DIY Woodworking Advice » Woodworking Projects

Woodworking Projects: Deciding What to Build

Kim — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:36:02 +0000

The first step of any woodworking projects involves planning. Simple projects may take just a bit of forethought before you’re ready to build, but more complicated furniture usually takes much more preparation. Either way, some degree of planning is essential. Project planning has three basic stages: determining what to build, working out the details through drawings and prototypes, then calculating materials and cutting lists from your drawings. read more...

Simple Woodworking Projects

Kim — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:25:55 +0000

The best way to really get into woodworking is to start off with simple woodworking projects. People most often get frustrated because the initial woodworking projects they select are too complex for their skill level. By trying a few initial simple woodworking projects you will be able to hone your skills without costing yourself a fortune. In addition, if woodworking is not for you, you will be able to figure that out very quickly without a large investment. read more...

Tips for Making Great Working Drawings for Your Woodworking Ideas

Kim — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:36:02 +0000

If you’re ready to start in on DIY woodworking, the working drawings are where the fun begins! You get your first look at the project-to-be and you can work out the bugs in the overall look of the piece without laboring over the details. Approach concept sketching by giving your hand ‘free rein’ to draw and redraw any inspirations that comes to mind. This is not the time to worry about perfect symmetry, properly scaled portions, crisp lines or exacting curves. You can take care of all that later when you produce the mechanical drawings. Do not, however, go on from sketching to drafting until you have something you really like. It’s too time-consuming to make major design changes to woodworking projects at the drafting stage. read more...

How To Start Doing Simple Woodworking Projects

Kim — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:15:06 +0000

To some people, woodworking seems like an impossible task. It sometimes seems like only master craftsman with years of experience can create anything worthwhile. Fortunately, this is not really the case. Everyone has to start somewhere, even the masters. At one point and time, they also had to start with simple woodworking projects. This is a skill that is learned over time, you don’t have to be born with it. This article will give you some ideas for how to get started with simple woodworking projects. read more...

How to Design Woodworking Plans for Jewelry Boxes

Kim — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:27:52 +0000

If you are interested in getting into woodworking, then one of the easiest woodworking projects you can start with is a jewelry box. Woodworking plans for jewelry boxes are very easy projects, which are perfect for the novice woodworker. You can build them from common crown molding that can be purchased from any basic lumber store. DIY woodworking plans for jewelry boxes are great because the techniques involved allow any woodworker, from beginner to advanced, to create highly detailed boxes that look great and which make excellent gifts. read more...

Woodworking Patterns: Why Bother?

Kim — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:27:52 +0000

Woodworking patterns are like blueprints for your woodworking projects. It is a great guide to refer to throughout your job. You will have enough on your mind with getting the right materials, measurements and tools. With a woodworking pattern in the shop, you have one less thing on your mind. And, if you screw up, you can always blame the woodworking pattern. read more...

Choosing Your Free Woodworking Plans

Kim — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:27:52 +0000

Finding free woodworking plans to do your home woodworking projects is simple. However, selecting the good from the bad can be challenging, especially if you are not an experienced woodworker. Free woodworking plans can be downloaded from a variety of websites and most are in PDF format so be sure that you have Adobe Reader installed to view them. It is a free download from Adobe’s website so you should have no problems getting it. Even better, on most computers it is already installed. The first step in choosing what DIY woodworking plan to use is to decide on what you want to make. This will obviously limit the number of choices you have. For your first project I would recommend doing something common like a table or simple piece of furniture so you have more options. Designing and building a full size yacht from free online woodworking plans is probably not a good idea, but a simple end table will give you a ton of choices and also let you look at good and bad plans. read more...