Woodworking projects for the shop

The right workbench and the ideal jig could help make woodworking simpler and enjoyable. Making shop furniture is an excellent opportunity to experiment with an innovative tool or technique. The first time I used my own teeth, creating stand-ins for tools made of 2x4s and wood. The right jig will help you save time and make difficult cuts simpler and safer.
shop projects
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Woodworking projects for your shop

Making a simple wall shelf from a pallet is an easy project that wouldn’t stress you
out with heavy labor. The most complicated step from this project could be the cutting of pallet, where a sawzall might be needed. All other steps simply include
screwing the wood pieces into place and adding your finishing touches. Estimated Time – 1 hour.

Tools

  • Drill
  • Sawzall/Reciprocating Saw
  • Handsaw
  • Orbital Sander
  • Paintbrush
Wood and other materials
  • 1 Pallet
  • Sandpaper
  • 1/8″ Drill Bit
  • Paint & Stain
  • 1 5/8″ Wood Screw

There are countless of beginner tutorial on how to create a basic table, but this one stands out as its final product is a nice piece that you can use to style your home porch or garden. Simple cuts and screws are the majority of the making process, perfect for everyone just starting out. Estimated Time – 2 hours.

Tools

  • Any saw available capable of cutting through lumber
  • Drill Bit

Wood and other materials

  • Lumber
  • Stain or paint
  • Screws
  • Sandpaper

This project is the ingenious solution to couch potato coffee-lovers always trying to find places for their hot beverage. The simple steps needed in creating this piece include cutting the wood into proper pieces, drilling a hole to serve as the cup holder. Estimated Time – 1 hour.

Tools

  • Clamps (at least 8″” long)
  • Hole saw in diameter of your choice
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Power drill

Wood and other materials

  • Wooden board
  • Plywood
  • Wood glue
  • Wood stain
  • Sandpaper
  • Steel wool
  • Polyurethanse

Recycle an old chunk of wood and bring to life a rustic looking candle holder with this simple woodworking project. All it takes is a bit of drilling and nailing some pieces into place—a great practice for newbies for no/minimal cost. Estimated Time – 1 hour.

Tools

  • Saw
  • Drill

Wood and other materials

  • Achunk of rough sawn wood or any old plank of scrap wood
  • Horseshoes
  • Hammer
  • Nails
  • Protective finish

Achieve a neat and clutter-free TV area by making your very own media box. The homey feel of the wood is a perfect contrast to the technology the project would support and be useful for. It is an awesome conversation-starter when you have guests at your home. Estimated Time – 1 hour.

Tools

  • Two clamps
  • Saw (for cutting wood into desired dimension)

Wood and other materials

  • 3 pieces of any wood
  • Sanding block
  • Wood glue
  • Clear spray finish

Spruce up your doorway entrance with this multipurpose DIY project. With this wood piece, you’ll get an address number indicator, a wall planter, and a decorative item all out of simple project! It wouldn’t take a lot of time, plus you’ll get to try out your first few power tools. Estimated Time – 1 hour.

Tools

  • Drill
  • Electric sander

Wood and other materials

  • Cedar fence picket
  • Cedar Board
  • Metal address numbers
  • Plants (succulents)
  • Wood stain

This simple project will let you come up with a perfect present for yourself, your spouse, friend or any home cook you know who likes experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. Just a few hours of simple work can produce an item can both accommodate traditional and techy chefs, as it can serve as both Cookbook Stand and a Tablet Holder. Estimated Time – 3-4 hours.

Tools

  • Miter saw
  • 2bar clamps
  • Orbital palm sander
  • Drill

Wood and other materials

  • New or reclaimed wood (7/8″ thick)
  • Eye protection
  • Measuring tape
  • Combo square
  • Wood glue
  • 1-1/4″ self-boring wood screws
  • All natural hemp oil or wood finish of your choice
  • Natural bristle brush or lint-free cloth
  • Drill bit and driver bit with countersink

If you’ve got a few woodworking tools at hand, a lot of scrap wood lying around your workshop, and a productive idea, you’ll have a fun time making decorative pieces through wood projects. After making these candle holders from scrap plywood, you’ll surely get a good feeling and a true DIY-er satisfaction from saving your former “trash” and making them into beautiful wood pieces. Estimated Time – 3 hours.

