Website: carverwa.com

Location: Enumclaw, WA

Hobbyist or Pro: Pro

Experience: 10+ yrs

Project Name: The “Luv Bench”

Wood Species: CVG Western Red Cedar

Finish Used: 5 coats, wet sanded, Daly’s Sea Fin Teak oil

Project Description:
First one was a commissioned project for a wedding gift. Designed as a outdoor courtship style bench. Laminated cedar glued w/ titebond III.

Location: Minneapolis, MN

Amateur or Pro: Pro

Project Name: Backyard Enhancements

Wood Species: Cedar

Finish Used: Will be exterior waterproofing deck and fence stain. Letting wood age for a year before staining.

Project Description:
We love the backyard in the summertime. So when I have time, I try to make improvements to our space. I salvaged a bunch of waste cedar from a custom home project I was subcontracting on and needed to do something with it. I did have to purchase additional cedar but about half of what is in the pictures would have ended up in a landfill. I made two benches that serve as steps to our hot tub all joined from below with pocket holes and deck screws. A large rabbet shoulder was cut into the posts on the table saw to accept the cross members that support the top pieces. Top pieces attached with 1 pocket hole and screw on each end to the cross members. These benches replaced the plastic stairs you can just see on the right of the photo.

We added a wonderful dog to the family last year which required the building of two gates to enclose the back yard. One is done, working on finishing the second. Efforts were made to hide screws from view when possible and wood plugs will be used to cover up other screws. The finished gate was fairly simple a 2′x3′ wood frame with partitions and filled in with stops to hold a lattice structure in place. Stops were shot on with a 1 1/4″ brads.

The unfinished gate will have to speak for itself, too much to detail in a few words here but I look forward to finishing it. I let my wife help pick the final form from my sample cardboard tops, fortunately she agreed with me on the best design option. I was inspired by pictures of ‘Hammer Bent Timber Framing” and scaled it down to fit my gate. I did cheat some; what appears to be through tenons ending in a decorative point is actually a fake point glued on with construction adhesive.

Finally a handful of random trellis’ made in a day with nail gun and imagination, made for Mother’s Day.

Design on all theses projects came out of my head with inspiration from pictures and things I’ve seen. The first gate was actually practice for a gate I did for my sister and her gate served as practice for my second gate.

From: Kris (TheOneHandedHandyMan)

Location: New York

Amateur or Pro: Amateur

Finish Used: Exterior grade paint

Wood Species: Exterior grade 3/4″ ply

Project Description:
This project began as a Christmas gift for my Grandmother. 40 years a go my Grandfather made her a set of 6 wooden toy soldiers for the front walkway. They each held part of a string of lights that ran along both sides of the walkway. Well, as you can imagine, after 40 years they are pretty well worn down. So I decided to replace them. It wasn’t as much woodworking as it was painting, but it took quite some time. I was able to cut all 6 soldiers from a single sheet of ply. After that it was just a matter of painting and cutting the slots/ holes in the hands to accept the string of lights. I used strips of pressure treated lumber to secure them to the ground. They are only screwed on so that I can replace them as they wear.

Overall it was a time consuming but rewarding project. My Grandma was thrilled and the tradition of the toy soldier lawn ornaments continues.

Name: Jeff Waggoner

Website: Plane Old Wood

Wood Species: 3/4″ plywood with western red cedar trim

Description:
My friend Ken is an big fan of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life so we recreated the sign “YOU ARE NOW IN BEDFORD FALLS” for a Christmas decoration.

First I pulled the image from the movie into Sketch up and did a match to try to get the size. Ken estimated that the top of the sign was 6′ high so I used that and calculated everything else with Sketch up. Ken found a font that was close but we had to stretch it in Photoshop to make it long enough. He then printed it out and cut out each letter to make a stencil. The sign ended up 8′ wide by 7′ high.

We had to glue up a block for the curved moldings and rough cut them on the band saw. We made a template of the curve the width of the molding and used a flush cut bit on the router table to clean it up.

