Carved from a single piece of American Basswood using only hand tools (saws, knives, and gouges). Colored with acrylic paint.

My younger daughter received a large lot of gently used doll clothing and accessories for her birthday last August and has been storing it in a large paper bag. Not too long after, she asked if I would make her a dresser for her doll to use. Hard to say no. This piece is a bit of a Frankenstein of different materials as I was hoping to use up random stuff I’ve acquired over the years. The body is made of a mystery tropical hardwood salvaged from shelves that my in-laws were getting rid of. It’s very heavy and dense, maybe jatoba? The drawer fronts are made from American sycamore and I was able to find some pieces that featured the cool lacewood patterns. Drawers are a simple rabbet construction from leftover cherry plywood and the bottoms and back of the dresser are scrap birch ply. Finish is a homemade copycat of odies oil which is primarily Tung oil, beeswax and a little carnuba wax. First time doing wooden drawer slides which was fun to learn.

Just wrapped this up late last week and wanted to show it off. Cherry base, and maple everywhere else. What do you guys think? Build another? 😉

I found an entire 12ft board of curly wormy maple. Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

We use it to make laminated peppermill blanks. I can't wait to see it finished and oiled!

Been woodworking for a bit now and always thought building a guitar would be cool but the project always intimidated me. Finally got the guts to do it and this is how it turned out! Was definitely NOT without its bumps in the road. Got ahead of myself with the epoxy stuff and routed the design and poured before knowing where the hardware needed to be. So ended up making an entirely new body. Same with the neck and fretboard. Routed the truss rod channel on the wrong side of the neck and messed up cutting the frets on the fretboard. So I have essentially an entire second guitar worth of “lessons learned”. First time doing a cerused finished, first time working with epoxy, first time building a guitar, but absolutely not the first or last time I learn a few lessons while working on a project! Body is red oak, neck is maple, and fretboard is purpleheart.

Here’s a lamp I built based on Frank Lloyd Wrights Taliesin lamp. I built mine out of cherry. It features 8 bulbs instead of 10 because I was limited by the size of my table saw. The center post is made of two pieces with a grove down the center that have been glued together. The lamp boxes are constructed with simple miter joints. They are just a touch smaller than the lamp post so they spring into place. This is one of the first times I’ve been able to use a cnc machine in my woodworking. It was used to route the wires compartment on the bottom. I used 24v bulbs similar to the type a microwave uses. All in all I’m very pleased with how it came out!

This 65 year old ash needed to come down as its top had broke multiple times over the last 10 years, and it was too close to a power line.

I couldn't bear the idea of turning it all into firewood and threw it on my mill. I got around 100 board feet out of it. Now to wait a year before it's dry enough to use.

What you see here is strapped in my truck awaiting a dry moment that I can strap them together to dry.

Previously posted raising concerns with the quality of a custom table. Ended up receiving it and am very happy in the end. Just wanted to say thanks to the community for pointing out a lot of the positives.

J&S customs made this table.

Prior post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/1whj2i5/is_this_good_walnut/

Hi.

I messed up.

I own a cabinet shop, and of course i have lumber all over the place. About 8 years ago i bought 500 bf of birdseye maple from an old timer i knew. I didnt really want the lumber that bad, but he needed the money. I stored it on racks and forgot about it.

Until yesterday. I had bought a trailer of cherry and was trying to find extra room for it by moving some things and getting rid of stuff we dont really need. One of my guys noticed some holes in the maple.

It had been infested by powder post beetles. How? Who knows. But ive spent the last day pulling it all. Saving what i can. Burning the rest. Pretty rough to burn that maple, but its really useless now.

I did save about half by cutting off bad areas.

But if i had checked it once a year i would have been way better off. So everyone should make a point of going around and checking your lumber every year or so.

My best guess is we put a piece of infected wood near the maple and they just spread. Could have been going on for years

Have a lot of big pieces of red oak bark from an 100 year old tree that fell on our farm. Any ideas what to do with them?

