Here’s my birdhouse, in the “shop” and on the tree.

I’ve been writing all of these articles and learning a lot about easy woodworking, but until now I had not done a project of my own. However, I recently purchased a large collection of woodworking plans from Woodworking4Home and began work on a birdhouse, a good first project. I then got the necessary materials, set up a makeshift woodshop, built the birdhouse, and got a great deal of satisfaction out of it.

I bought all of the materials I needed at a local hardware store. These included two handsaws, drillbits, a hole saw for the drill, two C clamps, nails, and the wood. I already had a hammer and electric drill. I only bought one handsaw to start with and didn’t buy the C clamps at first, but after beginning the project I found that I needed them. 

Building the birdhouse was the most fun. I followed the plan that I had from Woodworking4Home, which was very detailed and easy to follow. The project is actually intended for someone to create several kits and have a group of kids put the houses together, but I just created one kit for myself and built it. 

At first, I didn’t have any C clamps, so I was just holding the wood plank with one hand while sawing with the other. It didn’t take long for me to see that I would need the clamps or a vise to hold the wood down while I did the vigorous job of sawing. My back soon told me that the typewriter desk is a little low. I’ll have to get a higher table to work on soon. Because I used a handsaw, the edges were a little rough. I sanded them down with sandpaper, but that could only do so much. I’m already wanting a circular saw. 

After cutting the pieces out, I nailed the birdhouse together and painted it. It was great to see it come together and give it some paint to make it look pretty. It is kind of rough hewn, because it’s my first project and I used handsaws, but I’m proud of it and really did enjoy doing it. The act of creating something that will last is very satisfying.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely a start. I’m now practicing what I preach on this website, and I can say that I recommend getting started with easy woodworking projects to anyone who has an interest in the craft.

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A woodworking hobby can benefit not only yourself but many others around you as well. Take the example of Brian Peppel, husband of freelance writer Sarah Peppel, who used a beginning in easy woodworking as a springboard to more advanced projects which he shares with family and others. Like Brian Peppel, you can use your woodworking skills to create gifts by duplicating existing projects, creating wooden toys for children in need, and making unique gifts for family members that have special meaning.

Peppel has created projects by taking the measurements of what he wants to create and drawing up his own plans. In so doing, he adds his own touch to the project. On one occasion, he made a piano bench for his sister-in-law by measuring professionally made piano benches at a music store and then drawing his own plans. He also created a dollhouse shelf by studying one in a Pottery Barn catalog and drawing up his own measurements.

He has also joined a charitable organization to make wooden toys for children in need. His work with the Delaware Valley Woodworking Club has also provided extra wooden toys for his family. He has used the woodworking ideas that he has gotten through this work to refine and improve some of the toy projects by varying the wood types, finish, and design.

Peppel was also able to create a cutting board for his sister from a red oak tree that fell behind her house, thus giving her a unique gift that had a connection to her home. To do this, he had to first cut a section out of the tree trunk and let it sit and dry for a couple of months. Then, he milled the wood into rough boards and had to let that dry for a few more months to dry to avoid warping or splitting before he was able to craft it into the cutting board. This kind of preparation is something that all woodworkers can strive for.

Any woodworker can take Brian Peppel as an example of how to use your woodworking skills to create gifts by drawing your own plans from existing work, doing charitable work that can spill over to your own family, and being available to create special gifts for family that could never be bought in a store. In this way you can put your talents to work more for others than for yourself and reap the rewards many times over.

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It is hard to find an ergonomic computer desk for less than $600. However, if you build your own according to one website’s plan, it will cost about $350. While this is certainly not cheap, it is cheaper than buying one and will allow you the satisfaction of building and using your own desk. According to the Simplified Building Concepts website, a simple custom ergonomic computer desk can be built with medium-density fibreboard and aluminum fence post in about five steps.

The main materials of the desk are medium-density fibreboard (MDF) for the top, Kee Klamp fittings and fence post for the foundation, and an articulating keyboard adjustable unit for the keyboard tray. Other materials include primer and paint for the top and screws for the Kee Klamp fittings. While the look of the aluminum foundation may not appeal to everyone, it was chosen for the simplicity of construction and does give the desk a modern look. 

The construction of the desk can be divided into five steps. The first step is to draw a plan for the desktop according to how you want it to look and what space you have available. This can be done on graph paper. The next step is to cut the desktop out of the raw MDF material. This can be done with a circular saw and high quality jig saw if you have curves in the plan. The third step is to attach the Kee Klamp fittings and build the base. Building the foundation simply involves cutting the pipe and using an Allen wrench. 

