Looking for super easy woodworking projects that don't need to be "fine" woodworking.

[Brian Sommers]

This I know sounds terrible as if I'm trying to cut corners, but I'm looking for a projects that don't need "fine" woodworking skills to complete.

Not that I'm trying to build something without precision. Is there any projects that would still function and appear ok if not everything is perfect?

I'm doing this by hand as well.. I do have a circular saw, hand drill, jigsaw but everything else is by hand.

What would you all recommend?

[Art Mann]

Have a look at this website and see if any of the projects are interesting. They seem simple to build but useful to me.

http://www.ana-white.com/

[John K Jordan]

This I know sounds terrible as if I'm trying to cut corners, but I'm looking for a projects that don't need "fine" woodworking skills to complete. Not that I'm trying to build something without precision. Is there any projects that would still function and appear ok if not everything is perfect?
I'm doing this by hand as well.. I do have a circular saw, hand drill, jigsaw but everything else is by hand.
What would you all recommend?

Brian,

That's exactly the way I worked 40+ years ago, until I got a radial arm saw, then built my first shop!

Here's one simple and extremely useful little project. I made a bunch of these little benches from 1x12 shelving board, some with and some without the hand holes. Some had a bit of overhang on the ends for clamping. I can measure this one if you want.

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Everyone wanted one - probably could have sold a bunch. I used this one for chores in the house: carry it with some tools on the shelf, use it as a work bench for sawing and drilling, then stand on it to reach. These days it's a bench on the porch for putting on boots! Can be made with a hand or circular saw and a jig saw.

Another thing I made about the same time which has gotten use by three (now adult) boys and two grandsons, made from a piece of pine shelving board (and a piece of dowel rod) using mostly a jig saw, put together with glue and screws.:

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This little horse used to have a leather bridle and reins but I guess they got used with too much fun. I braided a leather tail and made leather ears. which are still kind of there.

I can't remember where I got the idea but I recently drew up some plans and an assembly diagram:

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The hardest thing would be cutting angled dados in the cross boards but that could be done by cutting the edges with a saw and cleaning out with a chisel.

JKJ

[kevin nee]

Try making some saw horses. There are a lot of different sizes & styles. Very useful for stacking and cutting wood, keeping things off the ground, low staging, a quick table with a sheet of plywood and the list goes on & on. I often make new homeowners a set as a house warming present. Good luck,

[Alan Lightstone]

I learned woodworking by building my shop first. Cabinets, shelving, table saw table, router table, lumber storage, drawers, etc... No one will care if that stuff isn't perfect.

I forced myself to use different techniques for each project, so I learned how to build things many different ways. Mortise and tenon, box joints, dovetails, Kreg pocket screws, miters, etc.. Now I can plan out a project, and have a decent idea of the best way to do it, or the fastest, or the most fun.

[Bill Conerly]

I have a beautiful grease gun box (except in one area where I learned how fast a belt sander could remove plywood veneer). And I have a very nice box for steel shooting targets. And I'm trying to make a shop cart look better than a shop cart ought to look. So make anything that would be useful, and try to make it better than it needs to be. You'll know when you're ready to make living room furniture.

[Kevin Smira]

Look up the "one sheet workbench" by jay bates and April Wilkerson. I've built three so far and they can be done in an afternoon. Then, you've got a work table!

[Andy Giddings]

The Kreg website has a number of projects that uses simple butt joints/pocket screws that might suit

[Ole Anderson]

I am with Alan. Start with simple things you need in your shop. Even cabinets.

[Brian Tymchak]

Birdhouses. Very functional, can use your imagination, hone some skills.

[Jim Finn]

Making toy boxes and toys come to mind. Even simple boxes or step stools. Also wood carving.

[Jim Breen (NY)]

After you build the recommended benches and sawhorses to build your skills, I suggest building a set of Adirondack chairs. A sander and a few small clamps to hold parts while assembling will be handy to complete these and you'll have something to showcase your talents to your SO. (My SO can't appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into work tables, saw horses, etc). And if the SO is happy, maybe you'll get more tools!

Popular Woodworking has the New Yankee plans available, and there are YouTube videos of the build to help.

[Brian Sommers]

These are great ideas! Thanks.
I have my workbench already. Birdhouses are a great idea. I do want to make some stand up height planters and the little benches. If I could get those dimensions, that would be great.

