what were your first 5 projects?

[Bob Riefer]

Ok, think back for a minute... Aside from high school shop class, what would you consider your first 5 woodworking projects to be?

and..

If you could do it again, what would they have been?

[Jerome Hanby]

Saw Board
Router Trammel
Crosscut Sled
Massive Dollhouse shaped MDF mosnterosity of a bed for my daughter
Mini-Lathe Stand

I would have skipped all the MDF and done the bed out of plywood. Skipped the saw board and purchased the PSI Portable Panel Saw sooner. Built more support into my Router Trammel. Not have decided that the drawers in the lathe stand would be a good excuse to get my lock miter bit setup and working. Made my crosscut sled wider, deeper, from better materials, and with a replaceable strip for the part the saw blade contacts.

[Bruce Page]

That’s asking a lot of the old memory cells. I would have to say making wall hanging plant holders like the one in the pic. I made a bunch of them to give away to friends & girlfriends. This was back when my shop consisted of a hand drill, circular saw, saber saw, & router.
I’d do it again; I don’t think I would change anything in my wood working journey.

[Jim Rimmer]

Walnut veneer cedar chest, maple buffet, pecan desk, and a couple of turnings. If I could do it again, I would correct the mistakes I made but probably make the same things. In fact, I did a lot of rework on the desk to make it more usable.

[David Hostetler]

Not counting shop class? What about before when I was working with my Dad?

I am guessing your goal is to hear the first 5 of the did it all on our own type stuff... I am pretty sure there are other ones in and out of this list, so accuracy stinks, but these are the first 5 that leap to mind, so here goes.

#1. Replacement dinette table / sleeper insert for a rented camping trailer. Super easy, but it looked EXACTLY like the original did before it broke...

#2. Not fine woodworking, but a project done with wood. I replaced my side privacy fence and gate. I just added a cable anti sag tension assembly to it yesterday. I finished it in early 2004. This section of fence has stood up to Hurricanes Rita and Ike no problem...

#3. Strip and refinish a set of kitchen cabinet doors for a friend of mine. I call this my project because he wasn't really useful in it. All he more or less did was handed over beers and stayed out of his now ex wife's way... Long ugly story...

#4. Tree Slice clock. I had to use a borrowed belt sander to try to get the slice even, and I borrowed forstner bits to rough out the recess for the clock works. This was a mother's day present years ago...

#5. GIANT laminated oak / walnut cutting board for LOML.

I wouldn't change a thing about any of them as they are each and every one of them a step in my learning progression.

[glenn bradley]

A rolling worktable (first and last project built on the floor) that is still in use. Baby Delta DP cabinet with euro-hinges and a slide out accessory drawer (sold it with the DP), a wall mounted workbench with a pullout "plans" bread board (sold it with the house), a bench tool system where the CMS, bench grinder and so forth mounted to boards that hung from a cleat on the wall and were placed into the vise on the rolling workbench for use and a dado jig for my router.

[Ryan Hellmer]

(1) Built in bookshelves for a remodel I was doing, (2) tablesaw cart w/ built in router table, (3) workbench, (4) radial arm saw stand and cabinet, (5) chest of drawers still in my daughters room. Wouldn't change a thing. I gave the radial arm saw to my dad and plan on building a new bench soon, but otherwise all are still performing well. Hard to believe how much I've learned since then.

Ryan

[Jerome Hanby]

Have any pictures of your (4) radial arm saw stand and cabinet? I'm looking for ideas!


(1) Built in bookshelves for a remodel I was doing, (2) tablesaw cart w/ built in router table, (3) workbench, (4) radial arm saw stand and cabinet, (5) chest of drawers still in my daughters room. Wouldn't change a thing. I gave the radial arm saw to my dad and plan on building a new bench soon, but otherwise all are still performing well. Hard to believe how much I've learned since then.

Ryan

[Brian Vaughn]

I'll use the first 5 I built that were my own rough designs...

1) Coffee Table (Cedar,
2) Workbench
3) DVD shelves
4) Shaving horse
5) Necklace cabinet for my wife

I still have and use all but the workbench, which I sold with my last house (Not to worry, it was a simple 2x4 frame construction with an MDF top, not worth moving).

