3D Printed Miter Stop Block

I finally purchased a 3D printer. I’ve been wanting one forever and after researching and figuring out my price point and the right model, I purchased the FlashForge Adventure 3.

After learning the basics of Blender (modelling) and Flashprint (the Flashforge printing/splicing software), I designed a piece that slides over my table saw fence to serve as a spacer block for cutting safe miters on the table saw. It’s clean, sleek, and is a really fun execution of an idea I came up with entirely on my own.

Make sure you check out the video to follow along with the design and build!

🗜 TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• FlashForge Adventure 3 (Lite Version) https://amzn.to/3a4H4vp

• PLA Filament https://amzn.to/39ZNrQs

Above is an STL file for download incase you’re interested.

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Solid Oak Dining Table with Bench

Similar to my previous farmhouse table build, my friend wanted a modern looking farmhouse table. This time, with a higher budget, I built the entire thing from solid oak and finished with Rubio Monocoat in Walnut, and again made a matching oak.

Although it was smaller in size, the final outcome of this beautiful table was a testament to how far my building skills have come. It was definitely the nicest table I have built so far and I’d love to make another!

Make sure you check out the video for all the build details and upgrades I made to this project based on the higher budget and more expensive materials.

🌳 MATERIALS

• 40 bf of 5/4 White Oak

• 23 bf of 12/4 White Oak

• White Oak 1/2" Dowel

• 3" Wood screws

• 3/8" C Channel (3 foot sections) + .5" screws

• Rubio Monocoat in Walnut

• 1/4-20 10mm Threaded Inserts: https://amzn.to/3i2nwdo

• 1/4-20 1" Screws

🗜 TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• Magswitch Vertical Featherboard: https://amzn.to/37IdBpS

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

• 6” Jointer: https://amzn.to/2Y7THgb

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Angle Grinder: https://amzn.to/2FhtDLe

• Miter Saw: https://amzn.to/2YXsyRi

• Biscuit Jointer: https://amzn.to/2BkCWER

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Biscuit Jointer: https://amzn.to/2BkCWER

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC

• Bench Cookies: http://amzn.to/2q1qjYZ

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Sawstop T-Glide Fence Storage System

I was so sick of not being able to find all the essential tools I am constantly using when at the table saw. So, I decided to spend a day designing and building a simple solution that moves with the SawStop T-Glide fence. Having had this now in the shop for the last 5 weeks, I can hands down say this is an absolute must have in your shop.

I can now officially find my tape measure!

Make sure you check out the video to follow along with the design and build!

🌳 MATERIALS

• 2' x 4' x 1/2" Maple Plywood

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• Wood Screws and Brad Nails

🗜 TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• Brad Nailer: https://amzn.to/2Uz6tCI

• Pin Nailer: https://amzn.to/2D6EaVf

• MagSwitch Vertical Featherboard: https://amzn.to/37IdBpS

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Router Bit Storage Inserts - Rockler

Above is a Sketchup 3D file for purchase (only $2) .

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Circular White Oak and Steel Coffee Table

We wanted a smaller circular coffee table that matched the style and aesthetic of our new dining table. Using offcuts from our white oak dining table, as well as some square steel tubing, we fabricated this one of a kind coffee table for our living room. The smaller size was a huge upgrade in terms of walking space, both for us and our giant berner.

There is a 3D Sketchup model available under the Free Design Files tab.

🌳 MATERIALS

• 5/4 White Oak (~20bf)

• 2" x 1" 14 Gauge Steel

• 2" Flat Stock 1/8" Steel

• Hex Bolt Screws + Washers

• Acetone/Mineral Spirits

• Metal de-greaser

🗜 TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

• 6” Jointer: https://amzn.to/2Y7THgb

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC

• Lots of clamps!

🧲 Metalworking

• PowerMig 210 https://amzn.to/33cDCs3

• Metal Chop Saw: https://amzn.to/2HNowU4

• Angle Grinder: https://amzn.to/2FhtDLe

Above is free Sketchup File of the design for you to access incase you're looking to build something similar!

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Custom Breakfast Nook

We wanted to remake our kitchen dining area - we hardly ever ate at our previous dinner table, and with us working from home indefinitely, we wanted to find a way to make the space much more useful.

We love how this breakfast nook came out!.

There is a 3D Sketchup model available under the Free Design Files tab incase you’re interested in a similar design.

🌳 MATERIALS

• 5 x 2 x 4's

• 1 x 1/2" x 4' x 8' Furniture Grade Plywood

• 1 x 3/4" 2' x 4' Furniture Grade Plywood

• Wood Screws

• Brad Nails

• Pocket hole Screws

• Wood Glue

🗜 TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• KREG K5 Pocket Hole Jig: http://amzn.to/2qb8S7t

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Miter Saw: https://amzn.to/2lmqIHy

• Cordless Brad Nailer: http://amzn.to/2p1dYFD

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Multi-Tool: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Level, Stud Finder, and Speed Square

Above is a free Sketchup File of the design for you to access incase you're looking to build something similar!

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

White Oak and Steel Kitchen Table

We wanted a big new kitchen table to go along with our new breakfast nook. I wanted something heavy, made from white oak, and with a contrasting beefy steal based. I love how this came together - particularly the white oak with Rubio Monocoat in Cotton white. Be sure to watch the video to see how I built it. There is a 3D Sketchup model available under the Free Design Files tab.

🌳 MATERIALS

• ~25 BF of 5/4 White Oak

• Rubio Monocoat in Cotton White

• 3 x 3" x 3" x 8' Square Tube Steel

• 1 x 3" x 8' x 1/8" Flat Steel

• Hex Bolt Screws + Washers

• Acetone/Mineral Spirits Metal de-greaser

🗜 Woodworking

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

• 6” Jointer: https://amzn.to/2Y7THgb

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC

🧲 Metalworking

• PowerMig 210 https://amzn.to/33cDCs3

• Metal Chop Saw: https://amzn.to/2HNowU4

• Angle Grinder: https://amzn.to/2FhtDLe

• Digital Protractor

Above a free Sketchup File of the design for you to access incase you're looking to build something similar!

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Ultimate Drill Charging / Storage Station

I've recently acquired a third drill/driver set. It's incredibly convenient and efficient to have multiple sets of tools - whatever the type - so you can avoid resetting settings each time, especially once you're dialed in. Drills / Drivers are probably the most common duplicate type tool.

It was time to expand my storage solutions - I was aiming for something that could store 8 drills/drivers, expand my other frequent tool collection, and house the bulk of my chargers. Hope you like!

The design is relatively simple. I wanted storage for 8 drills/drivers, cubbies to store additional tools I frequently use on top + drill bits, and space to mount 5 chargers. I also wanted clean, simple storage for cables.

Here is a Sketchup File of the design for you to purchase incase you're looking to build something similar. The entire piece is built from less than a single sheet of 4' x 8' x 3/4" plywood:

🌳 MATERIALS

• 1 x 4" x 8" x 3/4" Sanded Plywood

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• Wood Screws and Brad Nails

• Power Strip (6 plugs) + Zip Ties

🗜 TOOLS
You can make all cuts for this project with a circular saw, but below is what I used:

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• ROCKLER Taper Jig: http://amzn.to/2oGYBi0

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Power Drill and Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Brad Nailer: https://amzn.to/2Uz6tCI

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Forsner Bit

Using a combination of my circular saw and table saw, I broke down my 3/4" sheet of plywood into all of the various components that make up my build. The first photo shows how those can all be made from the one sheet.

The depth of the build is 10.5"; if I could change one thing, I'd make it a half inch deeper. Just gives it that little bit of extra wiggle room for drills with long bits.

My station fits 8 drills - if you have more horizontal space you can add more as you see fit. 8 seemed like enough for me, and if I ever get more than 8 drills/drivers, then I think I should probably look at myself internally.

Each holder is evenly spaced, so I cut out that spacer on the table saw and used it and a single vertical support to mark out each location for the spacer. Then, using glue and brad nails, I could fasten each one into the lateral mount.

I used my T Square to mark out locations to drill out and drive in screws to make sure everything was super secure. I always pre drill when it comes to plywood.

I then repeated the process with the bottom supports. Additionally, I rounded over the edge to make sliding the drills in and our easier.

Once the drill holder was complete, I could go through the rather simple process of mounting the outside walls using glue, brad nails, and screws, followed by mounting the drill mount to the inside of it. To get even spacing and keep it level, I used the tool divider tabs I had already cut out clamped on each end.

Brad nails will secure this while the glue dries, and adding screws means that this will basically hold up forever.

The angle of the walls is 10 degrees (top) and 30 degrees (bottom) - these were arbitrary but I thought it created a less bulky design. It also made the bottom of the mount feel less crowded.

The legs of the desk were designed to sit recessed into the desktop itself exactly one 3/4” plywood layer thick.

The outside drill pieces were separate from the larger piece we assembled earlier. They were added after the fact and secured just using glue and brad nails to the outside walls.

This design was big enough to mount five chargers. If you make it wider, you'll be able to increase charger storage (obviously). The Ryobi chargers and Ridgid chargers have different mount spacing.

To mount them, I used a series of plywood spacers to get things evenly spaced vertically and horizontally, then used the tape trick to transfer the screw holes to the backer mount, and then drove in some screws. Lucky for me, this somehow all worked first try and things were secure and even.