The fourth and fifth steps are paining the desktop and adding the keyboard tray. Painting the MDF is essential because it swells very easily when wet and puts off dust if it is not painted. Painting involves the three steps of priming, painting, and finishing. The fifth and final major step is adding the adjustable keyboard unit by attaching the sliding track to the bottom of the desktop and the rest of the unit to the bottom of the keyboard tray that is cut out of MDF. This will create a smooth-functioning sliding ergonomic keyboard tray.

By following the steps described and pictured on the Simplified Building Concepts website, you can build your own ergonomic computer desk without buying one. It is a fairly easy woodworking project that will give you a large amount of use and satisfaction.

Technorati Tags: easy woodworking, ergonomic computer desk

Dinosaur Puzzle by Andres Rueda, on Flickr

How can you safely introduce a kid to woodworking? One way is to use woodworking kits that do not even require the use of tools. Even if you have no woodworking experience but you want to start your kids off with some easy woodworking projects, you can with woodcraft project kits, which are available at stores like Michaels, JoAnns, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target. Here are five easy woodworking projects that can be made with wood crafting kits to introduce a kid to the craft:

1. Memory Clock Kit – These come with all the necessary pieces for the clock and instructions. After putting the clock together, kids can embellish it with various items to make it their own such as photos, charms, and sports mementos. 

2. Clothes Hooks – All you need to begin this project is a 1″ x 4″ x 12″ board and some metal one- or two-prong hooks to screw into the board. Besides that, you will need items like stickers or paint so that the kids can decorate the piece to go with their room or reflect their current interest. The adult will need to screw the hooks into the wood and screw the board onto the wall, but even the un-handiest of parents can do that. An alternative to screwing the pieces together is using adhesive, but make sure you use some that is strong enough to hold and will attach to the wall without damaging it if you want to remove it.

3. 3-D Wooden Puzzles – These are available in many different forms, including dinosaurs, buildings, planes, animals, and boats. I remember putting dinosaur 3-D wooden puzzles together as a kid and loved it. The pieces can also be painted or decoupaged before assembly.

4. Smaller Clothes Hooks Project – If you have a small space you want to fill, you could put a unique single clothes hook in it by starting with a pre-cut and sanded wooden shape such as a heart, square, circle, rectangle, or diamond. These can be found at many craft stores. Then you can add the one- or two-prong hook to the shape and let the kids paint, draw on, add stickers, or embellish in any way they desire.

5. Mini-craft kits – These woodcraft mini-kits can be found at Michaels Craft Stores for about a dollar each. They are small-scale boats, cars, airplanes, and other items which are easily painted and glued together. However, because they contain small parts, they should be avoided for children under five.

These five woodcraft project kits for kids will allow even the most unskilled parent to introduce their kids to easy woodworking. What makes them worthwhile is that they are safe, low cost, and fun.

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Many say that there is no loss greater than losing a child. Kris Munsch of Bonner Springs, Kansas, has dealt with that loss by co-writing a book to help others in the process with an easy woodworking project. Kris Munsch, who lost his son in a car accident, has written a book entitled “The Birdhouse Project” which is meant to help others consumed with grief by building a birdhouse, symbolizing new birth out of crisis.

Kris Munsch, a woodworking teacher at Bonner Springs High School in Kansas, lost his son, Blake, in a devastating car accident on December 23, 2005. He tells that painful story in his soon to be released book “The Birdhouse Project,” which he co-wrote with Jeff Fouquet, an English teacher at Bonner Springs High School. The book goes on to address the healing process in the reader.

The birdhouse in the book will consist of six pre-cut pieces, each of which will be given symbolism and an assigned task in the grieving process. The reader will write his or her thoughts and feelings down on the inside parts of the pieces. Then, when they are assembled, the words will be on the inside and something new will be born out of the grief. The idea is for it to represent more than just walls and a roof by getting readers to explore themselves and expose thoughts and feelings that they had not known existed. The book will come with the six pre-cut pieces for the birdhouse.

Munsch reports plans to turn “The Birdhouse Project” into a series. While the first book deals with the adult grieving process, he plans to write others for children, teens, and families, all of which will center on the birdhouse theme. He says that the project has “started to take on a life of its own.”

