction and versatile hangers. Whether you have an exquisite collection of antique tools or the latest in high-tech gear, this versatile wall rack stores them all within easy reach. It’s easy to build and adapts to fit virtually any wall space. The 48 in. by 48 in. rack shown…

Turn a contractor’s tool into a precision woodworking machine. I don’t know of too many woodworking shops, whether home or professional, that don’t have a miter saw as part of their equipment. A miter saw is a fine alternative to a radial-arm saw or circular saw for rough-cutting lumber. It’s also an accurate alternative to…

This small rack rolls easily to anywhere you need it. There is an old saying in woodworking that you can’t have too many clamps. While this is true, it is entirely possible to have too many clamps in the wrong place at the wrong time. The last thing I want to do in the midst…

Even an ordinary kitchen tool can be beautiful. 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 appeals to the imagination. Once I got started making rolling pins, I couldn’t stop. I took a dozen different…

Masonry nails and two XXL leather belts impart the ‘arghh!’ in this build. 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. Click here for the SketchUp model of this project. For this build, you’ll…

This rolling stand is the perfect mobile workstation. Use it for a computer in your shop or to mount a power tool.  Project #2303 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $120 Over the last few years, I have become interested in CNC. In fact, I recently decided to add a medium sized…