Thanks for the Adirondack chairs.

To: Jim Finn - you mention wood carving? I would love to get into that but that strikes me as very advanced. Do you have some examples of wood carving for beginners? I would like to know more of how wood carving would fit.

[David Eisenhauer]

Years ago I subscribed to "Woodsmith" magazine and each issue usually had the plans for something like you are describing. If you can find some of those magazines, you should find something. As I recall, each issue tended to concentrate on a particular joint/method/etc and then included the plans for a simple use of that item, then a more involved project using the same item. "Woodworkers Journal" may also have lots of "around-the-house/yard" items planned out for you as well.

[Jason Lester]

Popular Woodworking publishes easy projects each month. You just need simple tools and a pocket hole jig for the most part.

[John K Jordan]

These are great ideas! Thanks.
I have my workbench already. Birdhouses are a great idea. I do want to make some stand up height planters and the little benches. If I could get those dimensions, that would be great.

Thanks for the Adirondack chairs.

To: Jim Finn - you mention wood carving? I would love to get into that but that strikes me as very advanced. Do you have some examples of wood carving for beginners? I would like to know more of how wood carving would fit.

Brian, I'm not Jim :) but you might consider chip carving. I started learning last fall - these are my first few practice boards. After a month of practice I could carve just about anything I tried. It's not that difficult.

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After a few weeks of practice I made this, describes my shop well:

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The great thing about chip carving is the minimal investment in tools. All you need is one knife, like the one on the left, although I found the second one was a bit easier for curves:

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Most chip carving is on northern basswood, a little finer grained than southern basswood.


My goal in learning the chip carving was to carve chips into woodturnings. A bit more difficult, but not too bad. The hardest thing is coming up with and laying out the pattern. I did these after a few months of carving on flat things. Basswood is light weight and pretty soft so I tend to glue it to other woods.

The first picture shows some of the layout. The last one is a Beads of Courage box, a program for sick kids, many very ill with cancer.
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If you are interested in trying this, I'd be glad to tell you what I learned. The most important thing is preparing the knife. None of those I bought were useful without a few hours of reshaping and sharpening. Must be *real* sharp!

Other types of carving are fun too. You can spend a lot of money on electric carving tools and very expensive gouges and things but you can also do some amazing things with just a knife, two or three small carving gouges, and perhaps some riffler files. And sandpaper. Again, basswood is a popular wood for carving but I've also carved other things such as bradford pear, mahogany, and cocobolo. Most things I carve are relatively small.

JKJ

[Prashun Patel]

Great first projects:

hall bench
shoe rack
book case

I suggest you make something extremely functional as a first project.

[Ted Diehl]

I am new to woodworking and I've built couple of April Wilkerson's projects. She even sells plans with cut-lists and necessary Hardware. The project I use the most is the wall-mounted foldable worktable I use it every day and it is VERY easy to build.

[John K Jordan]

Brian,

That's exactly the way I worked 40+ years ago, until I got a radial arm saw, then built my first shop!

Here's one simple and extremely useful little project. I made a bunch of these little benches from 1x12 shelving board, some with and some without the hand holes. Some had a bit of overhang on the ends for clamping. I can measure this one if you want.

348027

Everyone wanted one - probably could have sold a bunch. I used this one for chores in the house: carry it with some tools on the shelf, use it as a work bench for sawing and drilling, then stand on it to reach. These days it's a bench on the porch for putting on boots! Can be made with a hand or circular saw and a jig saw.




In case anyone is interested, I drew some dimensions on the photo

I always used 1x12 pine shelving board for everything and made the width whatever the board was (3/4" by about 11.25") Optional hole in top for carrying with one hand. I made the overall height about 16-1/4" - it could be higher but I was afraid it would be less stable at this width.

The ends have 3/4"x3" notches on the ends for the four 3" support pieces. I cut rabbets on the bottom support pieces and dados in the end pieces to fit the shelf but it would work fine without them.

I have also made these with a hinged top and a second shelf board for a storage compartment right under the top. In that case, I cut two handholds in the end pieces for carrying, but a couple of latches for the lid might work.

The dimensioned drawing is quick-and-dirty with no perspective correction ...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=348269&d=1480127542

JKJ

[jack duren]

My daughter wanted a simple cross member table to go under the TV. She should me a picture so I made it. Very popular with the DIY crowd. Simple project..
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