Barbecuing is a great pastime, but the prep work is a chore - lugging everything from the utensils and hot pads to the charcoal and lighter fluid out to the grill. Build this barbecue cart as a way of saving some effort. It's sturdy enough to wheel around outside and large enough to store one or more bags of charcoal. We're sure it will prove to be a capable assistant to your family's chief outdoor cook - even if that person is you!

One of the best ways to spend more time on the deck or patio is to build a picnic table and benches. Made of redwood, our design easily seats four adults. The pedestal style provides ample leg room, and everyone gets a generously sized bench. With a little seasonal care, here's an outdoor project that will easily last for decades.

Nothing beats spending some leisure time in the great outdoors, whether that amounts to a quiet corner of the yard, a full-blown wilderness escape or on the sidelines of the next softball game. Wherever you go, these handy two-piece oak chairs are made to travel. Slide the parts together one way for use or another way for storage.

Sometimes the best way to learn furniture design is to reproduce an antique. That's what we'll do in this project, taking our measurements and joinery directly from a century-old cupboard our author found years ago. The original was built solely with hand tools. For a real trip back in time, sharpen up yours and try to do the same.

Start with a classic design, meld fine machine joinery with a few hand tool operations, and you have a beautiful introduction to Arts & Crafts chairmaking. This will be an involved project, but there's no reason to fear its construction. Most of the joint cutting can be done by ordinary shop machines with excellent results, and the handwork amounts to fine paring and fitting.

Just as your woodshop needs a good workbench, the gardener in your household will work more effectively with a sturdy gardening bench. Ours is made of white oak and features a removable mixing tub, hidden potting tray and plenty of room for storing pots and gardening tools. If spring is nearly sprung where you live, set aside a couple weekends to build this project so you'll be ready for it. 

If finding a specific grit sandpaper in your sandpaper drawer is a frustrating chore, here's an easy way to bring some order to the chaos. A reader submitted this handy caddy design, which is basically an embellishment of a simple alignment block for installing orbital sanding disks on a sander. By making several of these alignment blocks for each of the grits you use, all you need is a case to store them in. Suddenly that drawer is much less cluttered!

Federal styling, an American response to various European influences, relies on a combination of simple elements to create an elegant complete design. With that goal in mind, our secretary features oval inlays and book-matched burl veneer, together with tapered legs and slender, light-colored inlay strips.

Set aside a weekend and a few feet of clear maple lumber for building this old-fashioned collector's cabinet.

One way to make the most of pleasant summer weather is wile away the hours in an outdoor swing. Ours is made of lumberyard cedar with ordinary hardware. Arbor framework makes this swing freestanding, so you don't need a porch or big tree. Mortise and tenon joinery adds stability and style to this fun-to-make backyard project.

They swivel, they're sculpted and they even offer a touch of lower back support. Despite the usual chair-making convention, you won't even need a lathe. All that and you can still build one of these beautiful bar stools in about eight hours. But with a project like this, you never want to make just one, and each additional stool gets easier to build as you get more comfortable with the techniques.

Safe and sturdy, stylish and practical, this weekend project is easy to build. Butt joints covered by simple fluted moldings create a classic toy box that stores tons of fun, even if it all tends to stay in the living room and in full view. Eventually, this project transforms easily into a keepsake chest and even doubles as extra seating.

You're always ready for company with our modern twist on the time-honored trundle. Plus, those little ones can actually get a good night's rest while also enjoying the fun of sleeping on this unusual bed-they'll probably squabble over the bottom bunk for a change! We've incorporated simple bed hardware and ultra-large slides to make a sturdy and beautiful bed. Ours is made of mahogany, but you could use any hardwood or softwood you prefer, and it will be equally attractive.

Band saws are wonderfully quiet to operate and don't pose the same kickback threat as table saws. They're ideal for making straight or curved cuts, and the saw kerf creates much less airborne dust. But if your bandsaw isn't tuned properly, you'll be the one singing the blues. Here's how to get your saw adjusted and back on track.