I don't show it in the video, but the last thing I did was drive in a single screw at the top end of each charger that was mounted up against the top edge - hope that makes sense. This prevents the charger from sliding up out of the key hole and thus won't come off even if you pull really hard.

I pivoted on this step last minute and decided to mount all cables on the back of the station. This method words perfectly as I'm using a 3/4" french cleat on the back so I had extra space in the rear to store them.

To do this, I drilled a 1 1/4" hole at the top of each charger and fed the cable through. Using little nail brackets that are meant to secure wire to studs, I could then string the cables back and forth so that they could all exit one side and plug into a single power strip mounted on the side.

That power strip could then be plugged into one outlet and charge everything from a single power point.

I cut four dividers for the top section - you can add more if you want more tool division space or if you make this wider. I then marked out and drilled out pilot holes where I wanted to mount each one. It was easier to drill pilot holes from the inside so that they came out on the other side of the wood - I could then add a counter sink from the new hole that popped through which would give me the proper space to feed a screw in.

The top dividers were spaced according to my tools and what I planned on storing. Feel free to customize however you want!

This system uses a 3/4" french cleat to mount to the wall. I highly recommend this as a tactic for mounting tool systems. It makes your whole storage systems incredibly flexible and adaptable as you expand your collection.

I previously had a cabinet hanging where this would go, so I took that down and reused the french cleat I had already cut and secured it to the back with 5 wood screws. Then, I hung it up and organized my tools. It was so satisfying! I also plugged in the power strip and it was even more satisfying to see all the batteries light up and charge at once.

At first I thought that I might have mounted everything too high. However, after using it for 5 days, I realized it was perfect. Batteries were head height, drills were head height, and it left a bunch of extra space underneath for even more future storage. Definitely recommend putting it at head height.

This last step is totally optional, but my wife has an embosser, so I thought it would be prudent and fun to label each holder so I can keep a consistent system of where all my devices go.

All done! Can’t wait to have this moving forward in the shop!

Thanks for reading!
Zach

Farmhouse Table with Matching Bench

My family wanted a big farmhouse-style table on a budget, along with a matching bench. This was a really fun one weekend project and the first one I tackled with my brand new SawStop PCS. The table was built to seat 8 people and be wide enough to have a “shared item” area in the middle. We went ahead and built a matching bench to go along with it.

The table completely changed the dynamic of how they utilize their kitchen table with their kids and guests.

There is a 3D Sketchup model available under the Free Design Files tab.

🌳MATERIALS

• 10 x 2" x 6" x 8'

• 1 x 2" x 4" x 8', 1 x 2" x 4" x 10'

• 2 x 4" x 4" x 8', 2 x 4" x 4" x 10'

• 1 x 36" x 1/2" Dowel

• 2" Pockethole screws

• 2" and 3.5" Wood Screws

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• Finish of your choice!

🗜TOOLS

• SAWSTOP 36” 3HP PCS: https://amzn.to/3cr1dJO

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Woodpeckers TS-24 T-Square: https://amzn.to/2AsAE9W

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD

• Miter Saw: https://amzn.to/2lmqIHy

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

• KREG K5 Pocket Hole Jig: http://amzn.to/2qb8S7t

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC

• Tape measure, speed square, etc.

Above is a free Sketchup File of the design for you to access incase you're looking to build something similar.!

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Privacy Fence Extension

With summer rolling around and us working from home, we wanted to finally tackle the beginning stages of our backyard.

After removing trees, redoing sprinklers, laying sod, and painting our block wall a beautiful bluish grey to tie it all together (and painting our whole damn house…), we wanted to add a reddish-brown fence extension to add more earth colors to the backyard and also extend our privacy a bit form the neighbors.

This is not 100% private, but it is very nice to have and makes the backyard feel a lot more secluded.

🌳 MATERIALS

• 12 x 8’ x 2‘ Redwood Lattice Panels (96 feet of fencing)

• 3.75” x 1/4" TapCon Screws

• 14 x 4” x 4“ Redwood Post Caps

• Thompson’s Outdoor Sealer (1 Gal - Autumn Brown)

• 14 x 4” x 4“ x 8’ Pressure Treated Posts

• ~60 x 3” Outdoor Rated Wood Screws

🗜 TOOLS

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Reciprocating Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Corded Hand Planer: http://amzn.to/2p1arXS

• Cordless Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

• 3' Long Level

• Squeeze Clamp

• Speed Square

• Recommended: Hammer Drill

• Optional: Wagner Flexio 5000 HVLP Sprayer: https://amzn.to/3dVDD9l

• Optional: Belt Sander; Angle Grinder

If you have any questions or find any issues with the article, feel free to get in touch.
Zach

Minimalist Plywood Desk

We have a third bedroom that we’ve been wanting to convert into a home office since we bought our house. Due the COVID-19 virus, we are working from home indefinitely. So we saw this as an opportunity to begin building our office, starting with a really fun modern plywood desk. Everything was designed in the free version of Sketchup!

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

Free SketchUp Model for Download

MATERIALS

• 1 x 4' x 8' x 3/4" Maple Plywood

• 1 x 2' x 4' x 3/4" Maple Plywood

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• 1" Brad Nails

• 1/2" Dowel

• Shellac + Foam Brush

TOOLS

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD

• Miter Saw: https://amzn.to/2lmqIHy

• Brad Nailer: https://amzn.to/2Uz6tCI

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

• ROCKLER ½” Dowelling Jig: https://amzn.to/2n1nt5W

• KREG K5 Pocket Hole Jig: http://amzn.to/2qb8S7t

• Squeeze Clamps

• Tape measure, speed square, etc.

I love our third bedroom - in fact, I wish it was our master bedroom, but it’s not set up that way. The room has a great bay window and awesome natural light. I hopped into SketchUp Free to model the room and figure out the best sized desk for the room. The design of the desk is inspired by a modern minimalist looking saw horse bench and is 5’ wide x 2’ deep.

The first main step is breaking down your sheets of plywood against the design of the SketchUp File. It is my advice to always cut everything oversized a bit so you can firm up final dimensions down the road. With this being all plywood, it also helps to do this so you can create the cleanest final veneered edges without tear out.

Once all of my pieces were cut to rough length - I could begin assembly of all the leg components. For anything that would just get flushed up on the table saw, I used 1” brad nails and glue to secure it all together and move on to the next steps. For the longer stretchers that would eventually need a deeper angled cut through the table saw on both sides, I used glue and clamps and let those cure overnight.

After gluing and brad nailing, I could run each of my pieces through the table saw to flush up the plywood, taking off about 1/32” on each side. The table saw left an incredibly clean and flat cut.

I could then turn my attention to the desktop. Using the best looking pieces of the long “red” cuts, I could begin cutting to length for the front and sides of the desk. The corner would have a miter’d look to it, so after cutting a square end and then cutting to length, I could angle my miter saw at 45 degrees and cut the miters for the three sides.

I then glued and brad nailed the two side sets of plywood together, and squared up the outward facing edge on the table saw again. Such a clean look!

The legs of the desk were designed to sit recessed into the desktop itself exactly one 3/4” plywood layer thick.

To accomplish this design, I waited until I had my two outer edges glue and secured in place, as well as have the top piece of the leg cut and squared to its final size. I could then measure inward using the speedsquare and mark out exactly where I need to remove material from the final layer.

Then, sneaking up on the cut on my table saw, I cut it away. I could then use glue and brad nails again to secure the three pieces in place, using the leg pieces as proper spacers again to get it all exactly precise. Took a lot of time to make sure this was all correct, but It came out great!

I turned my attention to building each of the two sets of saw horse legs. The outside pieces were made up of two legs + a short stretcher, each that had a specific set of designed 12° angled cuts on them. I chose to wait to do all of the angled cuts at once so I only ever had to adjust my table saw blade once.

For assembly, I’m using 1/2” dowels to hold all of the major joints together. My $20 Rockler Dowel jig is perfect for this. I wish I had something a little more automatic, but it’s good practice mentally to figure out measurements, markings, and drilling precision. Each stretcher and leg received matching dowels.

I then used glue to assemble. Using the offcuts from the 12° angles allowed me to easily squeeze clamp everything together - always save the offcuts temporarily!

While the four legs dried, I went back to the table saw to cut my four long stretchers. This was the last of the 12° cuts to make - these were the pieces I didn’t put any nails into so I wouldn’t knick the table saw while cutting.

Before we could get to final assembly, I wanted to take the last of the long stretchers I cut in the beginning and attach three of them to the underside of the desk for rigidity and strength. I ripped those to their final width, drilled pocket holes, and then secured to the underside using glue and pocket hole screws.

One tip - the drill setting on the K5 jig for 3/4” will actually cause your screws to go through the other end of plywood which you don’t want for your desktop. I set it at 7/8” and it worked out great.

The next steps were a series of repeats. I sanded down the edges of any of the pieces I was about to assemble - just easier to do when flat. I then cut to length my final set of stretchers and drilled more dowels to connect everything together. Then, using glue and dowels and bar clamps, I pulled everything together, paying extra attention to the final orientation of all my pieces and that they were all angled properly. This ensure that when the legs sat upright, pieces were squared and/or parallel to the ground.