I feel like im missing something blindingly obvious but how you hold smaller pieces to plough groves for drawer and box bases?

Here is a picture of my current attempt, any and all advice and feedback are much appreciated

I have been finishing a table with tung oil. I noticed this line. I assume it is a scratch that has just been darkened by the oil. My question is should I sand it out and recoat. Or do you think the entire piece will darken and I dont need to worry about it? Also any suggestions on how to fix the goof?

8 pieces of eastern pine . Carved, disassembled, hollowed out and put back together. Internal threaded rod runs the length , bolted at either end behind wood dowels. Initially messed up the back leg structure and added a heel up high. Was able to make the correction and straighten it out.

I see various posts about billing and getting paid, and I thought I'd share my contract terms with everyone. It isn't perfect I'm sure, but every line is the result of a past learning experience, and many have helped me out of sticky situations - if nothing else, it's a place for you to start. I should note that these are appended to the proposal / contract, which spells out pricing, payment drawings and images, schedule, scope, assumptions & clarifications, and exclusions specifically for the project in question (and so the Terms and Conditions are referring to the proposal).

Here's hoping this helps you in the future!

Terms and Conditions

Proposal - Project Schedule and cost

1. This proposal is valid for 10 days. 
2. Shortening the Project Schedule after project start (if possible) will result in premium pricing.
3. Work will be scheduled, materials ordered, and/or samples prepared, after receipt of initial deposit where applicable, and signed contract.
4. Internal project schedule is at our discretion; delivery dates will be as stipulated above.
5. All fabrication shall occur at our place of business, excepting Delivery & Installation, unless specifically noted otherwise in the proposal above.

Change Orders

1. No changes shall be made to this contract or specifications, except in writing and signed by both parties, and shall include cost increases, if any, to be paid at Project Completion.

Documentation - Design, Shop Drawings and Samples

1. Design fees (if noted in proposal) include one round of design options. Further design options or refinements will result in additional fees to be billed at Shop Rate. 
2. Shop drawings (if noted in proposal) include elevations, plans and details as necessary to identify all critical dimensions and special features, along with one revision and re-submittal.  Additional changes to the shop drawings will be billed at Shop Rate.
3. Aspects of the project not represented on shop drawings are outside this contract’s scope.
4. Any detail pertaining to construction or installation that is not specifically discussed and documented in shop drawings will be performed at the discretion of the fabricator.
5. Any shop drawings and/or samples must be reviewed and approved by the Client within five business days of submission unless otherwise stipulated above.
6. Delays due to an extended review period may extend the project schedule and/or increase the project cost at our discretion and changes must be approved.

Color Samples

1. For samples we provide or create, one sample and one refinement per specified finish is included in the proposal.   Additional samples will result in additional fees. 
2. Samples provided by the client must be physical samples (photographs cannot be matched), except named paint swatches from Benjamin Moore.  Paint swatches from other manufacturers may require a physical swatch.

Fabrication & Tolerances

1. All fabrication will be based on approved drawings and, for built-in millwork, verified site conditions (where possible).  Changes to site conditions by other Trades may affect project schedule, labor and material costs, and result in additional fees.
2. Built-in fixtures shall be provided by the Client in order to insure fit.  Where necessary, cut sheets / product specifications will be used, but any variation in the actual product from the cut sheet or specifications shall incur additional work to be billed at Shop Rate.
3. Any dimensions specified shall have the following allowance for tolerances: <1” : .001” ; <12”: .01”;  <100” : .1”; >100 : .2"

