Woodworker's Journal eZine - From America's Leading Woodworking Authority

Keep it Moving!

Rob-Portrait As you click through the pages of the eZine this time out, you may notice a theme of sorts. Wooden bicycles and carved motorcycles -- transportation hits the woodshop. For me, transportation in the shop has a more plebeian orientation: I put everything I can in my shop on wheels. Casters are the gift that keeps on giving, in my opinion. My benchtop planer? On casters. My chop saw? On a cart — with casters. Table saw, band saw, lathe, bigger band saw, planer/jointer combo tool — all on casters.

That's just how I roll.

I admit, my addiction to all things casters may be a bit of overkill. I do tend to run an idea right into the ground. (My rolling lumber rack … turned out to be just a bit too big to actually roll.) So what about you? Are you going mobile in your shop or are you firmly planted to the ground? As always, your feedback will be shared with the gang.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker's Journal

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Cleaning up the surface of his workbench with a scraper was a good chance for Chris Marshall to get back to basics with one of woodworking's simplest tools.

Tile-Topped Coffee Table

This reader-submitted coffee table features hand-made joinery and a clever use of tile for the tabletop. I wanted to share this project that I'm so proud of: a custom built coffee table with marble stone tiles on top. To use stone tiles for the top of a table is a great way to give furniture [...]

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Downloadable Plans

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4 Easy-To-Make Kitchen Projects

Though there's nothing spectacular about salad tongs, a serving board, a cooling rack and a recipe box, each of these projects has some unique feature. The four projects aren't intended as a set, though by using the same wood for each you could achieve a uniformity in appearance.

Gun, Bookcase, and Curio Cabinet

We've called this piece a gun cabinet and bookcase, but that's just for starters. Whether your cabinet is destined for display and storage of a firearms collection, or for housing first editions of Tolstoy and Thoreau behind its glass-paneled doors, building the piece will be about the same.

Router Storage Cabinet

This handy Router Storage Cabinet solves the problem of not only storing routers, but also of organizing all your bits and accessories. The interior dimensions will store both a full-size plunge router and a standard-size router. Bits and accessories fit in the two drawers.

Contemporary Table

This elegant little end table, fashioned mainly of ash and walnut, is an ideal way to show off an especially fine board. That richly figured walnut crotch that you've been saving, or some other prized board that's gathering dust in the corner, might just find a home with this design.

Victorian Wall Shelf

This shelf makes a great gift, and only requires minimal stock. The scroll brackets look complex, but they are easily cut, either by hand with a coping saw or with a scroll saw. All three scroll brackets are identical, and they're simple to duplicate using the full-size pattern that's provided.

Scroll-sawn Nativity Scene

If you like scroll saw work and enjoy giving gifts, this Nativity Scene - often called a créche - is one project that's sure to satisfy. All the pieces pack neatly into the stable, making the scene easy to store once the holiday season has passed.

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