Tools

  • Hole saw 
  • Bench Sander
  • Bench Vise (optional)
  • Drill bit
  • Bar clamp

Wood and other materials

  • Scrap plywood
  • Wood glue
  • Sandpaper
  • Clear poly
  • Tea lights

Easy to do, cheap, and simple—bird feeders are always among the first projects anyone tries when starting to learn about woodwork and carpentry. It’s a great piece to work on for newbies, as it would challenge your cutting and assembling abilities. As it will be left outside, it will test the quality of your woodwork, too; based on how long can it stand the weather and other external elements. Estimated Time – less than 20 minutes

Tools

  • Mitre saw
  • Drill 

Wood and other materials

  • Cedar board
  • Wood glue
  • Wood screws (1 1/4″)
  • Rope
  • Bird seed

Let your kids experience the fruit of your hard work when you make this DIY Tree swing. The simplicity of this project will bring smiles to the kiddos and maybe some adults, too! Have a go at it and see how a few minutes of woodwork can make a difference in your family’s way of having fun. Estimated Time – 30 minutes

Tools

  • Drill & drill bit

Wood and other materials

  • Wood planks (5 ft of 1″ x .75″)
  • Wooden beads (1″)
  • Braided nylon rope (20ft of 3/8″)
  • Sandpaper
  • Polyurethane sealer (optional)
  • Metal rings (at least 2)
  • Hanging apparatus for tree swing

A few items above this project is a bottle holder, yet it can only hold a single bottle at a time. If you’re more of a wine person and you require more storage for your most prized wine bottles, you have to do a bottle holder that can accommodate more than just one. And you need not complicate it: just a simple wood plank wine rack like this can do. Estimated Time – 20 minutes

Tools

  • Drill press (can do angled cuts) with forstner bit (1.25″)

Wood and other materials

  • Cedar (or wood plank of your preference)
  • Sandpaper
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil

A handmade gift is always a thoughtful gesture, and one of the safe options for gifts to any professional people you know, like your child’s teacher or your colleague, is a pencil holder. This DIY project won’t take you a long time to make and it is the perfect representation of your thoughtfulness, too! Estimated Time – 1 hour

Tools

  • Ryobi Drill and Drill and Drive Kit
  • Paint Brush

Wood and other materials

  • Scrap wood
  • Scrapbook Paper
  • Mod Podge Satin
  • Metallic Paint in Rose Gold
  • Mod Podge Tool Set

The doorway to your home is the first thing any family member and guest would enter. While there are many decorative and doormats in stores, a wooden DIY welcome mat has a more homey feel. Besides, it would surely cost less when you have turn your scrap woods into something you can use, too! This project is so easy you can do it while bonding with your little one. Estimated Time – 1 hour

Tools

  • Handsaw
  • 3/8-inch drill bit

Wood and other materials

  • Sixteen 2-by-2s (in your local hardware; or cut any wood by yourself)
  • Six feet of 1/4-inch sisal

Closet organization can be tough, but the key to making your closet neat is by designating places for specific types of clothing and accessories. With this DIY project, you can assign specific place for your scarves and also save some drawer space for other clothing items. It’s cute and a breeze to make! Estimated Time – 1 hour

Tools

  • Jigsaw or band saw
  • Hole saw (1.5″)
  • Paint Brush

Wood and other materials

  • Masonite (3/8″)
  • Paint

A wooden lazy Susan can easily cost you over $100 in your favorite home depot or furniture shop. Why not make it yourself, so you can save up some bucks and be filled with pride everytime you look at your dining table’s centrepiece? Believe us, this wouldn’t take all day. Estimated Time – 1 hour

Tools

  • Jigsaw or any saw you can use for circular cut (if you are cutting your own wood)

Wood and other materials

  • Pine (Round; prefabbed)
  • Rotating spice holder
  • Paint or Stain
  • Strong glue

Video

Shop projects

From beginner to expert These woodworking projects will be challenging and enjoyable.

Woodworking can be a very rewarding hobby that could endure for years, and even be passed down over generations of daughters and sons. It requires nothing beyond basic woodworking knowledge and a power source as well as hand-tools, a bit of spare time and a touch of inspiring (that’s the place we step in).

Do you want access immediately on the DIY projects listed below? Become a Pop Mech Pro member today.

Here are 15 woodworking tasks that are directly from the pages of Popular Mechanics, and they’re open to woodworkers of any abilities, no matter if you’re an aspiring DIYer or an experienced pro. Each of these projects comes with complete plans, as well as the list of materials and tools which means you’ll have everything to start.

1 Magazine Rack

A couple of hours of tinkering in the workshop is the minimum required to construct this magazine rack. It’s a fantastic opportunity to unwind. It’s also a way to store magazines away from the coffee table in your living room or bedside table in the bedroom. It’s comprised of two identical three-piece frames linked by an automatic half-lap that locks.

How to build an Organizer for Magazines

The wood is essentially any that can be utilized for this project We chose yellow poplar. It is easy to work with, and when it’s finished with a clear coat, it will take on a creamy color that is tinged with green. Poplar is readily available and it’s more affordable priced than other woods for cabinet use.

2 Shelves that float Shelves

Smaller homes must make the most of every inch of space available, and that includes the precious inches that lie behind the wall.

How to Create an floating Shelf

By following these guidelines, you can provide great storage space and an impressive architectural feature to any space. The most important thing? It’s only going to take some tools, a few inches of wood and a few hours.

