One of the best parts about having woodworking for a hobby is that it never gets old. Every project (and I mean every project!) comes with its own set of challenges and small puzzles to figure out. But once in a while I like to take on an entire project that is a challenge. These […]
One of the core tenets of Woodworking for Mere Mortals is that creative people shouldn’t have to spend a lot of money to make fun projects out of wood. While my method of woodworking stresses the use of inexpensive power tools, I sometimes have viewers ask if I can make a project using only hand tools. […]
Making wooden spoons is similar to making cutting boards: they both seem to be projects that every woodworker will eventually attempt. Typically, spoons are hollowed out and shaped using carving knives and chisels, but I used my power tools instead. I also opted for non-traditional spoon shapes, making and acoustic guitar and an electric guitar. The wood is […]
I recently learned about hydro dipping from my friend Bill Wilson. It’s a super cool technique for applying paint the yields amazing and random results of swirled colors. Just spray some spray paint into water, give is a slight swirl, and dip your project into it!
A couple months ago, my son suggested I try to make a Legend of Zelda Master Sword which I added to my ever-growing project list and finally got around to it this week, just in time for his birthday. I always find prop-making to be super fun and enjoyable. Mostly, it’s fun to try to […]
This week I tried my hand at making a classic soldier Christmas nutcracker. Ultimately it turned out okay, but wow, this was very challenging! I began by designing lathe turning templates for the various pieces. I am so glad I took the time to do this because it sped up the turning process and allowed me to […]
I had never heard of Score Four until my friend Bill Wilson, who make lots of games, showed me the ones he has been making. Score Four is a two-person strategy game similar to Connect Four, but with an added dimension. Players take turns dropping a bead onto a rod until one player gets four beads in […]
If you have a scroll saw, this is a fun project with endless creative possibilities. Combining three scroll-sawed panels into one shadowbox gives a wonderful sense of depth to the scene and an LED strip in the back gives the scene a sunset glow. If you are really ambitious, you could attach one side of the shadowbox with screws […]
Here’s a cute project to kick off the holiday season! This mailbox would be fun for kids to send letters to Santa, or you can get creative and come up with other uses for it! Either way it’s a fairly simple project. The only tricky part is cutting the bevels to create the curved top. […]
I hope you enjoy this year’s extra spooky Halloween special! I’ve been planning for over a year to make the bullet-riddled duck pull-toy from A Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the best movies ever! To make this, I just cut away a rough shape in a block of wood using my band saw, then sculpted it […]
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