Miter saws deserve a full-time workstation to do their best work. Unfortunately, most of us don't have six or eight feet of wall space to dedicate to one tool. This rolling cabinet with tip-up extension wings makes the perfect solution for tight space; just roll it out and flip up the wings when you need the saw, and fold them down for effective storage against a wall when you're through.

Table saws and crosscut sleds are a marriage made in heaven. A crosscut sled will add accuracy, ease of operation and safety to your work. Here's a great sled design you can build in a couple hours.

Each sloppy winter day, wouldn't it be great to have a place to sit down while you pull on your boots or galoshes? If you've seen plenty of winters already, the need probably grows as you age. And what about extra storage - wouldn't it be wonderful to have a spot for gloves and hats, too? Maybe this is the year to do something about it. Here's a handy little entry bench that will meet all your needs and then some - and it's a gem of a project to work on. The front and sides are standard raised panels, th...

In today's highly mechanized and electronic world, an elegant wooden wall clock makes more of a statement than ever. It ties us to a simpler past, when parlors were reserved for distinguished household guests and time was measured by handmade clock movements. This project has the added appeal of a charming family story passed along by John English, an Irishman and former editor with Woodworker's Journal.

Before the days of Samsonite, big voyages required big steamer trunks. While travel has changed quite a bit over time, the allure of a solid steamer trunk hasn't passed away with the jet age. You'll probably never use this sturdy, handsome trunk for a trip, but it's the perfect accent piece at the foot of the bed for storing winter blankets.

Here's the perfect project for expanding you skill base with a router. This chest combines cope and stick joinery, sliding dovetails, panel raising and a few flutes just for fun. It's got the appearance and quality of an heirloom keepsake, so it's an excellent candidate for investing in premium lumber and taking your time to get things just right.

This eye-catching reproduction piece displays many of the signature aspects of the British Arts & Crafts style, including a chamfered crown, muntins in the glazed doors, gentle arches in the paneled doors, solid sidewalls and splayed feet. It's an ambitious project with lots of parts but well worth the effort to tackle.

Sure, the focal point of most artwork is generally the art and not the frame that contains it. But that's no reason to ignore the need for a proper and visually pleasing frame. Our double-frame design features pinned mortise and tenon joints for durability. Its proportion, wood grain and warm finish contribute to a harmonious whole.

Your band-sawing results will always be on the straight and narrow when you use this helpful accessory. It fits in your saw table's miter slot and clamps in place. A "single point" attachment makes it perfect for resawing or to compensate for blade drift during rip cuts. Plastic laminate makes the fence face durable and slippery smooth.

Getting a look of sophistication can sometimes be simpler than you ever imagined. The distinctive lines of this bed frame were achieved using basic joinery and one primary tool, the router. We've combined styles here as well as two wood species to add even more flair to this project.

Projects don't have to start from dozens of parts to form beautiful objects in the end. This hall mirror, made from four sticks of mahogany, a piece of mirror glass and a few wooden retainers proves the point. The mirror would make a handsome accent in any decor and is easy to tackle if you are a beginning woodworker with modest tools.

This handsome dovetailed cabinet slips off your shop wall to serve as a carrying case for a router and good selection of bits. Flip it over and it becomes an instant router table, complete with an adjustable fence. Truly, a router table made for the road.

Miters depend on end grain-to-end grain glue joints, which can be weak and subject to failure. Dividing your miters in two to build an octagonal shape creates twice as many opportunities for trouble. Our author solved the challenge by painstakingly tuning his saw's miter settings and adding pentagon-shaped decorative splines at every miter.

A must for every shop with space limitations, this project is an outfeed table for your saw that transforms into a low-height assembly table for your larger projects. It also provides plenty of storage for blades and saw accessories. The design is perfectly suited for contractor's saws with motors that extend behind the base.