The legs are 4×4 pine but they were very warped so by the time I joined and planned them they were just over 3 x3. The posts are connected to the feet via mortise and tenon joints. I added blocks to the ends of the feet so that it would stand better on uneven ground (and I thought they looked cool.) To fasten it to the ground we drilled hole through the feet at a slight angle and made stakes from 18″ galvanized rod to stake it to the ground.

Cypress Planter by Dennis

This is a cypress planter I made for my mom. The panel assemblies were constructed using a 90-degree jig and some spacers for uniform gaps. The vertical slats are screwed to the rails with stainless steel screws. I cut mortises in both the posts and the horizontal rails of the panels and assembled them with loose tenons and Titebond III. Inside the planter are 2 horizontal stretchers that support the plastic liner purchased from Lowes. The legs are chamfered on the bottom to avoid chip out. The mitered top assembly was reinforced with glue and pocket screws to ensure they do not separate. The liner fits snug, but it can be removed and replaced if needed.

A majority of my time was spent on the finishing of this project. I consulted and went with the finish recommended by The Wood Whisperer. 9 coats of Epifanes Marine Varnish later, I was done. I applied 6 coats of gloss and then 3 coats of satin to get a perfectly smooth finish. I am very pleased with the look and with some luck, it will hold up just as well.

Cedar Lined Chest by Micah

The majority of materials I purchased for $1.70 Per Board foot and planed them down to just over 3/4″. I got the inspiration for this project from my dad when he built five of them years ago. I used one of his as a model but made mine slightly larger. This is my first project with raised panels in it. I did not find them hard to route, but I couldn’t take very much material off at a time. The base of the chest is made of 1×4 with 1/2in dcx ply on the top.The dimensions of the chest are 52 1/2” wide x 22 3/4” high x 21 1/4” deep. For the finishes I used Golden Oak by Minwax and for the sealer I used clear Satin by Minwax. All in all it was a great learning experience.

Ben’s Kitchen Cabinet

I am a student and got into woodworking the summer of 08. My apartment had no counters in the kitchen so when I went home for a visit I made this. I thought the top was cool, it is end grain ash. Nothing fancy about the rest of it but I was happy for the experience. Most people don’t even notice the mistakes. The whole project is ash but some as you can see is stained. I used a linseed oil finish for the body and a mineral oil and mineral oil/beeswax for the top which I just use as a large cutting board. I know ash has open grain and is not ideal for cutting boards but it has attractive end grain I think and it is cheaper than maple or walnut, so I just make sure to keep it clean and stay on top of re-applying mineral oil/beeswax. I enjoy looking at the projects on the site and I hope someone enjoys seeing this and gets an idea!

Dave’s Shop Cabinet

This a cabinet I made for my new Delta Planer. The base and shelf is made from 3/4 birch ply. The door and drawer front are Oak that I had left over from a blanket chest project that went horribly wrong. The drawer itself is made from poplar and 1/4 birch ply for the drawer bottom. The top is made from 15/32 Arauco ply (never heard of it but it was cheaper than most) doubled up and then routed with a 1/2 inch round over bit. My only regret is I used screws instead of brad nails, but I do not have a compressor or brad nailer yet. It’s on the list though. I used bullseye sealcoat for a finish, (two coats with a light sanding with 120 grit in between). I think it really brought out the grain in the Oak. I have only been woodworking seriously now for a little over a year and have made some decent projects so far, but this is my very first attempt at cabinet making.

I love Osage Orange, it is an ugly duckling that blooms into a swan. What I love about the wood is the strength, the resistance to decay and the natural curves, as well as the color. There are Osage Orange (called “hedge” locally) fence posts in this area that are over 50 years old, still standing strong. When exposed to sun, the beautiful yellow-orange turns gray…but just the upper millimeter or so. I used the Jamestown varnish diluted with naphtha. Multiple coats. I’m curious to see how effective the UV protection of the Jamestown varnish will be. The bench is about 7 feet long and weighs over 300 lbs. The bench seat board is about 3 inches thick.