[Dave Gaul]

1) A magazine rack/holder - very simple, plans from Lowes' website, not a very good result, but it's a start!
2) A pair of speaker stands for back surround speakers, actually turned out very nice, my own design, still in use today
3) A cat tower/condo for my first cat, my own design, still stands over 7' tall today and 8+ cats have trampled all over it!
4) A bar-height dining room table for my best bud as a wedding gift. My design. Turned out ok, should have given myself more time for planning & execution
5) A drafting/art table for one of my daughters. My own design, tilting table, adjustable height, lots of storage for art supplies. Again, more time should have been given!

There are some other smallerish projects in between those, but those 5 are the biggest "firsts".

[John Fabre]

Mine would be a

1 - Tree fort constructed 100 feet in the trees

2 – Go cart

3 – Birdhouse

4 – Coffee and end table

5 – Workbench and Router table

[Andrew Gibson]

hmm

1- coffee table from salvaged wood... i think i was 13 so pre highschool... besides i was home schooled. sits in my grandparents living room
2- foot stool i think
3- tool chest. in the shop currently full of tools... first attempt at dovetails... there was a bench or 2 in there somewhere but i don't count them.
4- ... hmmm I'm not sure... getting close to my first rocker
5- had to be my first rocker. I think. I think I was 16.

[John A. Schaefer]

Bob-
What a great thread. I really had to think about this one, too.

1) Coffin-shaped shadow box and storage box
2) Window-seat in our old house
3) Rolling stand for my starter table saw
4) Built-ins for Audio/Video gear and DVD storage drawers
5) Guest room headboard and night stands

[Dave Mura]

1) Workbench
2) Bookshelf
3) Coffee Table
4) TV Stand
5) Speaker stands
http://couponfit.com/img/7d62a275027741d98073d42b8f735c68.gifhttp://couponfit.com/img/11d867796d85db8cad5280ac44cec7c1.gifhttp://couponfit.com/img/a57d48399922b03419153a9760c5ce53.gifhttp://couponfit.com/img/b90ba83119860d7f6a6dfaab9f2aa150.gif

[paul cottingham]

1 Side Tables
2 Tool Cabinet
3 Plane cabinet
4 Saw Cabinet
5 Coffee table

Out of order, I know, but there you are.

[Matthew Hills]

1. cutting board from kitchen cabinet (plywood with breadboard ends)
A very simplistic item, but it was the first time I tried to make something for our house, and it was a struggle with workholding (ending up standing my first router on-end and running my breadboard end pieces over that to put the grooves in <--- don't do this !!!)

2. closet built-in
Adapted from one of those weekend projects magazines. I replaced all butt joints with dadoes and lock rabbets because I'd started reading woodworking forumns by then. The worst thing here was using borg plywood in which I found some big voids (when my hand went through the veneer) and which was prone to warping badly. This project took forever. Oh, and it was a lot of rotary-sawn oak plywood with iron-on edge banding. The hilights were the few pieces of solid wood I was using for cleats. From this I started to develop some preferences in materials.

3. closet built-in #2
Simpler design and made from birch -- some plywood, but solid wood for many pieces. Simple watco finish came out looking fine. Still smile when I look at the simple cove moulding I made for this. Smile fades when I see the slight gap where I had pre-sanded an edge where I later mounted the moulding...

4. clock
Small project made from some salvaged wood bits and one of those press-in clock pieces. I really liked the grain I worked into this piece. Had originally intended it for another recipient, but found myself scrambling for a housewarming present for a neighbor (the teak in the project had come from the demolition of their old house, so it seemed fitting)

5. corner cabinet
Another big box. First experience with glass door construction, hanging doors, etc. Put on some minor crown moulding and it looks pretty good in our dining room. My painting technique still not very good.


Matt

[James Baker SD]

1. File Cabinet (44 years ago)
2. Bookcase same height and width as desk (43 years ago)
3. Tall Bookcase (43 years ago)
4. Computer Desk (30 years ago)
5. another Tall Bookcase (30 years ago)

bit of a gap between 3 and 4; had quite a spell of very bad health.
not counting picture frames made from purchased molding.