Before finishing, I wanted to do a few final steps, including sanding down all of the exposed edges of plywood, rounding over the corners with a screw driver (this is a great way to get rid of sharp edges and fold in the veneer without sanding it away - give it a try!), and then finally add the last part of the top of the leg to each saw horse base, and of course give the top a good quick sanding.

Then it was time for finishing. I added a shellac finish to all surfaces to protect the material, up the contrast of the plywood layers, but also to avoid yellowing or changing the color of the material too much.

All done! Can wait to enjoy this new desk in our ongoing home office renovation! I’m also looking now into what type of power or surge protector stuff I want to add to the desk underneath.

Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

Modern Plywood Coffee Table

My sister was in the market for a modern looking coffee table. I found a reference to a very very expensive coffee table that i thought I could emulate with some furniture-grade plywood. Everything was designed in the free version of SketchUp!

The free SketchUp file can be found here for download

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

MATERIALS

• 2 x 4’x8’x.75” Furniture-Grade Plywood

• Wood glue

• Wood stain, conditioner, and painters tape

• 1” Brad nails

• 1/2” Dowel

• Rubber Feet

TOOLS

• Tracksaw https://amzn.to/38DozKA 

• Sawstop Table Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD 

• Brad Nailer: https://amzn.to/2Uz6tCI

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn + Drill bits

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16 

• Band Saw (not totally necessary)

• A Mallet

• Flush Trim Saw

• A variety of clamps!

Above is the design for the table. You can access the SketchUp file of this in the link at the top.

This coffee table is built using 2 sheets of ¾” furniture grade plywood (if you make a smaller table, you can probably get away with one sheet) and ½” dowels. I began by breaking down my materials into all of my pieces using a combination of my track saw and table saw - I cut two of each piece because the table will be double stacked laminated sheets for each component. I cut them oversized so I could trim them down to their final size after Step 2. Initially, I intended for my table to have a bottom section, which is why you see more pieces than you’ll need if you build the table in the same final way I did. 

Next up was gluing and nailing. This design is perfect for using the Arrow Brad Nailer because it allowed me to laminate each sheet of plywood together without needing a special clamping system and they’d stay hidden on the bottom side of the table. I spread glue evenly across the surfaces of my pieces, stacked each respective piece on top of its counterpart, and used 1” brad nails to tack things in place. I was strategic about where I put these nails to make sure they evenly covered the space.

The next day, after the glue cured, I could trim all of my pieces to their final size. My table was 15 inches tall, 30 inches wide, and 54” long. Your final cuts and cut list will be determined by the size of your table.

Once my size legs were cut to their final length and width, I turned my table saw blade to 30° and cut each of them into parallelograms - the two 30° angles should be parallel to each other. I did this by cutting one side, moving the fence, and then passing the other side through. The 30° angle was my own choosing - I thought it has the best aesthetic. I then used my crosscut sled set at 25° to cut tapers on each side of the leg. One small note I don’t mention in the video is that I turned off my SawStop safety feature for this - I didn’t want to hit a brad nail accidentally - even though I knew where they were placed, and trigger the brake system. I was left with pieces that sat at 30° to the ground and tapered in at 25°.

To glue my legs, I created four little jigs that could be clamped both to the table top and the leg using squeeze clamps - these were angled the same as the legs - 30° and were built using scrap wood and a combination of my table saw, band saw, and held together with glue and and more brad nails from my Arrow Brad Nailer. By clamping it this way, I could apply glue, put the piece in place, and then use a series of angled scraps to clamp both horizontally and vertically to the table - thus holding the legs in place but applying vertical pressure to the table. The result was a very strong joint. I used painters tape on the underside interior by the leg to avoid any future glue squeeze out clean up issues. After the glue cured 4 hours later, I sanded down all surfaces with 120 grit paper on my orbital sander and broke the edges with hand sanding at 220 grit.

I chose to use ½” dowels to reinforce the joints on this table. Honestly, it felt strong, but since it was end grain plywood into veneer, it felt like a no brainer. I have a dowel jig, but it only reaches so far over the corner of a piece, and I needed my dowels to be drilled further into the piece to make a difference structurally - so I made my own dowel jig using stacked plywood and my Arrow Brad Nailer. I then used my ½” dowel drill bit and drilled dowels in all four corners of the table top down into the legs as well as the middle of the edge of the table - thus giving me 6 points of reinforcement. I then cut dowels on my table saw, glued and hammered them into place, and cut them flush with my hand saw, sanding them down flush with my orbital sander. This table easily held my 165 pound weight - I’m guessing it could hold 300+ pounds. 

The plywood I purchased wasn’t perfect, and the taping method worked but needed some touch ups. I used some maple wood filler to plug any gaps in the plywoods, let it dry, and then sanded it all down flush to the plywood edges of the table, while also sanding down any of the excess stain that the tape did not block. 

Last up was finishing. I wiped away excess dust using mineral spirits, then applied a coat of pre-conditioner ahead of staining. Personally, I wanted to just apply a clear coat to the wood, but this was for a client, so we compromised and instead, I masked off all of the exposed plywood using painter tape and only applied an espresso color finish to the top and exterior sides of the legs, leaving all interior surfaces and plywood layers free of stain. I then finished off the piece by applying two coats of wipe on polyurethane, sanding in between the two coats using some 320 grit sandpaper. The result was a really cool contrast between the exterior surfaces and the plywood sides and burch underside. I loved it. To give it a more modern vibe, I added ¾” rubber feet to the bottom - just as simple as drilling and installing with screws to each bottom corner!

All done! Enjoy your new modern coffee table! Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

Steel and Walnut Couch Table

We have some dead space behind our couch in the entry way area of our living room. My wife suggested a thin table to go behind the couch - I saw it as a good project to practice welding and integrate some steal into our furniture aesthetic. Everything was designed in the free version of Sketchup!

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

Free SketchUp Model for Download

MATERIALS

• 1" Tube Steal Flat 1-2" steal

• 10" x 10" x 1/4" Steel

• 4/4 Walnut

• Titebond 2 Glue

• Semi Gloss Polyurethane

• 1/2" Plywood

• 9" Drawer Slides: https://amzn.to/35Et1qY

TOOLS

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD

• Miter Saw: https://amzn.to/2lmqIHy

• 6” Jointer: https://amzn.to/2Y7THgb

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Metal Chop Saw: https://amzn.to/2HNowU4

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Cordless Brad Nailer: http://amzn.to/2p1dYFD

• Orbital Sander: https://amzn.to/2ALtz16

WELDING

• PowerMig 210 https://amzn.to/33cDCs3

After some research and inspiration from the wife, I hopped into SketchUp and within the hour, had something approved by her and I got to planning the build.

Following my SketchUp model, I marked out a series of cuts on my square steel tubing and cut to length on the metal chop saw. Unrelated, but I need to figure out a slightly better set up for this saw - its messy. After cutting all my pieces to their final length, I cleaned up all four edges of each side with a grinder and flap disc in preparation for welding.

With everything cut to length, I could begin welding. My plan was to weld the two larger matching sides, and then connect them with the shorter stretchers. I squared up and clamped down where I could, and began welding, first by tacking all of my pieces in place, followed by full beads one each piece was held in place. Too much heat in one area will warp the whole piece.

For the second piece, in order to make an exact copy, I laid it on top of the existing piece and repeated the process. I also used a scrap 2x4 as a spacer block to make sure the bottom shelf was even on each leg. I then ground down all the welds. Easier to do now versus when it’s all welded into one larger piece.

Using a series of right angle magnetic clamps and a speed square, i then began tacking and welding the two larger pieces together. Same process as the previous step welding-wise - it became easier the more the piece was connected.

Later in the build, I’ll be securing a big piece of walnut to the top of the steel frame, so the next step was to cut a flat strip, drill holes into it for screws, and weld it flush to the top of the framing. .

The table design includes a single shallow drawer, so after completing the main structure, I went back to the chop saw and cut more square steel to length. The only difference here from the previous cuts was I had to cut a series of 45° angles on each piece so that when welded together, they appeared as a single piece of bent steal. But joints wouldn’t work for this design.

Now that the steel structure was complete, I moved on to one final pass at grinding down any high points of the welds. I think for still being very new to welding, it came out pretty good!

Both sides of the drawer had a large flat piece of steel sheeting on the inside of each - basically this would add to the aesthetic of the design but also hide the drawer slides and drawer. I marked out the sizes I needed on the flat piece of stock and cut out to size with my angle grinder and cutoff wheel. I then welded them into place from the inside which was great because you’d never see these welds and thus I didn’t even bother to clean them up.

In order to account for uneven floors or small errors in the squareness of my welding, I wanted to add leveling feet to the bottom of each leg - plus it will protect the floor. I measured out four 1” squares on a flat piece of stock, drilled holes at the center of each square, dropped in the feet, and tightened them to the steel with corresponding nuts. I then welded each nut in place.

These were stainless steel so they gave off some harmful fumes. I was aware of this, but just as a warning, avoid welding stainless steel where possible, and if you do, do it in a well ventilated area.

I then unscrewed the feet from the piece and tackle each flat square into place that also now had the corresponding nut. Once they were in place, I ground down the weld, and now had places to insert leveling feet at each end.