First let me tell you that I love your website and videocasts as well as the Wood Talk Online project you are doing – and the direction both the website and the show are going in.

Heard you mention a new grill and that someday an outdoor kitchen is in the works. So I wanted to show you what I had recently done. We have a weird shaped lot due to being on a cul-de-sac so to give you an idea of the layout. In some of the pictures you see a wrought iron gate (actually aluminum) that is the gate between garage and house and where most everyone comes in. The green door in picture one is the back door which leads to laundry room and into kitchen breakfast area (the window next to door is to breakfast area)

To the left of that you can see living room windows that overlook pool and then there is large grass area beyond that with kids fort – trampoline etc. So that’s the layout. We had an area outside the kitchen that wouldn’t grow grass so we laid pavers and I built the island where there was little grill that had come with the house. Plus we built the fountain using Mexican Pots. It has turned the area into a nice outdoor living space – far enough from the pool that no one gets splashed (you can see table, chairs and a firepit in the background. The grill is a Sam’s club special. There is also a dual gas burner which you can see (it has a cover on it). Everything is plumbed into the natural gas but you could do with Propane all depending what your grill takes – I just like not having to worry if I run out.

Ok – now back to the island. Wish I had taken construction pictures. Oh well. Oh and let me add a couple of things. First it’s not quite finished yet (do it when I have free time .. LOL). What is missing is I need to level the grill with the top and put slate on the area directly under the grill plus I want to wire electrical into the pole that comes down from the overhead and put an outlet there for the Rotisserie and for a blender or whatever. Second – total cost if you don’t count the grill and dbl burner – about $750 or so for everything. Also I would like to add a small matching cabinet in that space between the door to the kitchen and the gate and put a small sink in it – on the other side of the wall is the washing machine so I can tie into the water and the drain without need for a plumber.

Construction was simple. The whole island sits on a concrete pad that was already there. I put cinder blocks there and filled them with concrete and gravel. Framing is 2×4’ put together with pocket screws. They just sit on the cinder blocks. Kinda like angle iron but made from 2×4’s – make sense? Then the framing is covered by concrete backer board and then thinset and real slate floor tiles. The top is Plywood covered by backer board and then real black granite tiles. Its then trimmed off with Padauk set with glue and screws then plugged with Wenge plugs. Inside the cabinet is lined with cedar (6” fence pickets that I planed to make smooth) gives it a nice finished look and helps keep bugs away. Then the doors and drawers are Padauk as well. The doors are thick with ½” solid panels. Drawer boxes are poplar – dovetailed of course. Bar stool will be replaced eventually – these were $19 each and my wife wanted something fast so they will do.

The Paduak is covered with General Finishes Outdoor Oil. The top trim has 3 coasts –only one so far on the doors and drawers. I haven’t put a final sealer on the slate either. The little outcropping on the back of the island with the double burner is where the gas line comes in. I put a big door on the end of the one section because my wife wanted a big deep area to store my sons stuff rather than a door under the one drawer. That may have been a design mistake but its ok.

In hindsight there are some things I would have done different but overall Im very happy with it so far. We like the large area with the overhang so people can pull up a barstool and talk and snack and drink while I cook. I could have gone with one of those drop-in grills but we bought the grill long before doing the island – and I decided not to take it off the base because it has such nice storage under it. The plus on that is that if the grill ever dies and I need to replace – I have lots of flexibility in size. I can just redo the base it sits on and make longer or shorter and adjust the right island as needed. The islands are free standing except where screwed into the pole. Once complete the weight keeps them in place since they become very heavy.