Kris Munsch has coped with the death of his son by creating an easy woodworking project which symbolizes new birth out of tragedy and plans to take the concept further. “The Birdhouse Project” has helped him and will help others let go and expose themselves in the walls of a birdhouse.

Technorati Tags: adult grieving process, easy woodworking, small woodworking, woodworking book

We are living in difficult economic times. Many of us are having to tighten our belts and this may extend to woodworking projects. 

Popular Mechanics has a page on their website listing eight different easy woodworking projects that emphasize frugality by such tactics as using reclaimed wood and avoiding high cost machinery. The eight projects themselves are from the website Instructables, which gives step-by-step instructions on how to complete them in detail with pictures. The projects are as follows:

1. A table made from reclaimed wood. The finished product is a stylish, modern-looking table with steel legs. The reclaimed wood has to have nails, staples, and other debris removed and must be sanded before it is ready to use.

2. A method of flattening out lumber without using a jointer. A jointer is an expensive, specialized piece of equipment that many of us do not have access to. This article explains how to use a sanding drum in place of a jointer.

3. Projects using old fence boards. Several projects are detailed in this article using fence boards as old as fifty years. They include a router table, saw stand, picture frames, kitchen hutch, signs, and fence gate.

4. A substitute for a lathe. This project shows how to use a drill and grindstone for wood turning instead of using a professional lathe. It includes a method for creating identical objects such as drawer handles as well as how to create a unique object.

5. Woodworking without metal hardware or glue. This project explains how to make mortise-and-tenons, hinges and dovetails, and simple joints without using glue or metal fasteners.

6. Stool made from wheelbarrow wheel. A designer describes how he salvaged a wheelbarrow wheel to make a stool with a swivelling seat.

7. Low cost marquetry. This article describes how to use a wood burning tool to draw an image onto a wood plank and stain it to simulate the expensive practice of marquetry.

8. Make your own oars with 2×4s. The process of crafting oars from a 2×4 is described here, avoiding the necessity of buying the expensive item. You must have an existing oar to trace for the project, however.

These projects are worth checking out as low cost, do-it-yourself ways of creating economical quality projects. Who can afford to be wasteful in these times?

Technorati Tags: easy woodworking, ideas woodworking

There is a lot of talk about going green and reducing your carbon footprint these days. It is refreshing to read in an article from Ashland Daily Tidings that some young people are taking that goal seriously and working toward it. Three high school students from Ashland, Oregon, are taking on a green easy woodworking project by building a wind turbine.

Ashland High School students David Erhun, Noah Slater and Jordan Alexander are currently working on the project. The idea originated with 16 year-old junior Erhun, who recruited seniors Slater and Alexander to help him. 

Erhun got the idea when he was in London this summer, attending the Camp for Climate Action. They discussed grassroots energy projects there and the wind turbine discussion peaked Erhun’s interest. He attended a workshop to teach people to build wind turbines and he decided to pursue the subject further when he got home. 

Because he did not have the knowledge to take the project on without research, he turned to a book by Hugh Piggott, a leader in the field of small wind turbine technology. A Wind Turbine Recipe Book, published in January of this year, proved to be Erhun’s guide. After reading it, he recruited Slater and Alexander and they began to work on a small wind turbine using Piggott’s book as their guide.

The wind turbine that they are building is about a quarter the size of a normal small wind turbine and will be made of wood and metal. The teenagers realize that it may not produce a huge amount of energy, but see it as a good starting project and will be proud of the accomplishment. The wood blades of the windmill are about one meter long each and were cut and sanded using simple woodworking tools. Their next steps are to install an alternator and a metal base. The metal work in the project is also simple but will require some welding that they will need help with.

The young men plan to have the project completed between November and January. They will then use it as a demonstration of how three high school students can complete an easy woodworking project that benefits the environment.

I think we could all take inspiration from these three young men from Oregon and work on our own environmentally friendly woodworking projects.

Recommended Reading:

• www.windaction.org | Another wind turbine before board – The Otter Tail County Board is scheduled hear from a property owner regarding a proposed wind farm near Parkers Prairie. …The discussion on the wind farm, proposed by Prairie Wind Energy LLC, is scheduled to take place at 9:45 am The …

• Use The Tax System To Reduce Your Small Wind Turbine Cost – Just a few months back, before President Bush left office, he signed the revised Emergency Economic.

• www.windaction.org | School mulls wind power – The Indian River Central School District is looking into putting a wind turbine on one of its campuses to decrease the district’s energy costs and carbon footprint. …”We are proposing a study to assess the wind we have,” district …

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