Delivery, Installation and Project Closeout

1. Delays to delivery / installation schedule due to field conditions will result in additional storage fees.  Any work undeliverable for more than 30 days after agreed upon completion date will result in storage fees of $10 per square foot per month.  After 60 days, at our discretion, work may be transported to a secondary storage facility and incur relevant transport and storage fees.
2. Post-installation protection of our work is the responsibility of the General Contractor.  Alternatively, we can provide necessary protection for an additional fee.  Any repairs necessitated by damage caused by other trades will be billed hourly at a Shop Rate.
3. Upon substantial completion, all work is to be reviewed with the Client and a single list (“punch list”) shall be prepared, identifying all work to be completed or corrected.  Corrective measures required by punchlist to be expeditiously completed.
4. Upon project completion, we reserve the right to document the project for marketing purposes.  This would entail onsite photographs, and in some cases one follow up visit with a photographer, if approved.
5. All work shall be performed in a professional manner, with no defects in workmanship, as defined by AWI.  Warranty on the workmanship and material shall be for a period of 12 months from the date of the contract completion.
6. The following are excluded from warranty: 
   1. Reasonable wear and tear from usage;
   2. Movement, misalignment or damage of work due to settling, movement of foundation or floors, walls or ceilings, or mis-installation by others;
   3. Damage to work, finish, or any defect due to exposure to excessive moisture, heat, humidity, or cold;
   4. Damage to work by other trades; or
   5. Force Majeure (damage caused by natural disaster, flooding, and etc.).

Payment

1. All invoices to be paid within one week of issue.
2. Outstanding invoices may result in work stoppage, at our discretion.
3. Account balances not paid within 30 days of invoice date will be charged a finance charge of 1-1/2% per month or the maximum permitted by law and a $25 late fee. Checks returned for any reason will incur a $50 handling charge plus all related bank fees and penalties, per occasion.

Early Termination.

1. In the event the Client elects to terminate this contract, the Client agrees to pay for all materials purchased, all services rendered prior to date of termination at contract rate, and a cancellation fee of 10% of the original project cost.  Project work (i.e. raw materials, work in progress, etc) will be made available for Client to pick up from our shop after payment.

Got a nifty or novel clamp? A sweet jig of some kind?

I'd love to hear about it.

So I am working on milling some rough walnut for an anniversary gift. I do not own an electric jointer, so I’m using a planer with a sled. I’m doing exactly as I’ve been told to do. Place the board upside down, hot glue shims under high spots until the board no longer will move under finger pressure. Plane it.

PROBLEM IS

When I finally get a full width full length run through the planer which SHOULD mean flat…. It still has the cup and twist, just now it’s milled and not rough.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

Creating a modified version of the anarchist workbench. I was glueing up the the top and two portions so they fit in my planer. I noticed that there was a somewhat significant gap when doing a dry fit before gluing as you can see in the pictures any issue with this? Should I overfill and allow the glue to fill in the defect? Wood shims if there’s any defect after it dries? Any help appreciated.

I do have a benchtop jointer but these boards are still a little twisted after the glue up so idk if that would help me entirely. I plan to hand plane it flat enough to work after getting these two sections attached.

Really love French polish, and how it brings out the wood's natural beauty.

This is only the "first" layer, with one or two more to come. I want it to be really shiny.

For my 5 year wedding anniversary (wood), my gift was this driftwood from my wife’s hometown carved into a heart with a poem entitled “Driftwood Heart.” This was my first carving project, but I used a dremel for a lot of it, then sanded starting with 80 and ending with 2000 grit. Used tung oil then finishing wax for the polish. I left the back rough which you can see in this video. For the base, I drilled into it, added a bolt and worked with a local granite company to pick the stone, which I was hoping would tastefully mirror the ocean. She liked it.

Made this veneer inlay. Cut the 1/16th strips myself and attached to plywood then added as solid boarder. No idea what I should price something like this.

Hey everyone, I’m in the market for a drill press. Of course I’d love a new floor model but can’t justify the cost at this point.

I’m wondering if I should be looking at a new mid tier ($300-400) bench top model (like the Wen 12”) or go for one I found on FBM, the JET JDP-17MF for $325

Assuming the JET works well, what would the hive mind recommend?

Now I have been doing woodworking for many years, and I have watched many videos where they use blue tape, especially Bourbon Moth, but I never got round to actually getting some myself. Until now.

This stuff is amazing. I have slacked for so long, and suddenly I have an awkward glue up that the surface tape totally saved me.

If you don't have any blue tape then get some now!!!