Caddy for Your Tea, Governor?

Use unconventional techniques to create a traditional tea caddy. England began to import tea about the middle of the 17th century. When first introduced, tea was expensive, so it was a drink [...]

Bookshelf & Wine Rack

This simple modular shelf offers plenty of options for reconfiguration. Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the December 2012 issue of Popular Woodworking. One symptom of my [...]

Three-legged Occasional Table

Steam-bending or bent laminations can be used to make this eye-catching design. The design of this table is part of a series that I revisit from time to time. The original concept for the series [...]

A Trio of Trifids

Three variations on a carved foot offer high style. Access to information provides the modern woodworker with greater variety, and it challenges their skills more than their 18th-century [...]

Stickley Book Rack

Expose your joinery skills with this Arts & Crafts classic. In the early 1900s, furniture maker Gustav Stickley began producing a unique style of furniture that he called “Craftsman.” At the [...]

Contemporary Coffee Table

This small coffee table is a great introduction to building furniture. It doesn’t require much material and it’s an opportunity to develop your skills. This project is sturdy, attractive and easy [...]

Rietveld Crate Chair

Gerrit Rietveld’s simple design for a lounge chair is a great platform for exploring ergonomics. PROJECT #2005 • Skill Level:Beginner • Time: 4 hours • Cost: $50 Gerrit Rietveld was a Dutch [...]

A Bright Idea

This project first appeared in the August 2011 issue. For me, one of the most perfect shapes ever designed is the general-purpose incandescent light bulb. While some people use the word [...]

Coffee with the Brethren

Coffee tables didn’t exist as a furniture form until the 1920s  (when they were known as cocktail tables). So while there is no true Shaker coffee table, I needed a table to put in front of my [...]

Try for Your Best Work

  From 1977-1983 I made my living as a studio furniture designer and maker. In addition to making furniture, I found most of the hand tools available at the time so uninspiring and [...]

4 Boxes, 4 Ways

The editors present some of their favorite designs. Whether we spend most of our time building 18th-century highboys, production cabinetry or toys for our kids and grandchildren, we all build [...]

Snazzy Frames

Flaring sides, tapering bevels and asymmetrical corners make these mid-century modern style frames perfect for wacky photos or jazzing up a wall. They’re surprisingly easy to make and just [...]