Working with wood can be very restful. When you're measuring and sawing and nailing it's easy to forget all the problems that seemed so large to you just a short while ago. I've purposely chosen projects that: A. DON'T take a lot of woodworking skill, B. DON'T take fancy woodworking tools, C. DON'T take a lot of time, D. DO stand a good chance of making you a hero in her eyes. SO...you see my strategy here? Keep it simple, keep it fun, and have a great chance at making you look REAL GOOD No sage woodworking advice here. Just go out and have a good time for an hour or two on a weekend and make us all proud

Master turning tools, and make new tools for yourself...you'll save money and build your skills at the lathe. Here are 21 practical, skill-building technical articles for woodturners of all skill levels-expert, shop-tested insight and advice from the pages of American Woodturner, journal of the American Association of Woodturners. Turning tools are expensive but the good news is, you can make most of them for yourself. That's because once you have learned how to sharpen turning tools, you've also acquired the skill and technology you need to make them for yourself. There's a knack to using every kind of turning tool, a set of skills and moves to cut the wood the way you want. This book shares a wealth of hard-won tool-using information developed by contemporary wood turners. This book will show you how to: Save money and build skill by making your own turning tools from rods and bars of tool steel. If you know how to sharpen, you already know how to do it Use the spindle roughing gouge for both roughing down and detailing Make and use every kind of flat-bar tool, including skews, round-nose scrapers, and negative-rake scrapers Make a set of cove tools from round steel rod, and use them to cut perfect coves What steels to use and why, and how to recognize good steel in salvage and scrap How to grind, harden and temper steel tools How to make a point tool for detailing, a thin-kerf parting tool, a plug-and-inlay tool, and micro tools for small work Why many bowl-turners prefer the side-ground gouge How to make and use a traditional hook tool Why carbide-tipped tools have taken the turning world by storm and much more.

If you are thinking about setting up your first woodworking shop, or expanding your existing one, this book will show you how to save both time and money selecting quality equipment. Written by Thomas Shaw, a master woodworker for over 50 years, it will guide you through the most common brands of popular power tools, both stationary and portable. It answers important questions such as where to start, what you really need to buy, what to buy first, and why, and where to get the best prices on everything you buy. It gives you the pros and cons of stationary power tools such as table saws, radial arm saws, planers, jointers, band saws, drill presses, sanders, lathes, and bench grinders. It covers portable power tools such as hand drills, sanders, jig saws, circular saws, multi function tools, routers, and reciprocating saws, other tools such as scroll saws, combination sanders, and spindle sanders.and pneumatic tools such as brad nailers, and framing nailers. It also provides detailed guidance about important subjects such as where to put your shop, space requirements, equipment placement, lighting, dust collection, fire prevention, and personal safety. Finally, it contains a bonus section with a list of recommended suppliers, magazines, and newsletters.

Making wooden rings is a fun and interesting hobby that anyone can learn fairly quickly, no matter if they have woodworking experience or not. The process requires very few tools, inexpensive materials, and just about everyone will be able to turn out a nice looking ring on their very first effort. Inside these pages are step by step instructions as well as photographic examples of over fifty rings, and more than 400 color images that describe every aspect of the process. This includes detailed chapters on wood selection, as well as basic construction methods, gluing, inlaying, shaping, and finishing. Each of these processes is described in detail, complete with pictures and explanations so that anyone can follow along and make an excellent looking ring. A wooden ring is more than just a piece of jewelry, it is a traditional item with historical and cultural significance. Wooden rings were some of the very first pieces of jewelry ever made, and they have a tradition that is almost as old as woodworking itself. Since the discovery of how to work precious metals, wooden ring making has become a forgotten art that only a few still practice today. With this book, anyone can make a truly beautiful and one of a kind ring that is a statement to craftsmanship and the time honored tradition of woodworking.

Expert woodworker Bill Benitez describes the value of the Biscuit Joiner and biscuit joinery with an in-depth book that includes complete instructions on best practices for the Biscuit Joiner with four practice projects and many other photos and descriptions of projects built using the Biscuit Joiner. This book includes details of all the joints possible with the Biscuit Joiner and a complete section with photos on how to make the various cuts for your projects. The book is based entirely on first hand experience and all the projects were built and photographed by Bill Benitez.

Some of us are not as creative or skilled enough to design our own chicken coops. This instructional document is to help the novice or semi-experienced carpenter to create their own chicken coop to raise chickens and foster eggs. This chicken coop was specifically built in a certain manner. The picture on the front cover was the chicken coop built for this plan. These instructions are a guide to build a 4x6 chicken coop that is roughly three and a half feet tall. The housing area is two feet from the ground. I would like to point out that the instructional drawings are not to scale. They are renditions to help visually explain certain details, not to be taken as scale models. They are approximate shapes and patterns but very easy to follow. I would recommend that you thoroughly read the entire instructions before proceeding with construction. There are options, choices and special notes that may be of interest to you. Cost: The price for the materials to build this project would be dependent upon what material that you purchase. Some lumber is more expensive than others. However, the original structure was built with standard pine so the general cost would be around $200, that would include hardware.

"A beautiful, intricate meditation on creativity and discovery, on fire and rebirth." --Elizabeth Gilbert

Awestruck at the sight of a Grinling Gibbons carving in a London church, David Esterly chose to dedicate his life to woodcarving--its physical rhythms, intricate beauty, and intellectual demands. Forty years later, he is the foremost practitioner of Gibbons's forgotten technique, which revolutionized ornamental sculpture in the late 1600s with its spectacular cascades of flowers, fruits, and foliage.

After a disastrous fire at Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace, Esterly was asked to replace the Gibbons masterpiece destroyed by the flames. It turned out to be the most challenging year in Esterly's life, forcing him to question his abilities and delve deeply into what it means to make a thing well. Written with a philosopher's intellect and a poet's grace, "The Lost Carving" explores the connection between creativity and physical work and illuminates the passionate pursuit of a vocation that unites head and hand and heart.