Today we start a new build project. We’ve (and by “we” I mean my wife) been in need of a full-length mirror in our bedroom for quite a longtime now. We (this time I mean “us”) finally purchased one not to long ago and I intended to hang it behind the door in our bedroom. Even though it’s beveled on the edges it just looked to plain, so we were trying to decide if it should be hidden away in a closet? It didn’t take very long to think about it, but what we really needed was a nice frame to set it in and mount in position. So I headed to the basement and decided it was time to break into my stash of aged cherry. Now that we have the backstory of today’s project, let’s get started building it. This is a two part build video, starting with the basics of ripping and crosscutting the stock to its dimensions and then moving into “handcut” mortise and tenon joinery. Then next week we’ll wrap it all up. Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

478 Samantha's mirror pt 1

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It’s easy to be inspired in the kitchen to make something, and I’m not just referring to food either (okay, maybe I am just a little.) Items for use in the kitchen are popular projects, not only with our spouses but often with family and friends. My wife Samantha has a long list of things she’d like built to help her keep things organized in the kitchen, and at the top of her list is to get rid of the hideous plastic utensil organizer we’ve had since we first moved in together 18 years ago. So on today’s episode we’re building a custom utensil organizer for our kitchen cabinet drawer. One that not only holds the crazy number of forks, spoons and knives we own (I have no idea how we’ve accumulated so many) but also all of the extra things that I couldn’t tell you exactly what they do. This is a custom-sized project, so I won’t share a plan for it, but after watching I’m certain you’ll be able to build something very similar for your kitchen drawers if you were interested. It all comes together using two of the most basic joints in the woodshop, the Rabbet and Dado, and given the number we use, you should become quite proficient in setting them up and getting great results on your next project. A huge thanks to the folks at Bell Forest Lumber for providing the beautiful tiger-maple for the project from a donation to the show several years ago. If you haven’t checked them out previously for lumber, you should definitely take a look, I have yet to not like anything I’ve received from them.

558 Utensil Drawer Organizer "Forks, spoons and knives...oh my!"

You have questions and comments about the simple thickness planer sled? I have answers; although I can’t guarantee they’re the ones you want to hear. Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

556 Simple Planer Sled Q&A Follow Up

For the past several months while I've been on the road for work my wife Samantha has been tackling a kitchen project. I've been helping out where, and when I could, but for the most part it was all her sweat and effort going into it (and before anyone asks, no, I didn't build any cabinets or new doors for the kitchen.) In fact, aside from removing a small partition wall, along with tearing out the countertops and backsplash, the project was really more of a "facelift" than remodel. But now that it's completed, the one project Samantha requested all along was a set of live-edge shelves for where a cabinet once sat. I doubt I'll do much to document their installation; it's pretty straight-forward. Probably the most difficult part of the build will be carefully drilling through ceramic tile to install them. Of course with that said now, finding a way to mill the 12" wide boards I'm planning to use could've been an even bigger struggle if it weren't for my thickness planer sled. On today's episode, we're breaking out the thickness planer sled first featured in the Tall Dresser build and putting it to use again.

555 A simple planer sled

I can't believe this is happening to me, but I'm getting bit by the turning bug and it's obvious it's contagious! Now that my time in the shop is currently less than it use to be, I really want to be able to knock out a project or two from start to finish, and the lathe is probably one of the one tools where this is entirely possible. In today's episode I'm literally turning some scrap maple into a small bowl. What'll I use it for? Probably to hold keys, or spare change, or more likely M&M's! In this episode I made quite a few references to the Easy Wood Tools' gouges and detailers I was using (pretty much the entire time.) If you're interested in purchasing them or just checking them out or yourself, you can find them at Woodcraft.com Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

554 Small bowl for holding stuff

Over the years there have been a lot of questions from new woodworkers. One of the most frequent is "should I buy a full set of chisels or just one or two?" The easy answer is "YES get a full set" but that's not always the correct one. In fact, if I had to rebuild my entire shop from the ground up and retool it, I'd probably avoid an entire set of chisels and instead concentrate on adding one or two high quality versions as needed. In today's episode I share with you the advice I like to offer new woodworkers (and some experienced ones) when it comes to purchasing chisels. With so many different tool manufacturers, sizes and even specialty chisels to choose from, it's hard to decide where to get started when buying your first (or next) chisel(s). My advice is pretty simple, and it can easily transfer to other tools and accessories in your shop later down the road. Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

478 Samantha's mirror pt 1

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