Hot Furniture & Woodworking How-Tos

How To: Begin using a woodcarving knife

In this tutorial, we learn how to begin using a woodcarving knife. Before you go into the detail, you will want to make sure you have it carved right. The carving all starts in the block of the wood. There will be a couple initial cuts that you will do with a knife after marking the wood with a pencil. Do repetitive cuts to get the right shapes. Also do an 's' curve and hit the lines right. If you want to make this look like a v-tool then you just need to make it with your knife. Have fun and...

How To: Use a nail set & punch for woodworking

Bob Schmidt teaches us how to use a nail set & punch for woodworking. A nail set is a traditional kit that you can find anywhere. The nail set punch does not require a hammer to use and is very easy to figure out. Place this on a nail and then pull the spring back. Keep the pressure towards the nail head and it will drive the nail right into the hole that you need it to go in. This is great if you have a nail that needs to go into the wall but the hammer will not fit where you need it to. Any...

How To: Make a sign using a wood router

This is a video tutorial in the Home & Garden category where you are going to learn how to make a sign using a wood router free hand. For this you will need a router. The kind of router you use is not so very important. But, what is important is the router bit. It should be a “V” shaped bit for doing free hand work. There are lots of bits you can use. First you fix the depth of the cutter so that only a little bit of the router bit is exposed. You should not be seeing too much of the bit abov...

How To: Frame a wall 16 inch out on a subwall

In this tutorial, we learn how to frame a wall 16 inch out on a subwall with Bob Schmidt. First, grab some straight plates for the top and bottom plates of the wall. Then, you will need a framing square as well. When doing a layout for the wall, you will first need to lay the plates next to each other. Then, find the red marks at the typical wall stud layout. Go ahead and make your first mark at 3 quarters back from every red stud mark. Then, place the framing square on the wood and line it u...

How To: Build pet steps for your animals with Lowe's

In this tutorial we learn how to build pet steps for your animals with Lowe's. Start out with making the lines for the sides of our steps on a piece of ply wood. Cut these out with a circular saw and then start assembling the steps. Use wood glue, nails and a hammer to do this. After you have these assembled from the bottom up you can insert the steps for the inside of the stairs. Make sure all of this is secure and everything is nailed in properly. Then, add in padding to the steps for your ...

How To: Make a medieval-style children's bookcase castle with Lowe's

Make reading more fun for your children with a satisfyingly medieval bookcase that your little prince (or princess) will use day in and day out. This woodworking project from Lowe's is a wooden bookcase with a castle top. It's completely functional, with plenty of storage for books and knick-knacks, as well as a storage drawer at the bottom. Best of all, the book castle can be easily modified to remove the castle top when your child's tastes change. Watch all four videos to see the build inst...

How To: Build a beautiful cedar log coffee table using a chainsaw

If you loved the cedar log bench, try out your chainsaw skills on something for the inside of your home— a log coffee table. Using a chainsaw as your primary woodworking tool is dangerously unusual, but the results are well worth the risk! In this two-part video, learn the techniques to chainsawing your way to a beautiful log coffee table made from scraps. It's great for any outdoorsman's living room or den.

How To: Laminate stairs

In this tutorial, we learn how to laminate stairs. First, you will need to grab your laminate and measure out the stairs. Then, cut out the nosing to the stairs. After this, you will need to cut out the laminate with a chop saw to place it on the front of the stairs so it looks nice and is fully covered on the stairs. You will need to place down glue on the laminate then press it down on the stairs and allow to dry. Behind the front piece you will place another piece of laminate and glue it d...

How To: Install laminate floor under a door

In this tutorial, we learn how to install laminate floor under a door. First, take your floor and pop it into place like you do for the entire floor. Then, take a piece of scrap and place on the end. After this, grab a tool and push it into the door with a hammer until it reaches underneath the door. Once you have this finished, it will give you a nice and clean look on your floor. Make sure you don't miss with the hammer and hit the flooring, so you don't cause cracks in it at all. To finish...

How To: Build a beautiful cedar log bench using a chainsaw

For the normal woodworker at home, the table saw, router and lathe are the prime tools used for making fine furniture, but when you hit the outdoors, the backwoodsman's tool of trade is the chainsaw. Mastering furniture-making with a chainsaw is the key to being a great woodworker, and in this three-part video, you'll learn the techniques to chainsawing your way to a beautiful log bench.

How To: Make a wooden toothpick holder with a clown that pops out

Toothpicks are an almost essential part of proper oral hygiene, and toothpick holders are a great way to make them available to your houseguest without sacrificing style. This video will show you how to make your own very cool wooden toothpick holder that features a jack-in-the-box-like clown that your grab to lift the toothpicks. It's not too hard, practical, and good-looking, and thus a great woodworking project for you to look into.

How To: Build a DIY wooden kitchen wine rack

Wine racks are one of the easiest and best-looking DIY pieces you can add to your kitchen. They're sort of the adult equivalent of making a birdhouse or a spice rack in shop class. This video will show you how to build a really nice wooden one yourself that goes over your refrigerator and will hold about 30 bottles of wine or liquor.

How To: Make a DIY magic wooden paddle in 5 minutes

If you love both woodworking and magic, then you have come to the right place! This video will show you how to make a cool DIY magic paddle with stars on it. For the trick, you can appear to remove the stars from one side and have them disappear from the other side as well. It has some other good magic tricks as well that don't require any carpentry skills.

How To: Build your own bookcase for your study

If you have a ton of books and no place to store them, a bookcase may be needed. Buying one from the store is an easy way out, but building one on your own is another great idea. Not only will you have the power to determine how it looks and what size it will be, but you'll feel satisfied knowing you made something useful.

How To: Make a simple wood cutting board

If you are just starting out in woodworking, there are many basic projects that you can tackle. The birdhouse, storage shelf, and the cutting board. Making a cutting board isn't too difficult and once finished, can be used to give you a space that you can chop fruits, veggies, and meat on.

How To: Use and tune a block plane (woodworking hand plane)

If you are interested in taking up woodworking, this next video tutorial is very helpful. In it, you find out how to use and tune up a hand plane. This tool is a very common one in woodworking and is used for all sorts of different reasons. If you try using one that is dull, you have a good chance of messing up your wood project. USing incorrectly will also damage your project as well as yourself. So check out this video tutorial, pay attention, and good luck!

How To: Fix a wobbly chair

In this video, we learn how to fix a wobbly chair. First, you will need to flip the chair upside down to see what the problem with it is. After this, you will need to apply wood glue to the inside of all the joints on the chair. Next, you will need to push the pegs to the inside of where they belong and then wipe off any excess glue from where it leaked out from. Allow this to dry for several hours then flip it back over and test it out. If this worked you are done, if not, you will need to p...

How To: Build a southern pine garden bench

If you enjoy spending your time outdoors, but hate that you don't have a decent place to sit, this video may be for you. In this tutorial, you'll find out how to build a southern pine garden bench from scratch. It's perfect for the front or backyard and will give you a nice place to sit. When tackling this project, make sure you're careful when working with power tools. So check out the tutorial, be careful, and enjoy!