3 Ice Cream Maker

It’s as easy as pie ice cream.

Hand crank mixers help you accomplish the process, says Brian Smith, owner and instructor at Ample Hills Creamery. “That’s the process we use for our ice-cream making classes. I like the communal aspect that comes from making it in the traditional method, with everyone taking turns turning the churn.”

How to build an Ice Cream Maker

To make ice cream put the rocksalt and some ice in between the paint container and the paint container. Add the cream to the coffee container and turn it on for around 10 hours (or till the cream has thickened to the consistency of soft serve).

4 Backyard Lounger

The backyard is the ideal space to unwind and reflect And for that, you’ll need a cozy chair. Why buy one when you could build one using just an electric circular saw and a drill? This outdoor lounger isn’t only cheap and easy to build It’s also rustic and extremely comfortable.

How to build an Backyard Lounger

This lawn lounger for lazy-boys is a loose resemblance to the 1903 Westport plank chair that was the precursor to the traditional Adirondack chair. The version we have created is far more efficient and simple to construct. You can also build the chair using only two 1x10s of pine that are 10 feet long and shouldn’t require longer than a few hours.

5 Wood Wagon

The most treasured gifts for children are the ones made from wood. If they’re as attractive like this red wagon they’ll be loved for a lifetime.

How to build an Wood Wagon

A toy that is hand-crafted is the perfect gift for children even in the digital age. It doesn’t require apps or batteries, so it’s never going to ever be outdated and is almost indestructible. Your grandchildren or children will be thrilled to carry the toys around, their siblings, or even the dog!

6 Bocce Court

The games are on!

The process of building a basic bocce court can be quite easy. It’s generally enjoyable to construct but some steps aren’t enjoyable. It’s still fun to use, and bocce is an old game that is played in the afternoon sun by old-fashioned Italian people sporting panama caps and sipping jugs of wine.

How to build an Outdoor Bocce Court

The building process is nothing more than an enormous rectangle, some digging as well as spreading and compacting the granular materials. It’s a bit of work but it gives your game the stability that putting a ball down grass will never achieve.

7 Workbench

This sturdy, strong and beautiful work bench is the perfect tool to build projects of all kinds.

How to build an Workbench

“When Popular Mechanics asked me to design and construct an office bench as part of a project, and also as the focal point of the company’s New York workshop and studio I was aware that the bench needed reflect the brand’s image and its uncompromising tradition. It had to be clean design and graceful proportions but it also had be practical,” Richard Romanski, one of the Pop Mech contributor, says.

The bench is made of construction lumber that is clear Douglas fir and the LVL (laminated plywood) Joists cut into thin strips, and then glued to form an slab, and MDO (medium density overlay) is a type of plywood that has the laminated surface.

This is a big undertaking certainly. But, any skilled woodworker with an electric table saw and a planer is able to build one. Here’s how you can make one yourself.

8 Redwood Planter Box

One of the most efficient and cheapest methods to enhance the look of your house, both inside and outside, is by adding a stylish garden box, or even two. The three designs featured in this design are constructed out of redwood. California redwood is a great option for planting. It is a perfect blend in natural splendor and endurance. Redwood is impervious to decay as well as being attacked by insects.

How to build the Redwood Planter Box

To gauge the strength of an attack redwood is graded according to its color, along with other aspects. The heartwood that is reddish-brown from the inside of the tree is a source of extractives that make it tough. The sapwood with a cream color that grows in the outer layer of growth the tree, similar to whitewoods, isn’t able to offer the same resistance to insects and decay as the heartwood .

When you build a planter, select one of the heartwood grades. There are other grades with sapwood in them that are slightly less expensive.

9 The Stackable Sawhorses

Every workshop requires an efficient pair of sawhorses. This thoroughbred pair is constructed from a couple of 2x4s. These sawhorses are sturdy and simple to construct and stack easily to make it easy to store and transport.

How to build Stackable Sawhorses

Sawhorses are essential as a drilling and cutting station, to hold lumber , or for painting doors. When placed on top of plywood, they can be an immediate work table. We’ve listed a few of the most popular designs of sawhorses (including one of our own) However, this particular pair of horses could be one of our favorites so far.

Made entirely of 2x4s, this type of sawhorse is very popular on construction sites . It can be joined using screws or nails. The first time we saw this design was employed in the show by Mark Clement of My Fix It Up Life and we are awestruck by the latest version developed by Jay Bates, which allows the use of clamps at the ends of the sawhorse.

10-A-Frame Toolbox

Traditional A-frame toolboxes were utilized by many generations of tradesmen such as plumbers, carpenters electricians, mechanics, and plumbers. We determined to teach you how to construct not just the one toolbox, but rather five distinct models of A-frame toolboxes each one customised for a specific type of work or worker.