Now that welding was 99% finished, I turned my attention to the drawer. This was build from scrap half inch maple plywood. I ripped it to size on the table saw and used a mixture of my miter saw and miter gauge to cut the five pieces to their final length. I them assembled with glue and brad nails - this would barely be holding anything heavy so this was plenty to hold it all together!

My plan all along was to blacken the steel using a patina - a first for me. in order to prep for this, I did as much homework as possible and learned a few things.

• The surface should be as clean as possible, so make sure to degrease it

• The surface should be sanded and free of rust so the metal is of an even consistency on the surface - that allows the patina to attach evenly to it.

The next step was to blacken the steel. The patina I purchased recommended doing a 50/50 mix with water and spraying on. The metal will begin to blacken almost immediately; however, because you’re using water mixed with it, if you don’t time things properly, it can rust the metal.

After letting the patina sit on the metal for 3-5 minutes, you need to wash it off. The metal will be a lot less black than it was when you had the spray on it but will be darkened. Next, you should use a blow torch or rubbing alcohol to quickly remove the remaining moisture, or the metal will start to rust. Do not use an air blower like I demonstrate, as you’ll end up needing to wirebrush off rust and it will start to mess up your Patina surface.

If you repeat the above process properly a few more times, you should end up with a decent black steel color. It’s a tough process though!

End the patina process by adding a clear coat to protect from scratches and rusting.

After you finish blackening the steal, you can insert your drawer slide. These are 9” slides I got off Amazon, and I actually ended up welding them directly to the framing off camera instead of using screws - worked great!

On to the woodworking portion of the build. The top shelf, bottom shelf, and drawer front were all made of walnut.

The top shelf would rest on top of the steel, the bottom shelf would sit recessed in the shelf, and the drawer front would sit recessed between the drawer area. The next set of steps involved milling the lumber to the proper size using the jointer, table saw, and miter saw, and then gluing up pieces to the right size. Use cauls to keep glue ups flat!

The final welding thing to do was add tabs to the bottom framing that would allow the bottom shelf to sit recessed in between the metal framing but still be flush with the top of the framing. I waited to do this step last as I was waiting to see the final thickness of the walnut wood. I cut a few tabs with my angle grinder after drilling holes in them, and then welded into place.

Welding is now done! Onto finishing the wood. I used some black total boat epoxy to fill a few voids in the wood once it was out of the clamps. After the epoxy cured, I planed and trimmed the material to it’s final size via the planer, table saw, and crosscut sled. I then sanded everything up to 220 grit.

To finish the piece, I’m using a semi-glossed oil based polyurethane. I think I did three coats.

Last major step was to add a matching drawer pull and attach the drawer front. I bought this matte black pull from home depot and used a wire brush to scuff it up. I just scuffed it till I thought it matched the aesthetic.

I then marked out and measured where to drill the holes in the walnut. I also ended up using a forsner bit to add a recess on the back of the pull so the screw could sit below the walnut. By hand tightening everything, I could then attach the drawer face to the drawer from the inside without having the screws that held the drawer pull bulging out and interfering with having the walnut sit flush to the drawer.

To get the drawer perfectly in between the steel - I had to go back and scribe it just slightly in the corners off camera, and I used the stacked playing card trick to find the center both horizontally and vertically.

Last but not least, I could drop in the top and bottom shelve and attach using a few screws and the flat stock I had welded in place in the previous steps.

All done! Looks awesome behind our couch and is one of the first things you see when you walk in the house. It’s been great to store our backpacks and keys, and other small items that we use on a daily basis but otherwise never had a place to keep organized.

Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

Mobile Miter Saw Station

I’ve been wanting my own personalized miter saw station basically since I moved into my shop. After months of researching my needs and designing for my space, I landed on the following project!

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

Free SketchUp Model for Download

MATERIALS

• 36 x 2"x4" 3 x 2" x 4" pressure treated lumber

• 39 x Cedar Fencing Planks

• ~200 3" wood screws

• ~500 1.5" brad nails

• Red Chestnut Stain (or whatever you prefer)

• Roofing Shingles + Roofing Nails

TOOLS

• Sliding Compound Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

• Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

• Cordless Brad Nailer: https://amzn.to/2Uz6tCI

**Optional** SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

I spent a very long time figuring out what I wanted out of a miter saw station. Here is my checklist based on having a 19’ x 19’ garage workshop.

• Mobile so it can move around the shop and swing outside on sunny days (I’m in SoCal)

• Self contained and automated dust collection system (my old set up was an absolute mess)

• Place to store a few tough to store tools, including metal chop saw and table saw sleds

• Additional drawer storage

• Work with a non-sliding miter saw - you can adapt for a sliding, it will just have a deeper footprint.

• No fence-system to allow for extra storage

The first step was to break down my 4x4 lumber based on my SketchUp file to create the base of the build. I chose 4x4s for strength and rigidity as this would have to carry the weight of a heavy 9 foot long station. I used large lag screws to connect everything on the exterior (these were recessed so they didn’t sit proud of the wood), and 3” wood screws for the center supports. I found using a clamp in this step helped square everything together.

The next steps were all relatively straight forward. Following my SketchUp model, I broke down all of my sheets fo plywood using a combination of my table saw and circular saw. I then drilled pocketholes for all of the vertical pieces - 3-4 per piece per side.

I then could begin attaching all of my plywood pieces to the base.

I first attached the flat base piece - an 8’ sheet won’t cover it so you’ll want to make sure you’re cutting properly against the cut list. Then, using pocketholes and some spacers I cut, I could assemble the vertical walls of each section, followed by adding the top section. The framing was now complete.

After assembling the framing, I turned my attention to building the base that would hold the miter saw. Now, I should add, the framing of my design and the base for the saw are both designed to fit my saw width. I actually ended up getting a new saw in the process of making this and had to go back and make the space wider to accompany the new saw. Since this isn’t a flexible system, that meant moving the framing of my plywood out (basically redoing part of the previous step).

Before completing, I cut out a gap in the base and inserted a large dust port from Rockler that could catch dust that shot out the back. This later would be hooked up to a self-contained dust collection system.

Next came the three sets of drawers. Following my model again, I ripped up the next set of plywood on the table saw, drilled out my pocketholes, and assembled everything using pockethole screws, glue, and brad nails. I could then mark out where I wanted my drawers to go, install the drawer slides, and test out all three.

I chose to make the top drawer a very tall drawer so I could hold tall items like big bottles of glue. Feel free to do this however you want!

Next up were my two cabinets that would hold the dust collection system. These were made from 1/2” maple plywood that I had previously broken down on the table saw. The hinges could be installed using a forsner bit to recess them. I think Kreg makes a jig for this which I’d love to have, but it’s not necessary.

The hinges are built actually for cabinets with face frames, so I needed to add little strips of plywood where the hinges would attach in order to properly screw them into the miter saw. I used glue and brad nails to hold these in place, and then could install each of the hinges to the station for the two doors.

Next up, I cut to side the faces of my drawers and installed all three from the rear using some spacers, a squeeze clamp and a few screws. Pretty straight forward. These drawers do have a continuous grain pattern which I think adds a bit to the aesthetic of the design.

Before taking it any further, I stopped and added the wheels to the base. These are 4” casters rated for 100 pounds each - plenty for this build. They don’t have locks on them - maybe one thing I would change? The saw never moves on me when using it, but also moves really easily when I want it to. I used 3” wood screws to attach these.

Now that the framing was done and the base was mobile, I could finish out the dust collection system.

The way this works is pretty straight forward but I’ll still break it down.

There is a power surge attached to the inside of the cabinet space which is plugged into an extension chord going to the house that powers the whole thing. The base where the saw sits has a large dust collector port from Rockler, attached to a 2.5”hose that goes directly to a Dust Rite separator for shop vacuums that then is attached to my massive 16 gallon Ridgid shop vacuum.

The miter saw is plugged into a special outlet where, once the saw is engaged, the outlet will cause the vacuum to turn on automatically and run for an additional 5 seconds. It’s pretty amazing and is such a great simple $30 addition to have in your shop for any tool that you want to power an additional system connected to it. Everything was then held in place with some metal strapping. Overall - highly recommend.

The dust collection system isn’t perfect, but coupled with the dust collection box I’ll show later, it really helps minimize the mess. I’m sure I could refine this even further.

This step is totally optional - you can just purchase drawer handles. However, I had some leftover walnut that I wanted to create custom pulls for. i won’t go into too much detail on this as the design is not mine - instead you can check out Brad Rodriguez’ video from Fix This Build That to learn about them.

To install them easily, I made a little template from plywood to drill holes, and then secured them from the rear of my cabinets and drawers.

Next I turned my attention to the dust hood. I speak more about this in the video, but I ended up rebuilding it to be a little deeper and fit my new saw better. You’ll want it to have walls that come as close to your fence as possible to capture as much dust. I’ve seen other versions that also include a front piece that will frame the miter saw itself to be more efficient. I didn’t do that, but might eventually. So far, what I have works pretty well to capture 90% of the dust, or at least contain it.

I also made this little simple holder for a speed square. This little idea came from an April Wilkerson video. I have five speed squares throughout my shop. Having them readily available at pretty much all of the major areas in my shop is such a valuable time saver.

I don’t want a fence on my miter saw system. I’ve seen enough stations to know it’s not super useful and definitely not necessary, and by not having one, it actually allows for storage expansion. I won’t go into a huge amount of detail on this set up, but basically the replacement for a fence is a stop block system that runs on Rockler T Tracks. I made my set of two blocks from some spare white oak I had. The system and design was lifted from a Make Something video - check out the full build video here.