Timber framed joinery in the author's 100-year-old Minnesota smokehouse provided the inspiration for making the split-cut mortises on this bench. The rest of the styling is straightforward and easy to reproduce with a band saw and drum sander. Then throw in a dash of contrasting wood to add a bit of flair to this sturdy and useful project

Originally a wedding present for a family member, this box traveled a circuitous path before it was finished. Here's one woodworker's tale of love lost and lessons learned through the process of designing and building this beautiful and intricate box. It illustrates the truth that woodworking often influences other aspects of our lives.

Every now and then it's necessary to clamp odd-shaped or small parts to a drill press table to drill them safely and accurately. If your only option is a metalworking vise, you've probably discovered that the jaws aren't really shaped correctly for woodworking. It's virtually impossible to clamp a wooden dowel or molding securely between them without doing damage to the wood. No one likes to sacrifice a carefully made part! If you cringe each time you tighten the screw, we've got a more gentle option her...

Band saws are wonderfully quiet to operate and don't pose the same kickback threat as table saws. They're ideal for making straight or curved cuts, and the saw kerf creates much less airborne dust. But if your bandsaw isn't tuned properly, you'll be the one singing the blues. Here's how to get your saw adjusted and back on track.

This Gustav Stickley-inspired accent piece holds a full complement of wine glasses and champagne flutes, and it keeps a case of your favorite wine close at hand. Build it from quartersawn white oak to add some authenticity and durability to this project.

Build a stylish picture frame over the weekend. We've included details for a traditional Arts & Crafts look or a more contemporary style with inlays. Either way, a handmade picture frame is a nice opportunity to do a small-scale project that still offers full-size satisfaction when you're finished-and they make great gifts.

Here's a bygone kitchen accent whose time has come again. Regardless of what you store in yours, these octagonal beauties are fun to make, and you can crank out multiples at a time if you follow the production methods we describe here.

Safe and sturdy, stylish and practical, this weekend project is easy to build. Butt joints covered by simple fluted moldings create a classic toy box that stores tons of fun, even if it all tends to stay in the living room and in full view. Eventually, this project transforms easily into a keepsake chest and even doubles as extra seating.

Even if it's not exactly the night before Christmas, any time of the year is a good time for turners to start turning holiday gifts. Pens are an excellent gift-giving option: they're quick to turn, look great when you're through and don't cost an arm and a leg. Another pleasant aspect of turning pens is that you get a chance to work with small amounts of exotic stock. It's a cheap route to learn plenty about a variety of different wood species, and every pen you make looks uniquely different than the rest.

Brush up on your veneering skills and get an early start on holiday gifts. Production methods allow you to build identical projects quickly, and different pairings of veneer make each checkerboard unique. It's a truly hand-made gift in no time flat.

Inspired by readers' requests, this china cabinet features classic clean lines, gentle arches and hidden hardware. It's amply sized to store all your finery, and the upper cabinet will proudly display its contents through glass doors. Made carefully, this could be the signature project for your dining room or a wonderful family gift.

Walk a mile in the shoes of a colonial cabinetmaker and you'll learn a lot about how an heirloom is made.

This tray table's simple and elegant lines are a study in positive and negative space. The "X" shaped leg joinery's history is traceable to the ancient Egyptians, but we'll use entirely modern methods to execute the rest of the design.

This Gustav Stickley-inspired set of chairs incorporates several elements of his Craftsman style: quartersawn oak, housed tenons, pyramid plugs and leather upholstery.

Sloping sides, exposed box joints and a deeply overhanging top are all classic elements of Craftsman styling, even though our clock is an invented design. Select some heavily figured quartersawn white oak for your clock to add the crowning touch.

Look no further: here's the perfect production project for the next holiday season. A kaleidoscope will bring you right back to your childhood, and it's just as amusing to today's internet-generation kids. Building a toy is also a delightful change of pace from larger, more formal or labor-intensive projects.

