Pop Wood is getting into the halloween spirit, and what better way to do that than making a halloween decoration? I decided to recreate a wooden ghost my grandpa made more than two decades ago. [...]
And so we arrive at the final stage of our boat project. By now, the hull has been carefully shaped, the spars have been crafted, and the masts and booms assembled. What remains are the final [...]
Masts, Booms and Yards After my students finish shaping the hull, they move on to thorough sanding—working through a progression of sandpapers until they reach a smooth finish with 220 grit. Part [...]
In our last entry, we left off just as the students began shaping the hull of their boats. I had explained the importance of leaving small vestigial blocks at the bow and stern—these sturdy tabs [...]
In part 1 of this project, I described how my students begin their boat-building journey by sketching and transferring a symmetrical deck design onto a blank—typically a 2×4 or 2×2—and [...]
A Hands-On Sailing Project in 2×4 A wooden boat is one of the most inspiring projects a child can build. It’s an object of grace and adventure, deeply symmetrical yet full of creative [...]
After all the hard work of shaping and sanding our wooden swords, we needed to give them a comfortable and secure handle. For this, we used a reliable method called “Common Wiping.” [...]
Professional-sized ladder golf sets are larger and more robust than the chintzy ones you usually find in yard game kits. This project is a great way to use some long skinny scrap pieces too. I [...]
Turning a live edge bowl is the perfect way to showcase a special piece of wood, such as this Burr Elm. Project #2414 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $5-200 Turning a live-edge [...]
Once the smokestacks were glued in, it was time for the paint job. My plan was to leave the deck floors in their natural wood look and only paint the ship’s elevations. Check out part 1 and part [...]
After finishing all the work on the bandsaw, I clamped the hull in a vise and, with the help of a rasp and a file, fine-tuned the bow and stern. Be sure and check out Part One of this project.…
Only a handful of tools are needed to recreate this iconic vessel. A few years ago, I crafted three identical waterline wooden toy ships based on the iconic design of the RMS Titanic and its [...]