Installation of the T Track system is relatively straight forward, it just requires patience and a steady hand. I marked out exactly where I wanted mine to go on each side of the station - this will be relative to where you position your miter saw. I then set the depth of my track using an actual piece of track against the cut depth stop of my plunge router.

Then, using a straight bit and my tracksaw track as a straight edge, I routed my channel. The bit I had was only a half inch bit, so I had to move the fence inward 1/4” to finish the groove. I think I routed each groove in 2-3 passes to avoid tear out.

I then cut the aluminum track to length on my new miter saw station (Aluminum can be cut on a regular miter saw), drilled pilot holes for installation, and then installed the track. You can see how the block fits in the track to serve as a stop for repeated cuts.

All done! I fucking love this thing. Also, there is great space underneath it for either a scrap shop trashcan or more storage to store offcuts and other tools that are handy to have on hand over at the miter station. In particular - the storage for my table saw sleds has been wonderful, because there is no good place for those!

Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

Welded Studio Roller

This was my first ever metal working project. My wife wanted a studio roller for the kitchen, so I got to it - thanks for watching! Designed in SketchUp for free.

SketchUp file for download can be found here.

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

MATERIALS

• 1" 16 Square Gauge Steel

• 1 1/4" 12 Gauge Flat Steel

• 8/4 Walnut Wood + Wipe on Polyurethane

• 5/8" All Thread + Nut Wood Screws

TOOLS

• Lincoln PowerMig 210: https://amzn.to/2ECMLjl

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD

• 13” Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• 6” Jointer: https://amzn.to/2Y7THgb

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Drill Press: https://amzn.to/2GjgOjh

• Metal Chop Saw: https://amzn.to/2HNowU4

• Digital Caliper: http://amzn.to/2p360xg

• Angle Grinder: https://amzn.to/2FhtDLe

• Flap Discs, Grinding Wheels, Cutting Wheels

After some careful research and doing some practice welding, my wife and I settled on a design for our studio roller. Above is a Sketchup render of the steel portion of the build.

The key thing for me was to understand the complimentary angles to create so all of my welds looked seamless.

The first set of steps were just a series of measuring, marking, and breaking down the square steel tubing I had. I was as precise about this as I could be - the chop saw really helped. An angle grinder also works for cutting, it just might be a little less precise. Just take your time - measure many times and cut once.

In preparation for welding, I used my flap disk to grind down each surface that would be welded. This will get rid of any burrs left over from the cuts, as well as add a small bevel that allows your welds to penetrate the seams. Having a belt grinder would be the fastest way to knock out all of this prep work.

Next, it was time for welding. I don’t currently have a welding table, but using a series of magnets and clamps allowed me to tack each piece in place properly, then come back and add full welds. You don’t want to put too much welding heat in one place as it will cause the metal to warp. A welding table with lots of clamps can help prevent this.

Once the welds were all in place, I could go back with a flap disk again and grind them down flush. You can see the difference in the the before and after in the last photo.

Once each of the main pieces were ground down, I could move on to connecting them with some flat bar stock. This is an important step - since you won’t be able to adjust the width of your studio roller, make sure you are sure of how wide you’ll want your final piece to be. We chose 24” after experimenting with some different widths. I cut down the flat stock and welded the pieces together.

There was one piece on top and one piece on the back, the latter of which eventually would connect the piece to the wall.

My plan to attach the roller to the main frame was to use all-thread and welded nuts. That way, I could untwist when the roller was empty and replace it. To do this, I welded on a steal nut to the framing on one side, and welded on a corresponding flat piece of steal on the other side so the all-thread could rest on it. I then could cut it to length on the chop saw. This was really straight forward - I just took my time and used the paper roll as a reference as it allowed me to confirm it would rest/hang at the right level.

At this point, I was done with metal working. We have floating walnut shelves in the kitchen, and I wanted the wood portion of the build to match those shelves. Plus, I had left over walnut.

This was relatively simple - using the framing of the structure, I measure and marked the length and width of the walnut, and then milled it down using a combination of my jointer, planer, and table saw. I then could sand down the edges and apply a wipe on polyurethane to finish it off.

To hang the roller on the wall - we took it into the kitchen to figure out where we wanted it. We we then could go back to the shop and drill pilot holes in the steel - both for the holes for the wall and the holes that would allow me to attach the walnut - this was a mix of my drill press and power drill. Once we had that ready to go, we could take it back to the kitchen to choose the exact height we wanted.

From there, I could drill pilot holes and add in anchors to the wall (no studs), and then drill in a single screw to attach. I then could check for level and drill/anchor in the second hole. This felt very sturdy against the wall! Last up, I added the walnut to the top of the piece using the remaining pilot holes I had drilled previously in the shop.

The last step was to cut to length and hang two pieces of flat steel that would help keep the piece of paper from the roller against the wall. Once would go up top, one would go at the bottom. I cut these to length on the chop saw one more time and ground down the sharp edges. I then drilled two holes at the drill press to accept screws.

My method for this was to use one screw and two washers up against the wall to allow the steel to not sit totally flush with the wall. That way, the paper could slide more easily behind it, but still be pressed mostly up against it. The steel wasn’t even sharp, but to my surprise, it was enough that I could use it to rip the paper quickly when we wanted to replace it.

And then I was done! The wife and I love it and it’s a lot of fun to draw on each month. We’ve had it for about a year now and have barely even started making our way through this first roll of butcher paper - so if you’re worried about waste, just know that your use will be minimal and it really adds something to the kitchen space.

Check out the video to see this thing in action on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

DIY Coffee Pour Over Station

For a long time we wanted to upgrade our coffee pour over system. Something simple but pretty, a bit steampunk in design, and ultimately that could allow us to make 3 cups at once. We landed on a walnut/padauk + copper design with copper pour over devices. Hope you like!

Thanks for checking out the article and video!

MATERIALS

• 5 BF 4/4 Walnut Scrap Padauk

• 10' 1/2" Copper Pipe

• 4 x T Fittings

• 4 x Elbow Fittings Gorilla Super Glue

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• Emmit's Butcher Block Finish

TOOLS

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Table Saw Sled: https://amzn.to/2t2qVjD Sliding Compound Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

• Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

• Drill Press: https://amzn.to/2GjgOjh

• Jointer: https://amzn.to/2I5f9j0

• 13” Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Cordless Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

• Copper Pipe Cutter: https://amzn.to/2I1TZlx

• Bench Cookies: http://amzn.to/2q1qjYZ

• Taper Jig from Rockler

• Lots of clamps!

Above is a model of the SketchUp file that you can download for free here to understand the copper and wood measurements!

The pour over station is built from 5/4 walnut, padauk accents, and copper tubing. Step one was to take the walnut and padauk I had purchased and mill down to their proper sizes, which was a mix of jointing for straight edges, cutting to rough size on the miter saw, creating flat edges on the table saw, and then squaring up once all of my straight edges were established.

This is a basic milling process you’ll always go through if you purchase rough lumber. I also ripped my walnut pieces into strips that would later be glued up like a butcher block.

I was pretty limited on padauk, but I also wanted it to be more of an accent than a central component of the wooden look. I don’t have a band saw to resaw, so instead i did the Table saw splitting method. That left me with two thinner pieces that I then ran through the planer and ripped in half on the table saw. You can see how the pieces then fit in with the walnut. This was for the base only.

Next was the glue up. Pretty straight forward. For the base, I glued up the walnut mixed with the padauk and used horizontal and vertical clamping to keep things straight. For the top, it was just the walnut, so much the same. I then let it cure overnight in the clamps.

The next day, I could pass both pieces through the planer to clean things up. This is probably my favorite part of the build every time I do it. Really just shows how clean and beautiful a piece will eventually be. I then measured and marked the final length of the base and cut to size on the table saw, followed by measuring and marking the top piece and cutting it as well. It was helpful to use some of the copper pieces to get this last step lined up.

I then added chamfers to the tops of each piece - adding a subtle profile really ups the overall design of the piece. If you have a router, go for it!

Next up was figuring out where to drill the three holes for the top of the piece. A pour over would sit on top of this section, and the holes would allow the coffee to filter through below to your mug. Using a mug, I measured out roughly where things should go, then spent some time honing in exactt measurements.

I then went over to the drill press and drilled out three 2 1/8” wholes. Using a clamp and a backer piece prevented tear out. I then added the same chamfer to the inside of the holes to create a more dynamic profile.

Then I sanded. Yay….

The next step was the first step in adding the copper portion to the build. I needed to measure and mark out the places the holes in the base would be drilled. I did this by centering the top part from all angles, then drilling out half inch holes in the base at each corner. These holes didn’t go all the way through the piece.

With the holes drilled, I then could measure and cut my copper piping to length for all pieces, including the vertical supports, the horizontal supports, and the connecting horizontal supports on the sides. I purchased this $12 (maybe less?) copper pipe cutter from Lowes and about 8 turns would cut the pipe cleanly. One 10’ copper provided everything I needed. I then did a dry assembly to make sure it was all even and correct. It was (first try!)