I like the mix of media (grant, slate, wood and stainless) The cost savings doing it myself was incredible. Thought since you had mentioned getting one someday, you might want to see a homemade outdoor kitchen. Oh people ask why no fridge – well there is one in the laundry room and I just couldn’t see putting another thing that eats electricity out there. But who knows in the long run. It was very easy to build – if you can lay floor tile you can do this. To make it even easier we used premixed thinset on this and we used a premixed epoxy grout. We’ve laid our share of floors but since I did a section at a time the premix was worth the small added expense. My wife is making a cover for it that will hand down about a foot in all directions to keep the top clean. It is under cover and gets minimal direct sun but it does get covered in dust and pollen etc. So it’s more just to make keeping it clean easier.

I’m an amateur – especially compared to you – these were my second ever set of doors and drawers. But I am happy with the results. Hope you enjoyed this. Oh and like all projects this one spawns another – my lovely wife wants me to rebuild the back door out of Mahogany. She bought some clear stained glass panel for it off ebay.

Edit*** – I found two construction pics as I was finishing this up and you can see the double burner in them and some of the internal construction before doors and such. The inside of the door framing where you can see 2×4’s is actually now covered with ½ padauk. That sticks out about an 1/8” past the slate so the doors have a smooth surface to close against.

Here’s a woodworking project that deals with safety concerning its use. My wife’s grandmother was having a hard time getting in and out of her home, sometimes falling in the process. My wife’s grandfather (a D-Day survivor from WWII) had to help steady her and her walker as the struggled up the steps. So I volunteered to design and build them a ramp to safely and easily come and go.  I know that this falls more in the carpentry side of things, but I used a lot of my woodworking skills in the process. 

There were a couple design challenges to start with. First, we didn’t want to remove the existing stoop so it could be used again, sometime down the road. So the structure had to be temporary (no sinking the post or pouring footings), and the landing at the door had to scribed and fit around the stoop.  The last thing was that Granddaddy wanted easy access to the back yard and his garden. So a stair with short risers was added at the second landing.

I have to say, building something that’s level is not too hard, but building something that’s out of level to a certain pitch over unleveled ground is a little more of a challenge.  But with some patience and a little help from Granddaddy nailing a nail or holding a board for me while I measured, I was able to get it done.

Here’s where the woodworking came into play. I knew I would be mainly working by myself, so I built a couple portable extensions for my sliding miter saw. I did this at home in my shop before I began construction of the ramp. They supported the longer sticks and I was able to clamp stops on them to make my repetitive cuts, such as the decking (which my wife helped put down). My miter saw has a positive stop that limits the down stroke during the cut. So I used it instead of my circular saw to notch all my post. Anywhere the wood came in contact with the concrete, I used epoxy on the contact surface just as I’ve done with any outdoor furniture I’ve built. I also built a few jigs to speed things along. I built a couple support jigs to hold the railings in place and at the correct height as I screwed them to the posts. I used a countersink bit to pre-drill at the end of the rails to prevent splitting the wood. It was like a rough pocket screw. I also built a spacer jig for the balusters. It spaced them with regard to each other and the top of the handrail. All the balusters when up in under an hour.

I know this project is not “fine woodworking” but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed being able to help two very nice people and make their lives a little safer.

I included a picture of my shop which is just over 200 ft2. Instead of buying the PM2000 (or SawStop) I built a variation of your assembly table and installed a guided saw and router system. In my small space I need something versatile. You can see my old ShopSmith in the background. So in my little space I have all the tools I need — it just takes some planning and setup time.

The potting bench is made from construction common redwood. This is less expensive, but I took my time sorting through the available stock to find the best boards. It still has a kind of rustic look with a few knots here and there. Rather than use carriage bolts I assembled it with waterproof glue and #12 screws and then I plugged the screw holes to prevent rust and give a more finished appearance. The top is 1/2 inch plywood covered with oak flooring left over from another project. Finish is spar urethane on the top and General Finish Outside Oil on the redwood base. The table will stay in the garage, but can be easily rolled outdoors for working in the fine Colorado weather. It won’t see real weathering but can safely be hosed off.

I made it 33 inches high to suit my wife. We found the enamel-on-steel basin on the Web and I set it flush into the top so potting soil can be brushed into it. The bowl lifts out for easy cleaning.