19 Practical Woodworking Projects for Beginners

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 0.6cm. and 1.3cm plywood.

To build one, you only need a 1.9cm x 20cm x 122cm hardwood board and a 15cm x 16.5cm piece of 0.6cm hardwood plywood to match.

Begin by cutting off a 25cm length of the board and setting it aside. Rip the remaining 96.5cm board to 15cm wide and cut five evenly spaced saw kerfs 1.6cm deep along one face.

Crosscut the slotted board into four 23cm pieces and glue them into a block, being careful not to slop glue into the saw kerfs (you can clean them out with a knife before the glue dries).

Saw a 15-degree angle on one end and screw the plywood piece under the angled end of the block.

Cut the 16.5cm x 7.6cm lid from the leftover board, and slice the remaining piece into 0.6cm-thick pieces for the sides and end of the box. Glue them around the plywood floor.

Cut a rabbet on three sides of the lid so it fits snugly on the box and drill a 1.6cm hole for a finger pull.

Then just add a finish and you’ve got a beautiful, useful gift. If you don’t have time to make a gift this year, consider offering to do something for the person.

You could offer to sharpen their knives!

Here’s a great gift idea that will draw raves.

The joints are accurately made in seconds with a biscuit joiner!

The space behind a door is a storage spot that’s often overlooked.

Build a set of shallow shelves and mount it to the wall behind your laundry room door.

The materials are inexpensive. Measure the distance between the door hinge and the wall and subtract an inch.

This is the maximum depth of the shelves.

We used 1x4s for the sides, top and shelves. Screw the sides to the top.

Then screw three 1×2 hanging strips to the sides: one top and bottom and one centered.

Nail metal shelf standards to the sides.

Complete the shelves by nailing a 1×2 trim piece to the sides and top.

The 1×2 dresses up the shelf unit and keeps the shelves from falling off the shelf clips.

Locate the studs.

Drill clearance holes and screw the shelves to the studs with 6.3cm wood screws. Put a rubber bumper on the frame to protect the door.

To keep your ironing gear handy but out from underfoot, make this simple ironing centre in a couple of hours.

All you need is a 3m 1×8, a 61cm. piece of 1×6 for the shelves and a pair of hooks to hang your ironing board.

Cut the back, sides, shelves and top. Align the sides and measure from the bottom 5cm, 37cm and 70cm. to mark the bottom of the shelves.

Before assembling the unit, use a jigsaw to cut a 2.5cm x 2.5cm dog ear at the bottom of the sides for a decorative touch.

Working on one side at a time, glue and nail the side to the back.

Apply glue and drive three 4.1cm nails into each shelf, attach the other side and nail those shelves into place to secure them.

Clamps are helpful to hold the unit together while you’re driving nails. Center the top piece, leaving a 5cm overhang on both sides, and glue and nail it into place.

Paint or stain the unit and then drill pilot holes into the top face of each side of the unit and screw in the hooks to hold your ironing board.

Mount the shelf on drywall using screw-in wall anchors.

There’s a lot of space above the shelf in most closets.

Even though it’s a little hard to reach, it’s a great place to store seldom-used items.

Make use of this wasted space by adding asecond shelf above the existing one.

Buy enough closet shelving material to match the length of the existing shelf plus enough for two end supports and middle supports over each bracket.

30cm shelving is available in various lengths and finishes at home centres and lumberyards. We cut the supports 40cm long, but you can place the second shelf at whatever height you like.

Screw the end supports to the walls at each end.

Use drywall anchors if you can’t hit a stud.

Then mark the position of the middle supports onto the top and bottom shelves with a square and drill 0.3cm clearance holes through the shelves.

Drive 4.1cm screws through the shelf into the supports.

You can apply this same concept to garage storage.

Five plastic containers, six 2x2s and screws, and one hour’s work are all it takes to put together this space-saving recycling storage rack.

Our frame fits containers that have a top that measures 37cm x 25cm and are 13cm. tall.

Our containers were made by Rubbermaid. If you use different-size containers, adjust the distance between the uprights so the 2x2s will catch the lip of the container.

Then adjust the spacing of the horizontal rungs for a snug fit when the container is angled as shown.

Start by cutting the 2x2s to length according to the illustration. Then mark the position of the rungs on the uprights.

Drill two 0.4cm holes through the uprights at each crosspiece position.

Drill from the outside to the inside and angle the holes inward slightly to prevent the screws from breaking out the side of the rungs.

Drive 2-1.3cm screws through the uprights into the rungs.

Assemble the front and back frames.

Then connect them with the side crosspieces.

Here’s a traditional Swedish farm accessory for gunk-laden soles.

The dimensions are not critical, but be sure the edges of the slats are fairly sharp – they’re what makes the boot scraper work.

Cut slats to length, then cut triangular openings on the side of a pair of 2x2s.

A radial arm saw works well for this, but a table saw or band saw will also make the cut.

Trim the 2x2s to length, predrill, and use galvanized screws to attach the slats from underneath.

To corral shelf-dwelling books or DVDs that like to wander, cut 1.9cm-thick hardwood pieces into 15cm x 15cm squares.

Use a band saw or jigsaw to cut a slot along one edge (with the grain) that’s a smidgen wider than the shelf thickness.

Stop the notch 1.9cm from the other edge.

Finish the bookend and slide it on the shelf.

Turn a single 91cm-long, 1×12 hardwood board into some small shelves to organise a desk top or counter.

Cut off a 53cm-long board for the shelves, rip it in the middle to make two shelves, and cut 45-degree bevels on the two long front edges with a router or table saw.

Bevel the ends of the other board, cut dadoes, which are grooves cut into the wood with a router or a table saw with a dado blade, cross- wise (cut a dado on scrap and test-fit the shelves first!) and cut it into four narrower boards, two at 3.5cm wide and two at 10cm.

Finish, then assemble with brass screws and finish washers for one of these easy wood projects.