Building Small Projects

Small scale projects are a great way to use those offcuts you simply cant bear to throw away. Not only do small projects use less lumber, they make great gifts. This book offers a wide variety of woodworking gems on a smaller scale. Theres something here to inspire any woodworker, with projects ranging in complexity from simple, but elegant boxes to a carved and upholstered Chippendale stool.

Whats inside:

• Projects to make in a weekend
• Making mitered boxes
• Making perfect frames for pictures and mirrors
• Building compact, wall-hanging shelves and cabinets
• Designing and building occasional tables
• Detailed plans for comfortable and sturdy footstools

THE NEW BEST OF FINE WOODWORKING series collects the best articles from recent issues of Fine Woodworking magazine. Organized by topic and fully indexed, these books make it easy to access the best woodworking ideas and information straight from the experts.

Introduction

1. Boxes
A Small Elegant Box
Making Mitered Boxes
An Elegant Jewelry Box
Shaker Oval Boxes
Building a Humidor
Thomas Jeffersons Writing Desk

2. Picture Frames and Mirrors
Splined Miters Join Mirror Frame
Picture-Framing Techniques
A Basic Mirror Frame Detailed to Your Liking

3. Clocks
Pear Mantel Clock
Building a Shaker Wall Clock

4. Shelves and Cabinets
Build a Wall Shelf
Colonial Cupboard
Craftsman Wall Cabinet
Magazine Cabinet
Wineglass Cabinet

5. Tables
Build a Shaker Round Stand
Making an End Table

6. Stools
A Sturdy Footstool
Oval Chippendale Stool

Credits

Index

The first useful object I ever built out of wood was a lidded box. It was not a piece to admire for its beauty -- but I was thrilled that all the parts simply fit together. I was only 12, and I built the box without supervision and completed it with all 10 digits intact, something that no doubt thrilled my parents. The box was made of materials I had picked up at a home construction site -- plywood and wood screws. As far as I knew at the time, I invented the joinery: butt joints reinforced with glue and screws.

I slathered several coats of paint over the piece and added a hasp and lock to guard my not-so-rare coin collection and a few risqu post cards of Atlantic City bathing beauties. The box survives to this day, intact, the treasures of the time long since swapped for a place to store a few seldom-used tools.

I cant say that my plywood box project was the experience that inspired me to eventually pick up woodworking in my adult years, but the process of building it brought a sense of satisfaction no different from what I feel today upon completing a piece.

By calling these projects small, we dont mean to imply simple or uninspired. The projects we have chosen -- boxes, cabinets, tables, stools -- run the gamut from simple to elaborate. Some may be completed in a weekend; others may take months. They are taken from the pages of Fine Woodworking magazine and come with detailed instructions to walk you through the process, step by step.

Depending on your skill level, you may want to dive right in and tackle the classic Thomas Jeffersons Writing Desk, a challenging yet rewarding project. Or maybe you want something to do in an afternoon -- check out the plans for Shaker Oval Boxes. No matter what you make, remember to have fun. Its not just about the object; let the process itself be an adventure.

Anatole Burkin
editor, Fine Woodworking