Here's a useful shop project you can complete easily in a weekend. You'll never have to look far for your shop supplies and accessories again . . . just roll them right up to wherever you are working. It's like having a shop assistant at your beck and call!

Without sacrificing any of the charm or structural integrity of our Stickley-inspired design, modern methods and materials bring this white oak desk within the reach of almost any woodworker's skills.

Moving from the verdant east to a dry, southern California landscape had a formative effect on the Greene brothers. Charles and Henry moved to Pasadena in 1893 and shortly thereafter created their own distinct architectural style.

During his years spent in a busy furniture shop, one of our authors created a pair of hardworking sliding dovetail jigs that are as stone simple as they are rock-solid. Build a set for yourself, and we'll bet you'll start adding more sliding dovetails to your projects.

Pulling a piece of dripping hot wood around a form for the first time is an experience no woodworker should miss out on. Like fitting together your first successful dovetail joint, there's a certain rite of passage that goes along with steam bending. Try your (gloved!) hand at this time-honored technique when you build our attractive carryall.

Thickness planers are worth their weight in gold, but adding one to your shop doesn't come cheap. If your budget won't allow for a planer just yet, we have a solution. Our surfacing jig turns a router into a serviceable planer. The moveable sled will fit virtually any make or model of fixed-base router, and a pair of holddowns keep workpieces firmly planted while you work. This jig also doubles as a handy dado and groove cutter.

Routing particleboard or MDF without dust collection is like standing in the desert during a sand storm. The air becomes a hazy mess, your router table and floor are covered with fine dust and-worst of all-what's in the air ends up all over you. This fence provides shelter from the "storm" by drawing dust and chips away at the source.

Make multiple, parallel flute cuts spaced any way you like using this jig. Our author cleverly designed it with a pair of fences and a moveable base so you can set it for different stock widths and bit positions while keeping the router tracking straight.

Here's a quick project you can make for an aspiring young artist. It recalls a time when even a set of pencils befitted a special wooden container. Our design will hold a collection of colored pencils and an eraser for carting along in a bag or backpack. It's a perfect way to put some attractive or exotic scrap wood to good use.

A great project that will complement nearly any decor; it can be built in a couple of weekends. Although traditional white oak would be a great choice, we decided that with its exceptionally long and straight-grained appearance, quartersawn longleaf pine lumber was a perfect selection for this Arts & Crafts inspired bookcase.

Most of us need a suitable piece of furniture to house all our computer equipment, but an effective workstation doesn't have to look like a desk. This armoire-style cabinet not only holds all the gadgets but also hides them discreetly.

A fold-down bed is already a great space-saver, but now, with our drop leaf desk addition, you get two projects in one. Here's the perfect solution for that small guest bedroom that doubles as a sewing room, or in the bedroom of a college student home for the summer months.

If you like turning as much as we do, you'll have a great time with this colorful apple birdhouse. Laminated construction allows you to hollow the house before it's mounted on the lathe and, once you're ready, turning the pine is a breeze.

Here's a project that offers the kind of fun that keeps on giving. As the builder, you'll get a chance to polish your turning skills making the mallets, cart parts, wheels and even the balls! Others will see this as the hard part, but if you enjoy lathe work, the effort will seem like woodworking bliss. Then, after the "tough" part is through, the fun just continues as you put this handmade set to work whenever friends and family gather. Really, you're the only one who can't lose here!

Lathes are one category of shop machinery that are easy to "soup up" for improved performance and convenience. Our lathe station will add portability, tool storage, sharpening capability and task lighting to your machine for around $75.

Prior to World War II, most fishing plugs were wood, and even today most consider the wooden Rapala the world's most effective lure. But could an average woodworker make wooden lures and thus combine two hobbies? The answer is yes: with minimal turning skills and an eye on design, you can make your own topwater, floating and sinking plugs at pennies on the dollar and in sizes from 1/2" fly rod plugs and poppers up to 10" surf and saltwater or even muskie plugs. Add to those advantages that your finely cr...