[scott spencer]

1. cherry coffee table (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Projects/9-6-09021-1.jpg)
2. maple work bench
3. pine play table and chairs
4. oak end table (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/Projects/9-6-09023.jpg)
5. oak armoire

[Jim Becker]

Sound reinforcement speakers for a synagogue
Mobile/knockdown plant stand
Cherry desk for Professor Dr. SWMBO
Rebuilding an older bow-front chest of drawers including re-veneering some components and replacing some solid mahogany pieces
Beds for my nieces

[Myk Rian]

Pretty much the right order. This all started when I retired 7 years ago.

199773 199771 199769 199770 199772

[Andrew Howe]

Let's see
1. wooden snow plow built from scrap plywood for my Chevrolet Chevett ( tired of shoveling snow from driveway) 1984
2. small wooden tv and stereo stand 1991
3. Shaker wood box ( Norm A. Plans) 1994
4. Cheap work bench 2004
5. Enclosed stand for my delta bandsaw 2011
Enjoy

[Greg Peterson]

1. Cutting board
2. Adirondack chair
3. Studio table
4. Lap top slide guitar
5. Garden bench

[Mike Circo]

It's been decades, so let's see...
1) Norm's Adirondack Chair.
Wasn't that everybodys first?

2) A copy of a Danish modern sofa table with a tile inlay top.
That style of furniture is easy for a self taught beginner as it's very plain and rectangular.

3) An oak end table.
With few tools, it was easy to get oak already dimensioned.


4) Norm's blanket chest.
Stretching my skills at this point. But still using already dimensioned lumber.

5) Pie Safe with punched tin panels
Now I was on a roll. Still used already dimensioned pine, but it is still one of my favorites.

[Greg Portland]

Good thread idea!

My first 5:
- End grain cutting board
- Edge grain slide-in cutting board
- Veneered subwoofer
- Router table (no drawers though)
- Oregon-shaped award plaques (35 of them; learned a lot about semi-mass production)

If I had to do it over again:
- Cutting board (basic stock prep, glue up & clamping skills, edge routing, etc.)
- Veneered subwoofer (carcass skills, making something with 90 degree corners, veneer skills, -maybe- finishing if a wood veneer)
- Shop cabinet w. box-joint drawers (carcass skills w/o the veneer to cover up mistakes, drawer building, basic edge joinery)
- Shop cabinet with doors (same as above; learn Euro vs western framing, door hardware & mounting)
- End table or other rectangular piece of furniture. (M&T joints introduced, table mounting to account for seasonal movement, finishing skills, etc.)

[Jeff Monson]

1.Toychest for my son's room
2. Bookshelf for my son's room
3. Processional cross for our church
4. Chest of drawers
5. Fishtank stand

[Michael Titus]

1. Firewood
2. Firewood
3. Firewood
4. Firewood
5. Footstool

[Bob Riefer]

michael wrote:



1. Firewood
2. Firewood
3. Firewood
4. Firewood
5. Footstool

ha ha, too funny, I just nearly spit coffee out my nose.

I'm having trouble determining what I'd consider a "woodworking" project for my purposes. For instance, I built my kitchen islands, which look like furniture, but were built more with carpentry/construction techniques. So I'm not sure I'd count that. And I've slapped together countless rudimentary (but functional) shop fixtures, but I don't think those count. And the nice table I built in my woodworking course... I don't think that counts because, honestly, there's no way on earth it would have turned out so perfectly had the teacher not been whispering over my shoulder throughout the process. And barn building is decidely a construction activity.

So, for me, the plan is:

1) Norm's adirondack chairs (75% done with chair #1, with plans to build 8 total)

2) Farmhouse table for our porch

3) Chairs of various styles for the farm house table on porch

4) Built in's (drawers and cabinets) for wifey's closet

5) Floor to ceiling build in entertainment center for porch


My goal is to set myself up for success by choosing achievable projects early on, and then building on that. 2nd goal is to create useful things for our home while also learning new skills along the way.

Does my first 5 projects seem like a decent mix to meet those goals?

[Bruce Page]

1. Firewood
2. Firewood
3. Firewood
4. Firewood
5. Footstool

LOL! Perfect! :D:D