Before final assembly, I then added my butcher block finish (food safe) to the top and bottom wooden pieces. Love this stuff. Really just makes the wood pop like no other product I’ve used. Small thing - I put blue tape in the base holes to prevent any finish from getting into them.

The last portion of the build was final assembly. I drilled out small holes all the way through each of the longer copper pieces to accept screws. Then, using super glue, I assembled all the pieces and used my speed square to make sure things were square and compressed together as best as possible. Super glue worked great for this (I don’t know how to “sweat” copper).

I then used a few spacers and screws to properly seat the top piece and used the impact driver to pull it all together. The silver screws were temporary; I later oxidized them to help better match the copper color.

And then I was done. I made the mistake of not showing it in the video, but the thumbnail for the video shows how it works. Coffee on the top. Water flows through the filter and into the coffee cup below. Honestly, the coffee is amazing.

Thanks for checking out the project! Make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

DIY Zipper Cutting Board

I wanted to make my mom something special for Christmas. I landed on this fancy looking (but actually rather simple) zipper-style cutting board. Hope you like!

MATERIALS

• 4/4 Walnut, Maple, Zebrawood, and Padauk

• Butcher Block Finish

• Wood glue

TOOLS

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

• Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Router Table (full set up from Rockler) w/Rabbeting bit

• Bench Cookies: http://amzn.to/2q1qjYZ

• Glue Gun: http://amzn.to/2uLJt7V

• Lots of clamps!

For this build, you’ll need 4 different species of wood - try to make them as colorful and distinct as possible so you get the best effect. I chose maple, zebra wood, walnut, and padauk. Beaty!

Cutting boards require the straightest edges for the best glue ups. Step 1 was to mill the lumber using my taper jib and table saw to get the straightest edges. The zipper cutting board will require the outside piece (in my case, padauk) to be different widths so that when you flip the pieces down the line, they are offset.

I’m using Titebond II glue for this - water resistant so should be fine! I applied glue to my edges and glue up in a set of bar clamps. I added a few clamps from the top and bottom to keep everything flat.

After letting the glue up cure overnight, I could turn to the planer to clean up and flatten the piece, and then trim off the edge of the piece so size using the table saw and sled.

Once the piece was flat, I could then begin cutting strips again using the table saw and sled. I had a stop on the fence to keep things even and safe. I then could lay them all out on the workbench, and rotate every other piece.

You can see how the different sized padauk pieces lead to an offset zipper look. Pretty sweet!

Next was glue up round 2. Make sure to take your time on this one, spread glue evenly, and use a ton of clamps and cauls to keep as flat as possible.

Planing end grain is a controversial topic. I do it but I take steps to do it properly. I use a sled with support for the piece as well as a sacrificial piece, and I remove as little material as possible which prevents the planer from overworking. Using the sled helped establish a flat surface, which then allowed me to flip over and flatten the other side, creating two very flat surfaces.

Then - lots of sanding, as well as routing a small chamfer on the edge of the piece. I sanded up to 220 grit on this one.

Harley came in to check out the progress. She signed off on the build.

For finishing, I used my favorite finish for butcher blocks and cutting boards - Emitts Good Stuff. Incredible. Protective. Super easy to apply. Before applying, I cleaned off the surface with compressed air and acetone. I applied an even coat of the Good Stuff using a rag, rubbed it in, and then came back after 5 minutes to wipe off the excess. So pretty!

All done! Mom loved it. She’s afraid to cut on it because of how pretty it is.

Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks for reading - make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

Custom Wooden Ski Map

My parents have a home in Big Bear, California. I wanted to design and build them something special for the house, so I built a minimalist wooden map of Big Bear Mountain. Hope you like!

MATERIALS

• 4/4 Maple (the map is 28” x 28”)

• Darker wood for border (I used Ipe)

• Paint (I think I used acrylic?)

• Wood glue

• Clear coat finish (Tung Oil in my case)

TOOLS

• SAWSTOP Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

• Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

• Belt Sander: http://amzn.to/2p1j4BF

• Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

• Thickness Planer: http://amzn.to/2u7YrmK

• Plunge Router: http://amzn.to/2p15eiC w/V-Carve Bit

• Router Table (full set up from Rockler) w/Rabbeting bit

• Biscuit Jointer: https://amzn.to/2BkCWER

• Lots of clamps

I designed the entire minimal looking map to scale in Illustrator. Take a look at the video for more detail on this - but here are a few photos of my process. I think it’s super cool!

I’m using 4/4 maple for the main component of the project. The lumber was S2S, so step 1 was measuring out the width of each piece and cutting it to size on the table saw to establish straight edges.

Once my wood was milled up, I could mark out locations for biscuits on each piece and get to work. I had never used one of these before, so I did a few test cuts before moving to the main piece. Then, I could add glue to each piece, add the biscuit, and clamp up. My goal was just to keep as flat as possible. I wish I had a drum sander!

The next day, once everything was dried, I could use my belt sander with some heavy grit paper and remove any excess glue. Off camera, I had used a wet clothe to remove excess glue - I actually don’t recommend this; it makes it harder to remove the glue the next day as it will dilute and seep into pours. I then used my track saw and table saw to cut it to size.

Off camera, I printed out my template to scale, which I believe printed out across 6 pieces of paper. I then used spray adhesive to adhere it to the wood surface for me to trace.

I’m using a V carve bit for this project. It was the thinnest bit I could find and what I could do is lower the plunge router in very small increments and test on a scrap piece, figuring out the right depth to get the cleanest lines possible. Then I got to work. I thin routing the map took about 7 minutes and took a single pass given how little material I was using, and another 15 to do all of the letters.

Obviously, a CNC could do all of this for you if you have one, and probably cleaner. I then removed the template using acetone to dissolve the glue, followed by a round of sanding at 120 grit with the orbital sander.

Once the routing and sanding was done, I then could get to work painting. In reality, I was always going to sand down this surface again, so spray paint could have worked too. I chose to use acrylic paint since I had a variety of colors and could pretty quickly fill in all the lines. I took my time on this. Made for less sanding later…

I then sanded down all the surfaces to remove any spill over paint and clean up the wood, followed by routing a chamfer along the top edges.

I wanted the map to have a contrasting boarder that it could be recessed into. I have some Ipe hardwood that is tongue and grooved and has grooves underneath. I took that material over to the planer to remove the underside grooves, followed by ripping off the tongue and groove and then ripping to width on the table saw. I then could route out the recess at the router table. Ipe is insanely messy - my dust collection barely helped with the fine dust powder.

Once routed and the corners miter’d, I assembled the pieces on a set of bench cookies and using a strap clamp with just some wood glue, followed by adding glue to the rabbit and dropping in the final map. Then, I could clamp it using a few squeeze clamps.

To hang the piece, I grabbed a scrap 1x6 and cut it into a french cleat system. I attached the one french cleat portion to the rear of the map using glue and brad nails, and use some spacer blocks at the bottom so it would sit evenly on the wall. I could then screw in the opposite french cleat to my wall with some wood screws and drop the map into place. All done!

Thanks for reading - make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

DIY Nimbus 2001

In partnership with Arbortech, I wanted to tackle something fun and that I personally love - a Harry Potter woodworking project! Behold - the Nimbus 2001!

MATERIALS

• 4/4 Walnut

• 6/4 Oak

• Wood glue

• Mig Welding Wire (Silver)

• Oxidized Solution (Steel and White Vinegar)

• Danish Oil (Clear and Dark Walnut)

• Screws

TOOLS

• ARBORTECH TURBOPlane: http://amzn.to/2phWNjF 

• ARBORTECH Mini TURBO: http://bit.ly/2qll8Es

• ARBORTECH Contour Sander: http://bit.ly/2qlJez9

• Sawstop Table Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

• Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

• 4.5” Angle Grinder: https://amzn.to/2FhtDLe

• Pin Nailer: https://amzn.to/2D6EaVf 

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn + Drill bits

• Stationary Bench Sander: http://amzn.to/2q1Cq8k

• Router Table

• A variety of clamps!

I began the project by marking out and cutting my 4/4 walnut to length. The project didn’t need much - just enough to properly stack and laminate together to form the broom portion (Pics 1-3).

The next step, in similar fashion, was to cut down the white oak I had to length and with and then laminate together. The reason you need two pieces laminated together is because the broom handle is very curved in design, so you’ll need more wood to build that out when powercarving (Pics 4-6).

While the glue dried, the next step was to take the remaining white oak and cut down to a series of smaller strips - these were to be used to stack laminate together in order to form the feet stands underneath the broom (stirrups?). I cut small strips, then glued them together and let them cure for about 20 minutes, then moved on to clamping the remaining together. The process took about an hour - then I let it cure over night.

Once it was dry the next day, I could use the mini turbo from Arbortech to grind down and shape it into a rounded form. Once smooth, I rounded over the corners at the router table. I then made a series of smaller curved and flat pieces, and tacked them all together with glue and pin nails - forming the final stirrup (last picture).

While the stirrup pieces cured, I could turn my attention back to the broom portion of the build. The goal was pretty simple - power carve down the stacked walnut into a broom shape. I looked at quite a few reference photos throughout the process. The Turboplane created the shape I needed (Pic 1), followed by a flap disk to smooth things over (Pic 2).

I then used my bench top sander (Pic 3) to round over the base of the bristles, and then the mini grinder to add some texture to the actual broom (Pic 4).

