Indholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2026 i Woodsmith

How do you describe your shop time? — I was chatting with a group of woodworkers and someone asked why I do woodworking in my spare time if that’s what I also do for work. Before you read my answer, I’ll turn it to you, as well. I’d like to know. Send me your reply: phuber@aimmedia.com. I’ve come to understand that every project I create is an expression of how the world should be. I want to live in a world where objects made by hand are celebrated. The world around me should value the skillful use of tools. The good life belongs to those who can make items of daily use for themselves and for others. Our world works best when folk share their abilities and creativity with those…

Woodworking, as we all know, comes with risks. It’s likely we’ve all had a close call with injury while working in our shops. A move has given me the opportunity to reflect upon all of the shop spaces and woodworking experiences I have had as I plan a new shop. Part of my planning is not just where to put the benches and tools, but how I can work more safely and reduce risks. Working safely often is viewed as a bother that slows things down. Not so if you plan accordingly. Here is a list of safety issues, based upon my experience, that I want to address in the new shop. CLEAN AIR It goes without saying that clean air is important. In our shops, the first line of…

As much as I enjoy woodworking, there are plenty of tasks that occupy my time. Home repair, routine car maintenance, and keeping the mower running tend to fill out weekends. Chris Fitch faces this issue as well, and decided to combine business with pleasure, so to speak. He designed this garage cart to create an organized home for tools and gear. This custom workstation makes checking items off the to-do list much more enjoyable. The cart combines a flat, no-nonsense worksurface with a bunch of drawers for storage. Large semi-pneumatic casters give it a smooth ride across cords and debris. Accessories allow for customization. You can add a machinist vise or a vertical tool panel at the back. Art director Todd Lambirth found a great application for the cart. Here…

It's easy to let clutter accumulate. I find this goes doubly so if it's an area I'm in every day — after all, is it so bad to let the piles of paper and hardware grow if I know where everything is? And yet, organizing a space is often the exact thing I need to inject new life into my work, whether it's at my desk or in my shop. But what to do with the clutter? Good organization demands a good organizer. The project you see here is an excellent answer to the problem posed by a detritus-strewn office. It comes as a sequel to the Mid-Century Desk we featured last issue, but it stands on its own just as well (or hangs, more like). The goal of this…

Large wardrobes possess mystery. You want (need) to look inside. What’s stored here? Where does it lead to? Those questions are housed in a case piece that also takes up a lot of visual (and physical) space in a room. Versatile and spacious? Yes. But there may be another way to look at the wardrobe as a concept. Most wardrobes share a few features: a rod for clothes hangers, a few shelves, and a drawer or two. Creative Director Chris Fitch then supposed what a furniture piece would look like if boiled down to those three elements. The project here offers a different take on what storage can look like. Swooping uprights remind me of the supports for a suspension bridge. They hold a clothes rod and a set of…

Most of the materials and supplies you’ll need to build the projects are available at hardware stores or home centers. For specific products or hard-to-find items, take a look at the sources listed here. You’ll find each part number listed by the company name. See the left margin for contact information. TIPS & TECHNIQUES (p.6) • MicroJig1.5" Matchfit Dovetail Hardware GREAT GEAR (p.22) The two Kreg tools in this Great Gear can be ordered directly from their website. SawStop doesn’t do their own distribution however, so I’ve included the SKU for the T-Glide Fence System at Woodcraft below. • WoodcraftSawStop T-Glide. . . . . . . .197107 • KregPocket Hole Joiner . . KPTRB100A Rip-Cut Guide . . . . . . KMA2400 GARAGE CART (p.28) A flashy paint…

BUILT-IN DESIGNS I’m trying to learn here and am digging in to this project. I have a why question, which maybe isn’t in your purview to chat about. I was wondering, why is there both a top portion for the base with drawers, and then a seat that goes on top of it and is slightly larger? Couldn’t the top of the base just be the seat as well? Philip Postma Hi Philip, Thank you for writing in about the Book Nook. There are many different approaches to constructing built-in furniture. The method shown has three benefits: 1) If we were to eliminate the seat and apply molding to the face frame then there will be two exposed joints on top, one being the face frame joining the base top…

It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a single bedroom project must be in want of a whole suite. Designer John Doyle’s assignment was fraught from the start: come up with a good-looking case project that’s also easy to build. A quick scan of online options demonstrates that these two characteristics rarely coincide. However, that kind of challenge is the type of thing to fire him up. The dresser he came up with checks all the boxes. (It’s shown in the lower left photo.) He also knew that once he had a successful design, the call to “make it a set” was sure to follow. The bed shown a couple of issues ago forms part two. This nightstand rounds out an essential trio. Will there be more? Who can tell? What…