Clever woodworking ideas and more viewer videos

Pocket hole joinery is very popular, but can get costly. Carmen Salamones solution was to build his own jig for $13. Works just as well as the $100+ commercial version. He has no plans, but heres his description:

Scrap 1 x 6 for the base. 2 x 3 cut to about 3 1/2 ". Small slot carved out to fit the Kreg jig.  I used the kreg Jr and removed the grey sliding guides. The 2 x 3s were placed apart slightly wider than the jig itself. Screwed and glued. Cut out a small place on the base under the jig for it to slide down far enough to use the 1/2 setting. I used a piece of all thread with a knob, and glued in a nut on the opposite side. When tightened it squeezes the 2 x 3 slightly together holding the jig in place. 

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Ed Boyle came up with this ingenious solution for a paper towel holder by cutting off the lid and threaded part of a plastic water bottle. 

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Another great kitchen idea. When Ray Levesque saw how much under the counter cookbook holders cost, he made his own. The biggest challenge was devising a method of keeping it in the closed position. A simple hook was the simple solution.

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Warren Downes checks in with a kitchen project that just about every kitchen needs, a spice rack. In my kitchen, it gets used every day. Having the spices easy to find and grab make cooking much easier than digging through deep pantry shelves to find the right jar.

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Had to show off John Christiansens version of my rustic potting bench. Love the old window!

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Sure, lost of people make rocking horses. Bust have you ever seen a rocking motorcycle? Check out the detail on Hervy Bosmans bike.

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Heres Darryl Murrays first table project. And its a big one. I love these party tables...the cutouts in the middle are ice containers. 

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Finally, I want to show off Michael Paulys quilt rack based on one I made last year. He did a great job. Thats a pretty challenging project!

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Where in the world are you?

Continuing on! A few weeks ago, I invited viewers to create their own wall hangings showing off where they live and post video responses.  Ill post more here next week! (Or you can see them all on YouTube.)

Pennsylvania:

France:

The Netherlands:

Texas:

Minnesota:

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A few great woodworking ideas you can easily make in a weekend.
First up, Paul van Rijswijk made this child-sized broom and dustpan holder for his daughters school. The kids can paint the flower part if they want.

And if you have a lathe, try this one out. Wood and wire dragonflies! You could make a bunch and hang them on the wall. Let kids paint these too.

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I really like this wall sconce from Andrzej Jankowski. Definitely a conversation starter.

And this bit more advanced, but gorgeous box. I like the sweeping curves and wood contrasts.

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Jeroen van Corler send over a trio of pallet wood projects. (You may recall the frames from earlier in the year.) I like his chalkboard version.

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How about a wooden flashlight? Nimer Alvarado made this one which wraps around an inexpensive store-bought plastic one. Cool.

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Mere Minutes

(Note: I have since discovered that the little device I mentioned in this video is just a USB drive. I hadnt seen one like it before and it didnt fit on first try! Its only got half of the plug part.)

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Clever and fun Christmas gift ideas

Its really starting to feel like Christmastime. We set up our tree and did a bit of decorating yesterday. How are your Christmas gift projects coming along? There is still plenty of time, but dont forget shipping time if you need to mail stuff. Heres are some more ideas to get you started!
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Heres a clever book stand from Don Johnson. I love the simple, yet functional nature of it. Plus, it can easily be shipped flat.

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Small keepsake boxes make great gifts. Especially is you can find something special to put inside! Here is a 5" x 7" box made by Dan Pompe. Beautiful detailing.

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Intarsia! Love this sleigh by Randy Cosgrove. 

Randy also made this scroll sawn piece designed by Sheila Landry. If you arent familiar with Sheilas work, now is a good time to plug her web site. She is the scrollsaw queen and has tons of patterns. Check them out!

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You probably remember ????? ????????? (Nick) and his guitar a few weeks ago. Hes back with this photo-transferred gift box. Its really a great box and a fun technique.

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Mere Minutes

Finally, AJ (AJswoodshop), over on Lumberjocks noticed my new TV in my snowflake video. He was also observant enough to notice that moved my planer over to my rolling cart — which works out much better — and asked to see more in a Mere Minutes video. Well, I actually shot a video about my TV last week but decided not to post it. Well, here it is after all. 

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