Table of contents for Issue 141 in ShopNotes Magazine

For the longest time, I struggled with the dream shop vision in my head and my real-life workshop. Following the advice of some books and other woodworkers led me to believe there was a perfect layout and set of tools that I “must have.” During the course of building several Christmas projects, I noticed that the shop space was changing. The workbench shifted to the wall, under a window. The table saw moved out and a better band saw moved in. Power tools went on that end, bench and storage gravitated to this end. By the new year, my shop looked more like the projects I made and reflected how I worked. I still have a list of upgrades. However, I’ve found contentment and a delight in the space. Here’s…

There’s a persistent idea in wood-working that bigger is better. We need the most powerful saw motor, the largest slabs, the widest jointer. Now normally I don’t exactly follow that notion, but I’ve learned in some situations bigger actually is better. It’s how you go about that size that makes the real difference. This table saw sled is a good example of that philosophy. It’s not the largest in every dimension, but it’s bigger where it counts — that is to say, fully supporting all size of workpieces on your table saw. There’s more to a good sled than just size though. Which is why this one features a pivoting fence, adjustable stop blocks, a T-track for accessories, and a zero-clearance auxiliary table, just to name a few. The base…

My grandpa, Willie, served in the navy during World War II. So I take every chance I can get to tour museum ships and submarines to connect with that part of his life. What I’ve found is that ship designers have a lot of space-saving solutions to share with woodworkers. Here’s a practical cross-over project for your shop: a drop-front desk. Commonly found in officer’s cabins, the worksurface has a there-when-you-need-it quality. In a shop it’s nice to have a place to lay out plans, sketch a new idea, or even just to set your coffee cup without taking up bench space. The spacious surface slips into notches routed in the case for easy conversion between the stored and open positions. The main compartment has a bulletin board and a…

When people find out that I’m a woodworker — and that I enjoy using hand tools, I end up getting a variety of lost tools looking for a forever home. The generosity is appreciated. Hand tools do offer a fun way to enjoy the craft of woodworking. Since many old hand planes are made of wood, restoring one requires a bit of woodworking as well. The plane I’m working on is a dado plane. This kind of plane has a little more going on than a bench plane, like a smoother or jack. TWO BLADES. As the name implies, a dado plane is made to cut a specific size dado, ⅞" in this case. While a ¾" or even ⅝" plane might be more practical, I do have a thickness…

For most of us, shop space is at a premium. But that doesn’t mean that some luxury fixtures in the shop are out of reach. Take an assembly table for example. Having a large, flat surface where you have the room to lay out clamps, apply glue, and assemble parts is a great way to ensure a glueup goes smoothly. With this stowable assembly table, you’ll finally be done with the challenge of a glueup on your workbench. The features on this assembly table are many. First, the top is large —a full-sized sheet of Baltic birch plywood makes up the worksurface. That means no more juggling a project where the legs just barely fit on your workbench as you’re putting it together. Speaking of the top, the torsion-style construction…

Mallets come in many forms. If you’re anything like myself, then you likely have a few of them strewn around. Whether shop-made or store-bought, they’re easy to accumulate. Mallets are rarely expensive or difficult to make yourself, and considering the beatings they often go through, that’s a great thing. The ones you see above however are a little different from the average. Rather than a pair of mallets that can be easily made and easily replaced, the focus here is in durability, and making a mallet that’ll last for decades to come. The first mallet you see above is a carver’s mallet, and the second is a joiner’s mallet. While the two certainly have their differences, they share some similarities. Both heads are weighted and turned from a particular kind…

The finish options for a shop project run the gamut from the no-finish finish (it’s a shop project after all) to the same finish you’d apply to furniture. This is also a fun and interesting discussion to have with a group of woodworkers. Speaking of fun, Dillon Baker, design editor, added a healthy dollop of fun with the paint scheme on the front of the shop desk project. The desk is Baltic birch plywood. While it’s a strong, versatile material, shop projects tend to look boring and brown. For a bold accent, Dillon created a geometric, painted pattern. It looks like trees to me. Perhaps you see something else. What I like about it is that the process is easy to master, and your only investment is a roll of…

Solid wood furniture speaks of quality and craftsmanship. But, that doesn’t mean that solid wood is always the right material for the job. Take shop projects for example — they’ll be used day in and day out, taking a beating. How about when you need thin panels, or parts that stay flat year-round? Well, in these instances it’s tough to beat plywood. BIRCH PLYWOOD. When it comes to shop projects, and especially projects that we build in this magazine and our own shops, birch plywood reigns supreme. But, one of the things to consider when you’re choosing plywood is that not all plywood is created equal, and birch plywood is no exception. Often, you’ll find different levels of plywood available, and a few of these are shown below. One of the…