19 Practical Woodworking Projects for Beginners

Slice, dice and serve in style on this easy, attractive board.

We’ll show you a simple way to dry-fit the parts, scribe the arc and then glue the whole thing together.

We used a 120cm steel ruler to scribe the arcs, but a yardstick or any thin board would also work.

Also, be sure to use water-resistant wood glue and keep your board out of the dishwasher or it might fall apart.

And one more thing: Keep the boards as even as possible during glue-up to minimise sanding later.

Build this handy stool in one hour and park it in your closet.

You can also use it as a step to reach the high shelf.

All you need is a 120cm x 120 cm sheet of 2cm plywood, wood glue and a handful of 8d finish nails.

Cut the plywood pieces according to the illustration. Spread wood glue on the joints, then nail them together with 8d finish nails.

First nail through the sides into the back.

Then nail through the top into the sides and back.

Finally, mark the location of the two shelves and nail through the sides into the shelves.

Store shoes up off the floor in clean, natural wood racks.

This simple storage system can handle everything from winter boots to summer sandals, with no mud buildup or scuff marks on the wall.

Build one to share or one for each member of the family!

Need outdoor seating in a hurry?

This simple bench, based on author and ecologist Aldo Leopold’s classic design, can be constructed in a couple of hours, even if you are a novice woodworker.

All it takes is two boards and 18 screws.

Give your back and knees a break with this portable, easy-to-build seat/step stool/tool box/work surface.

It only takes a couple of hours to build and you’ll find dozens of uses for it.

Need a good way to archive magazines? Build these simple wood storage bins and have all of your favourites at your fingertips instead of lost in a towering pile.

You can build four bins from one 60cm x 120cm sheet of 182cm plywood and two 182cm-long 30cm x 120cm.

And cutting the wood is easy with a jigsaw or band saw.

Clear up entryway clutter with a simple coat and hat rack that you can build in about an hour from a 180cm 30cm x 121cm and coat hooks.

You just cut the boards to fit your space, paint them, outfit them with different kinds of hooks to suit your needs and then screw them to the wall.

This spice rack will keep your favourite 18 seasonings on ready alert. It’s quick and fun to make and, using our dimensions, will fit inside a standard kitchen cabinet. You’ll need:

• a 29cm and a 18cm-dia. wood disc
• 22cm lazy Susan hardware
• four 4cm x 1.5cm dowels for legs
• one 13.3cm x 1.6cm dowel handle
• a 4.7cm Forstner drill bit
• a 1.6cm spade or brad point drill bit
• a 3.8cm wood ball or other knob.

With a pencil and a protractor, divide the larger disc into 30-degree wedges to create 12 centre lines for the bottle indents.

Centre and trace the smaller disc on top of the larger disc.

Next, with a drill press, drill 0.9cm-deep holes on the 12 centre lines with the 4.7cm. Forstner bit, spacing them between the disc’s outer edge and the traced circle.

Next, divide the smaller disc into 60-degree wedges and drill six more 0.9cm-deep holes with the Forstner bit.

Drill four 1.6cm dia. 1.3cm-deep holes on the large disc inside the traced circle then use 1.6cm dowel centres to transfer the hole locations to the underside of the small disc.

Drill four 1.3cm-deep holes on the underside of the small disc and a 1.3cm-deep hole in the center of the top for the dowel handle.

Glue in the dowels to join the discs, and glue in the handle.

We drilled a wood ball for a handle knob, but a screw-on ceramic knob also provides a comfortable, attractive grip.

Apply a finish to match your cabinets, then centre and screw the lazy Susan bearing under the large disc and play spin the bottle.

If your spices are jammed into a drawer with only the tops visible, this nifty rack that slips neatly into the drawer will solve the problem.

And it only takes an hour to build. Make it with scraps of 60mm and 1.27cm plywood.

Bring a bit of nature indoors with this simple branch-supported shelf.

You’ll have to find two forked branches about 2.5cm in diameter, with one relatively straight side that will sit flush to the wall.