The next step was relatively the same as before. I used the Turboplane a flap disc on my angle grinder to shape the handle (Pic 1). This again was done using reference photos and eyeballing the broom handle tip. I then used my benchtop sander again (Pic 2) to help flatten and smooth out the overall shape.

The Nimbus 2001 has a silver type material around the broom portion - I’m guessing in a practical world, the role of it is to clasp the bristles against the handle. Obviously this is a magic broom and used for flying, so we can just get creative with DIY. I considered using very thin steal and wrapping it around, but I thought instead I could twist thing MIG welding wire together to create something that wrapped around the broom. By chucking it up in the drill and just twisting, it worked quite well. I then wrapped it around a paint can. Ideally, you’d heat the wire after this to get rid of twist and tension, but I don’t have those tools. It was fine, it just meant I had to be careful when transferring it to the project.

The Nimbus 2001 is black and dark brown. To achieve this look, I used a vinegar+steel wool solution to oxidize the white oak - it’s incredible how black it turns almost instantly. I also did it for the foot portion of the stirrups. I then used a coat of clear danish oil to give it protection and shine, and some dark walnut danish oil to bring out the dark and rich contrast of the walnut.

Last up was final finish prep steps before assembling. I drilled pilot holes for the stirrups and then attached using very small stainless steel screws. I then removed the stirrups, screw in the screws as reference, and slowly and carefully wrapped the broom with the twisted MIG wire. To secure it to the broom, I drilled little pilot holes, bent the wire into the holes, and I believe I epoxied them in. Very solid.

To connect it all together, I drilled a half inch pilot hole in each piece using a forstner bit (Pics 1-2). I then cut up and sanded down a dowel that I could insert into both ends with some glue Pic 3 , and then slowly clamped it all together Pic 4 using a single bar clamp. I took the clamping very slowly to ensure it was all lined up.

After screwing the feet back on - the project was done! It’s a cool 1:2 scaled version of it. I’m not sure what my favorite part is of it - but if I had to choose, it would probably be the rich dark colors of the oxidized oak, followed by the MIG wiring.

Thanks for reading - make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

7-Sided Wedding Arbor

I got married last month and as a part of the ceremony, we wanted a unique arbor to get married under - hope you like!

Here is a link to download the free SketchUp file.

MATERIALS

• 4 x 4"x4" x 8' Douglas Fir beams (try to find the nice ones!)

• 1/2" wooden dowel (literally $1 from home depot if you make your own!)

• Wood glue

• 3" Wood Screws

• Stain of your choice

TOOLS

• Table Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

• Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw

• Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e

• Orbital Sander: http://amzn.to/2oICOaP

• Power Drill: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn + Drill bits

• Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn

• Stationary Bench Sander: http://amzn.to/2q1Cq8k (Optional)

• Taper Jig: http://amzn.to/2oGYBi0 (Optional)

• ROCKLER ½” Dowelling Jig: https://amzn.to/2n1nt5W

• Router Table (Optional)

• Hammer + Mallet

• Clamps

The design of this is quite simple. 7 sides + two pieces for the base. Getting the angles of the 7 sides correct is the tricky part.

I began the project by marking out and cutting my 4 4"x4"s to length on the miter saw (Pics 1-2). I wanted my arbor to have a diameter of 7' so I designed my system in illustrator that gave me a length of roughly 39" per side.

The next step is optional - if you can find really high quality wood then you can skip this, or even just use an orbital sander. I wanted my piece to have a bit of a thinner profile, so I planed down evenly on all four sizes each piece so that it removed the rounded edge - the final width of each piece was around 3.2" (Pic 3). Then I sorted my pieces to find the best side that would face the "front" (Pic 4).

7 sided polygons are tough angles to cut.

Septagon interior angles should add up to 900, you can find it doing (N-2)*180° where N is the number of sides.

To get the interior angle, do the same math and then divide by N, giving you ((7-2)*180°)/7 = 128.5714

Yea...that's tough.

To figure out your cuts from that - subtract your interior angle from 180°, or 51.42°, and then divide by 2, or 25.71°.

That is the angle you will need to cut on each end of your piece. Since Miter saws are accurate but not THAT accurate, you'll have to do some back and forth.

My process was to cut to the closest angle possible (Pic 1), and then lay out the pieces (Pic 2), and then refine.

Once pieces were laid out in the manner I liked, I could see how much extra material needed to be taken off each piece (Pic 1), and I'd mark it accordingly. I also established which piece I wanted to be my flat bottom base (Pic 2), and worked out from there.

I took each piece to the belt sander to take off the extra material with an 80 grit disc (Pic 3) - this step is necessary but how you do it is optional as in reality you could just use your miter saw.

After a few trips back and forth (I'd say a good hour of refinement), I had all 7 sides lining up (Pic 4). This is 100% the hardest part of the project - if you do anything that has more even angles, you will have a much easier time building this.

I have the $20 dowel jig from Rockler - it has always worked perfectly for me and I recommend it.

As my pieces were all laid out already, I labeled each one as to remember the order and then marked a line between each piece on where to put dowels (Pic 1). I was mainly using dowels to line up the glue up and add a bit of strength, but secretly knew I'd need to add some big wood screws later to reinforce it.

I locked in the jig using a clamp (Pic 2), and then drilled out the hole for the dowel (Pic 3), then using my $1 dowel rod from Home Depot to check the fit (Pic 4) - all good!

I then took it over to the miter saw and cut it up into a bunch of smaller dowels (Pic 5), then beveled the edges slightly to make hammering in to place easier (Pic 6) - also optional but I recommend it.

I knew gluing up would be tricky given the angles. My first thought was to apply glue (Pic 1), hammer in the dowel (Pic 2), and then hammer into place (Pic 3) and then try to clamp up. It worked kind of but it felt wobbly - being both a smaller dowel and end grain to end grain - and I knew I'd have to drive in some bigger screws at that point (Pic 4).

I then repeated this process for each subsequent piece (Pics 5-6).

Note - in the process, I realized that I would have to be transporting this giant arbor about 250 miles, so instead of securing it all together, I instead built it in three pieces that could break apart, including 2 x 3 sides pieces, plus the base piece. More on this later.

As stated in the previous step, I realized midway the best way to build this was in three components that could attach but also break apart. In doing so, I could actually make the two 3 piece sides even and line up at the point, and then refine the base so that the two three sided pieces met evenly. Pics 1-2 show me measuring and refining that angle on the miter saw.

We wanted something minimal for the stand - as to look good but not actually take away from the arbor itself (or us!). We also didn't want it to fall over.

I took an old 2 x 4 I had and cut and planed it down so that they were about 36 inches long and had two smooth sides (Pic 1). Then, using a straight edge, I marked tapers on the front and back of the piece - I didn't have measurements in mind going into this - but the conceptual direction I followed was to have the front tapers shorter than the back ones. Pics 2-4 show me doing this.

I then used my taper jig from Rockler to cut the tapers (Pic 5) - very easy, quick, and safe. Obviously this taper design is optional, if you don't have a jig or table saw, you can just as well cut with a circular saw and it will work just fine.

The next step is optional, but I had just bought a route table and thought adding a bevel to all sides except for the bottom would look very professional, so I added that (Pics 6-7). To prep for attaching to the base, I drilled out some large holes using a forsner bit (Pic 8), and then drilled pilot holes with a small drill bit to prevent splitting the wood (Pic 9).

I decided last minute to add drawers with additional scrap plywood that I salvaged from my parents old TV credenza that they were looking to toss. It was pretty high quality furniture plywood, so it ripped easily on the table saw (Pic 1) and miter saw (Pic 2). The drawers would be 4" tall and were as deep as the bench measured.

I then cut dados on the table saw to accept the drawer bottom. The kerf of the blade makes it so you just need to make two passes on the table saw 1/8" apart - very quick and easy (Pic 3). I then drilled pocket holes for joinery (Pic 4).

I used a sheet of 5mm 4'x4' plywood for the drawer bottoms that I broke down on my table saw (Pic 5). I then assembled everything - first attaching three sides together (Pic 6), then sliding in the drawer bottom between the dados, and then adding the fourth side. And I repeated that for all four drawers (Pic 7).

To make the base look pretty, I wanted to use half lap dados on the base 4x4 and the 2 x 4s. I marked out where I wanted to cut these on each piece, raised the saw blade to the proper height, and then used my router sled to cut these joints - removing 1/8" material with each pass (Pics 1-2). You can see how the 2x4 pieces looked as well in Pic 3 - where the joint needed to be wide enough to accept the width of my final 4x4, where the joint on the 4x4 needed to be wide enough to accept the 2x4.

Pic 4 shows me adding glue for strength, and then placing each piece in place. The joints were not perfect but overall i was happy with how they came out - and Pic 5 shows how the two joints married (no pun intended) to form the sleek looking base design).

I then used 3" screws to secure everything in place via the pilot holes I had cut before (Pic 6).

I then hired some help and pieced together the 2 x 3 sided pieces and sanded everything over with my orbital sander (Pic 1). This step, although small, was actually very important as it really flushed up all the complicated angled joints I had to make and made all of the surfaces look very clean. Don't go crazy with this - 80-120 grit is just fine.