Create the A-Frame Toolbox

The A-frame’s open-top design toolboxes is preferred over boxes with lids hinged since they allow easy access to the tools. They may appear rough and unfinished but they are functional, not masterpieces of art.

11 Simple Box

Box-making is a crucial skill for woodworkers at all skill levels. While numerous wooden boxes are used for use in the home and shop There’s something elegant and lasting about a handmade wooden box. In this article, we’ll demonstrate three different ways of building boxes: using the use of box joints and spline joints and the rabbet joint.

How to Create an Easy Box

As you develop your skills in creating wooden boxes that have perfectly proportioned joints and tight joints and proportions, you will be able to create more impressive things. We asked three woodworkers who are experts to make a basic box to determine how they approaches the job. It’s a different way of working out, even though they follow the same design guidelines.

The dimensions for the outside of the box required to be 8 inches high, 12 inches wide by 16 inches long. Additionally, they could only make use of equipment and materials that could be found at their local home centers. We came up with three boxes, each with distinct joints, all equally amazing.

12 Wine Rack

It’s likely that many buyers of wine in the case would like to display their wine collection in their decor. However, there is no way that any wine rack can work.

How to build a Rack for Wine Rack

If you’re searching for a rustic look or a rack to endure the elements or to store lots of wine The three wine racks designed at the Popular Mechanics workshop–are just what you’re seeking.

13 Kitchen Table

It’s often the case that things aren’t as they were in the past This is the same for furniture, just as well as other areas life. Certain contemporary designs make us think of furniture as art, or at the very minimum as a decorative element–and as a result, appear inclined to let the function and comfort of furniture. We considered it refreshing to reminisce about the time where tables were just simple and practical, but beautiful.

How to Make an Table for the Kitchen Table

The kitchen table’s simple construction and simple lines are reminiscent Shaker furniture. In the Shaker tradition the table was made to be used as a workstation to cook a meal and also as a dining table. It’s designed to accommodate four people or, in the event of a need it can accommodate as many as six.

14 Pergola

Create a relaxing outdoor living space using this simple backyard pergola. The unique design of the pergola lets you inside and outside simultaneously.

How to build a Pergola

Pergola plans are a long-standing favourite for Popular Mechanics (we’ve been publishing plans in the 20th century) and it’s easy to understand the reason. The result is a wonderful garden feature as a shaded spot to relax and read or drink and eat with your friends, or just chill out during a hot summer day. From the DIY standpoint the return on investment is quite high. A small pergola can be constructed in just a couple of hours, and it will require a few inexpensive materials and a few basic skills in carpentry and tools.

A simple pergola is an arrangement of four posts that is rectangular or square followed by crossbeams, rafters and lattice. We’ve outlined eight crucial building steps along with DIY plans to build your pergola. In any case, you’ll win as a pergola can be equally enjoyable to construct and share it with your family and your friends.

15 Tables for Two

While this unique furniture piece looks like it was from an art gallery, it’s an upgraded version of an idea which first was published within Popular Mechanics back in 1939!

How to Create The Table Below for Two

Talk about a timeless classic. You can make it in just a few days using just four 8-foot long 2x4s, one sheet of plywood and a few wood scraps.

Shop projects — FAQ

  • Wallpaper a Wall.
  • Make Compost.
  • Tile a Backsplash.
  • Install Vinyl Flooring.
  • Build a Raised Garden Bed.
  • Paint the Front Door.
  • Hang Plants From the Ceiling.
  • Reupholster Secondhand Furniture.

1. Wallpaper a Wall
2. Make Compost
3. Tile a Backsplash
4. Install Vinyl Flooring
5. Build a Raised Garden Bed
6. Paint the Front Door
7. Hang Plants From the Ceiling
8. Reupholster Secondhand Furniture
9. Replace a Faucet
10. Build a Shelf
11. Grow Your Own Food
12. Frame a Mirror
13. Seal Drafty Windows and Doors
14. Paint Kitchen Cabinets
15. Conceal Cords
16. Illuminate Your Exterior With Solar Lights
17. Carve Out a Home Office
18. Declutter and Donate
19. Line Drawers
20. Create a Container Garden
21. Landscape the Mailbox
22. Repot Indoor Plants
23. Refinish Old Wood Furniture
24. Install a Hanging Pot Rack
25. Paint a Chalkboard Wall
26. Reimagine Bookshelves
27. Soundproof a Wall
28. Power Wash the Small Stuff
29. Improve Interior Lighting
30. Step Up Style on the Stairs

  • Wooden Picture Frame. This is a very good place to start when introducing kids to woodworking.
  • Storage Boxes. Here’s another basic project that will help your kids catch the woodworking bug.
  • Coasters.
  • Jelly Bean Dispenser.
  • Wooden Chopping Board.
  • Balance Board.