Bamboo building and many mallets

Ive been building a shishi-odoshi this week with that bamboo I picked up from my sons school last month. It is proving to be more difficult that I thought it would be. Lots of fussiness. I should have it and the video done by Friday. Heres where I was with it last night. Then I had to think about it overnight.

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After I posted my garden gate video, a few people sent me great examples of gates they have made. But I think this is my favorite. From Romano Bertarelli in Germany, this one speaks for itself!

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Wait, more mallets? Sure, why not. If you havent jumped on that bandwagon yet, try one! Im tellin ya...youll find all sorts of uses for it.
Heres one from my pal Brian Gidney:

And Bruce Thoms version: 

Now Bruce has also been busy making boxes. Check out this bandsaw box...only his second one. Very cool.

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Larry Briski made a couple of projects based on videos I posted eons ago. A beautiful jewelry box:

And a drill press table! Out of all the home-made shop upgrades and jigs I have made, noting is more useful than my drill press table. I highly recommend building yourself one!

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Now Daniel DeKeyser is a very busy 17-year-old woodworker who has made not just a mallet:

But the drill press table too!

A table saw sled, 

and a router lift for a router he doesnt have yet! Wow. Thats ambitious!

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Building a credenza

Posted by chun | 0 comments | 11:03 AM

A credenza is a sort of low cabinet that was popular in the 1950s. I am not entirely sure what its main purpose was, but I remember my grandparents had one in which they stored records. They must have used it for something else too, but I was very little and I just recall the LPs.

Mid-century ModernMy grandparents would have been amused by is the fact that "Mid-century Modern" furniture is quite popular now and very expensive. I have seen ads online for a company that specializes in 50s style furniture and a new credenza (not an antique) sells for upwards of $7000.

I love the look of furniture from this period. It was experimental, yet practical. It seemed to look forward to the space-age, yet was grounded in simple, Shaker lines.
When I was researching my design, I was struck by the heavy squareness of these pieces and the unadorned, spindly legs that almost look too delicate to hold the weight of the cabinet.

A credenza for 2013: Early 21st Century Retro-ModernI think one of the reasons these cabinets are popular today is that they are the perfect height for televisions, which should be viewed at eye-level from where you are sitting. Not to mention credenzas come equipped with storage perfect for stereo and home-theater components. Plus, there is just something cool about setting a large LCD TV on such a retro-looking piece of furniture.
I made mine with two doors and an open section. The doors can slide to any position, always leaving one third of the case visible. On the back Ive included large cut-outs for electrical cords and such. I used two sheets of 3/4" cherry plywood and a half sheet of 1/4" plywood. The trim and legs are made with solid cherry. If you wanted to save money, you could use pine plywood and you can buy 6" legs very inexpensively if you havent a lathe.
Building Plans:

• PDF Plans
• SketchUp file
• SawTooth Ideas version

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Abigail building the garden bench

Posted by chun | 0 comments | 6:09 AM

Heres how Abigail Richards took on her first woodworking project. She built this bench based on my plans for her 7th grade Supervised Agricultural Experience class. And I love the color she painted it! Well done, Abigail. It will last for years. You should be proud of yourself.

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Building a gate

Posted by chun | 0 comments | 9:17 PM

This is a project I have been putting off for about five years. My old gate got to the point where it simply wouldnt open without pieces falling off!
Not really a woodworking project, but building this didnt leave me time to shoot a video of something else, and I figured this might be useful.

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Building a simple shop cabinet

Posted by chun | 0 comments | 4:12 PM

Just wanted to get some input on this dumb little cabinet in todays Mere Minutes. Well, that and theres some stuff at the end that is mainly for family and friends. Feel free to end the video at about the 5 minute mark.

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Building a coat rack

Posted by chun | 0 comments | 8:09 PM

Ive been working on a Shaker inspired coat rack this weekend. Heres where I am so far:

This will be a really fun project. Video on Friday.
Mere MinutesI erred. I mention my biscuit jointer in this video and show my belt sander. Yep, thats me. Master woodworker