We wanted our arbor to look like cedar - and being in SoCal, cedar is non-existent. So, we chose a Red Chestnut stain from Minwax, and I applied a single coat to all surfaces. Pic 2 shows the completed based in all it's glory - you can see the front/back taper lengths differ per my earlier step, and Pic 3 shows me staining the other six sides, which I did standing up as it allowed access to all four sides.

Not much left to do at this point! I broke apart the piece by removing the screws and packed up all three pieces into the trailer we were using to haul things up north for our wedding (Pics 1-2).

Pics 3-6 show me setting up the final piece on site.

Note - make sure you pack a bunch of 3" screws, an impact driver, and the proper drill bit so you can set things up! Set up only took 5 minutes and I was so excited to see the build in it's final location.

Pic 1 shows an early morning photo of where the arbor was positioned overlooking the vineyards in the central coast of California.

Our coordinator did a wonderful job finishing things off by adding some flowers and greenery to the final piece (Pics 2-3). This was all by design of my now wife - and having not fully understood what it would look like, I loved it. Pic 4 is us getting married and kissing (ew).

Hope you enjoyed the project. I highly suggest watching the video (pasted below again) as it helps better elaborate on everything I outlined in this article and shows some great in situation video of both the arbor and the final wedding look!

Thanks for reading - make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach

$100 10FT WORKBENCH

After moving into my home a few months ago, my priority from day one was to continue to build out my garage into my dream workshop. Garages will always have their limitations, so I have been consistently trying to best utilize my space before making any bit decisions. This workbench was a long time coming - something big, robust, heavy as all hell, and that gave me storage with a ton of work area surface. Excited to share my build!

Below is the final design for the bench, as well as all the components of the build.

Here is the SketchUp file for purchase if you want to build it!

You can see the sad state that was my "temporary solution". These cabinets weren't bad necessarily, but they were very ineffective for what I needed moving forward.

MATERIALS

• 2 x 4' x 8' x 3/4" Plywood

• 2 x 10' x 4" x 4"

• 6 x 2' x 4' 10'

• 1 x 5mm x 4' x 4' plywood

• TiteBond II Wood Glue: http://amzn.to/2peRFus

• 2.5" Screws

TOOLS
Sawstop
Contractors 30” Saw: https://amzn.to/2Luh91q

RYOBI
10 in. Sliding Compound Miter Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1klHw
Miter Saw Stand: http://amzn.to/2p1072e
Circular Saw: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn
Impact Driver: http://amzn.to/2q1l5wn
Cordless Brad Nailer: http://amzn.to/2p1dYFD

KREG
K5 Pocket Hole Jig: http://amzn.to/2qb8S7t
Quick Clamp: http://amzn.to/2riyHU8

My 4 x 4's were 10' long, so I marked out 34" (Pic 1) and ripped to length on my miter saw (Pic 2). My saw is just big enough for this. I repeated that for all six legs (Pic 3).

Pic 1 shows how I plan to cut dados and half lap joints into the legs to accept stretchers.

For bottom supports, I wanted to have my stretchers recessed in the legs. Pics 2-3 show me marking and measuring out the space that I'd later cut away with dados. These are for the Outside Dados.

Pics 4-5 show me cutting those dados on the miter saw using a miter gauge. Note that I do not have the piece sliding up against the fence - that is dangerous. Instead, clamp a piece at the front of your saw where you start, then when you rest your piece up against it, it will be in the proper position. As you move away from it over the blade, your piece will stay in that position against your miter gauge but won't be up against the fence. And I cut them for all six legs (Pic 6).

I then ripped the full dados on each leg for the button stretchers (Pics 7-8). These are Inside Dados

After cutting my dados, I moved to ripping my stretchers to length. They were around 10' long - I clamped them all together and cut them with a circular saw (Pic 1). I then laid out everything to begin assembly (Pic 2).

Three legs per side - I put a single stretcher in the bottom dado (Pic 3) and used a spacer block to line up the piece. I designed this so the stretcher would fill the entire dado, less the width of a 2x4 which would later be filled with an actual 2x4 for cross supports.

I applied glue and used 2.5" wood screws to hold things in place, checking for square in the process (Pics 4-5).

I then repeated that process for the other outside leg, and then lined up the middle stretcher (Pic 6) and attached using glue and screws. Pic 7 shows one final full leg support.

Note - i should have cut my top stretchers 3" longer - you can see they don't go all the way to the edges in Pic 7 - it's not a big deal - actually, that space can be used to put a vice in! Making lemonade...

I cut a bunch of 2 x 4's on the miter saw to specific lengths (in my case I was looking to make my bench about 25" deep on the top) (Pic 1). I then used glue and screws to attached everything together - Pics 2-4 show me doing the top stretchers. Pic 5 shows me attaching the supports at the bottom - you can see here, per my earlier step, why I left the 1.5" gap on the ends, as now I could insert a 2x4 in that gap and bring everything together. Very sturdy!

I also cut middle stretchers for the middle of the bench (Pics 6-7) - I had 7 total stretchers on the top and bottom to provide rigidity and support for my work surface. The middle stretchers that were not on the outsides are just held together with screws.

My dad and I ripped down our sheet of plywood on the table saw (Pic 1). The top sheet was full length, and about 25" wide - this was purposeful as it left about 23" of width on the remainder of the piece to be used for the bottom shelf. Since the bottom stretchers were on the insides of the posts, it made the lower shelf skinnier than the bench to - so again, this was perfect.

I lined up the top surface to the bench and attached it using brad nails (Pics 2-3). I wanted the freedom later on to replace this top with new material if it ever got too dinged up. For the bottom shelf, I needed to measure and notch out places for the 4x4s to go. I did this by measuring the bottom shelf and then cutting out the spaces with a jig saw (Pic 4). And it fell nicely into place after (Pic 5).

Since the bench was between 9 - 10 feet long, I needed additional plywood to finish out the top. I cut down the remainder from a second sheet of plywood (Pic 6) and then attached the top and bottom pieces again using brad nails (Pics 7-8). I needed to notch out the bottom piece like I did the other parts, but that was a lot of the same so I don't show it here.

You're left with a 4' x 6' sheet of 3/4" plywood - this is a ton of extra wood - I ended up making a huge clamp rack out of it - so although it felt like I might be way overbuying for this bench, there is nothing like having a huge amount of scraps to make something else that is very useful!

After the bench was assembled, I cleaned out the space and wiggled the bench into place. It was really heavy. Once I added all my tools to it, I couldn't physically move it.

Perfect!

I decided last minute to add drawers with additional scrap plywood that I salvaged from my parents old TV credenza that they were looking to toss. It was pretty high quality furniture plywood, so it ripped easily on the table saw (Pic 1) and miter saw (Pic 2). The drawers would be 4" tall and were as deep as the bench measured.

I then cut dados on the table saw to accept the drawer bottom. The kerf of the blade makes it so you just need to make two passes on the table saw 1/8" apart - very quick and easy (Pic 3). I then drilled pocket holes for joinery (Pic 4).

I used a sheet of 5mm 4'x4' plywood for the drawer bottoms that I broke down on my table saw (Pic 5). I then assembled everything - first attaching three sides together (Pic 6), then sliding in the drawer bottom between the dados, and then adding the fourth side. And I repeated that for all four drawers (Pic 7).

I didn't want to buy drawer slides - this just felt unecessary and there wasn't really anything for me to mount them too on this bench.

Instead, I cut three pieces - a single 3/4" x 3/4" strip that would attach to the top sides of the drawer, an additional strip of the same size, and a strip that was 1.5" x 3.4", the ladder of which would combine to form an L. The L would be mounted to the bottom of the top shelf, and the strip could then be slide into it. Pic 1 shows this set up but upside down - it was really easy and I hope my explanation is clear!

Pics 2-4 show me making the "L" pieces. I drilled and counter sunk the holes so that when I glued up and screwed together, the screws didn't split the plywood or stick out and hinder the sliding of the drawer. Using little squeeze clamps while attaching screws was very handy.

I then repeated the same process for the strips that would be mounted to the drawers, and mounted them (Pics 5-6). I then could mount the slides to the underside of the drawer (Pic 7), and then slid in all four drawers (Pic 8).

NOTE - make sure your "L" stretchers are long enough to span the underside of the bench - I almost messed this up by cutting them too short!

These drawers were massive - about 2' x 2', and I loved them. I decided last minute to add some false drawer fronts. This would make the piece a bit "prettier" and would also prevent the drawers from sliding any further back than they needed too.

I used left over walnut plywood from Purebond for this step - but you can just as easily use any type of wood for this - hardwoods, different plywoods, whitewoods, etc.

I unfortunately did not have enough material in the right size to make the drawer fronts a continuous grain, but anyways - I ripped down the pieces on the table saw (Pics 1-2) based on the sizes I needed.

I then clamped into place, leveled off, and attached the drawer fronts using some brad nails (Pics 3-5).

I then marked center and drilled pilot holes for some single pine door nobs that I had from left over Ikea furniture back in the day (Pic 6). Then just some screws to attach them (Pic 7).

I didn't film me putting on a finish, but I used some cutting board oil just to bring out the grain - I didn't want to go fancy and I didn't want to spend any more time making this thing! You can see how big and robust this thing is with me next to it, how the drawers look, and how many tools it olds.

I love it!

Thanks for reading - make sure you check out the video in the first step on my YT channel!

See you around! 
Zach