- currently links to over free plans including simple to advanced projects. There are Arbors, Pergolas, Gazebos, Sheds and more   At - our goal is to point you to Free Woodworking Plans that you can use to build your own woodworking projects. At the moment we point you to over Free Plans. To see a list of all the free plans go to: All Free Woodworking Plan Pages. Otherwise just scroll down this page and see what strikes your fancy. Have fun and Happy Woodworking! New Woodworking Plan Pages. Chicken Coop Plans. Build a unique Chicken Coop with one of these 20 plans. Also I have some good Chicken House Resources. Shoe Rack Plans. Popular Woodworking Magazine has hand-selected some of the greatest guides and woodworking tutorials to getting started and even advancing your woodworking skills! If you haven’t already, sign up for our newsletter to download these free plans! Sign Up For Our Newsletter Now. How To Build Shelves. Want something that will fit nicely in a compact space, while maximizing storage convenience. Don’t waste any time on custom shelf design. Just download our FREE woodworking projects PDF now, and start with the ready-to-go shelf plans inside! Enjoy!. ULTIMATE Workbench Plans | Third Coast Craftsman. Click here for plans.  How to make the PERFECT woodworking workbench! This massive hybrid bench (part French Roubo, part German Holtzapffel, and part English Nicholson) gives you the ultimate in work holding abilities! "WORKBENCH PLANS". Build a Bench, Help a Serviceman. French Workbench Class — Day 1. You will need woodworkinf lot of 2 x 4 timber, not only for the frame but also for the tabletop itself. Plywood Carrier You don't have to be popular woodworking workbench plans for like an orangutan to carry plywood! The folks at Kreg and their Universal Bench cover pretty much any…. So my early-morning giddiness about the Benchcrafted Crisscross is worth note. Kositzke My Take Well,….

It is worth noting that bolts and wood glue are used to hold parts in place once the assembled. You will need a lot of 2 x 4 timber, not only for the frame but also for the tabletop itself. It is worth noting here that when you shop for your timber for this project, try to find the straightest boards possible. That includes looking for planks that have little to no twist in them. I suggest stocking up on wood glue before starting this project as well.

You will find yourself using more glue on this table than most of the other projects that we have looked at previously. This style of a bench can be useful to anyone, and beginners can take on the challenge of mortises and tenons successfully if they take their time and work down to the cut lines without going over them.

A heavy top workbench like this is ideal for any shop. Two things will stand out to you as you look at these DIY workbench plans. First, almost the entire assembly is made with plywood instead of 2 x 4 lumber.

Secondly, this workbench is designed for staining see below. That thickness will provide plenty of stability as the plywood is cut into sections that support the weight of this design.

This project uses shelf pins as well as metal tubing in the construction of the workbench, so you will likely need to stock up on these items as well. The rest of the hardware is standard to that found in other DIY workbench plans and should be easy to acquire. This workbench could actually be called a staining station. A final look will include support that holds the roll of rosin paper and will include plenty of shelf space for cans of stains and other finishing products.

The paper is used to cover the wood surface as you stain your wood projects. Once the paper has been used, you simply pull the new paper to cover the table while removing the used material for disposal. Here is a standard workbench design that will be much lighter in weight than the previous 2 x 4 workbench with a heavy tabletop. Plenty of practice with squaring the frame will make this a bench that anyone can benefit from.

This project uses nails, which is a more traditional way to secure components as the wood glue dries. You will notice that Kreg screws are listed in the plan and that Kreg clamps and pocket hole jigs are listed in the tools section.

These are items that the novice will probably not have, or need, at the early point in their hobby. A sheet of Birch plywood is suggested here. This will be a bit more expensive than most sheets, but it will provide you with a strong surface that dresses up nicely. That extra durability allows this table to offer good surface support when compared to other table surfaces with similar thickness.

That wider lumber will be used in the leg portions of the workbench. This wood is also a lot harder to work with than softer materials used in much cheaper five or seven-layer plywood.

Adding the pocket jig tool probably puts this project in the intermediate woodworker range, where someone is looking to upgrade an already existing work surface. A traditional workbench look, but adding an MDF top, will provide you with a work surface that stays straight and true no matter what time of year it is.

There is a lot of new hardware to look at for this build. That includes metal rods, S-clips, and levers. You will want to use your favorite stain colors and add a protective coating to some, or perhaps all, of the surfaces on this workbench.

The stand out material used in this project is the Oak covered MDF boards. This will give your bench a traditional look. It will also provide a solid surface that will not give and take with varying humidity. Oak hardwood can be used wherever you would like, but it will be a necessity for the vices if you install them. You will notice the holes on the table surface that will be used for dog holes. Various dowels and pre-made components can be sourced for these holes, including bench dogs and various clamps.

This project is perfect for intermediate and advanced woodworkers. Especially those that work with hand tools. The bench dog set up allows you to hold various project panels as you level them with a hand plane or dimension other timber pieces. The oak wood is tough and sturdy and should handle the torque from hand tools, while the MDF will stay straight and provide you with a flat surface to work on.

All stock jointer fences stink. Anything that can be adjusted will eventually go out of adjustment. So today at the French Oak Roubo Project, we had…. This week a team of 25 woodworkers is in Barnesville, Ga. The book will be released on or about Oct. I spent several months earlier this year on the revision to the book and am quite pleased with the…. On the back of my last write up on the wooden try squares, Shawn was kind enough to ask a question about my workbench and in particular….

Saws, chisels and planes — the core tools of the furniture maker — are only mildly different in the East and West. While some people amplify those differences — pushing a saw vs.

Though I find it darn-near impossible to believe, it has been more than five years since we published plans for a full-sized workbench. But perhaps the Italians did? It happened to me quite often and at one point five years ago to be exact , after using a Wilton…. The revised book is scheduled to be out by the end of and printed in the United States. I started writing that book in , and a lot has changed….

During the last couple years of using this…. For the last 15 months I have been working on a bench without a deadman or a tail vise, so I am always looking out for novel solutions. This weekend a woodworker…. This week I have two vises that are worth a close look. It usually takes a year for a new workbench to settle down, and for me to put enough hours at it to form a half-decent opinion.

Every bench has plusses and minuses. OK, that last part…. Len Hovarter of Hovarter Custom Vise has developed a simple and inexpensive quick-release leg vise mechanism that looks quite ingenious. They slide in and out smoothly without a threaded rod. Then they engage the work with a short turn of the…. Take one leg vise. Now you have a Basque face vise. Woodworker Matt Talley is working in France right now. Mine is a primitive arrangement compared to a beautiful European tail vise with its array of dog holes, but it works.

Building a workbench at a school is, in my calculation, a wise investment. Good schools have huge machines — wide planers, beefy mortisers and sliding table saws — that can make difficult jobs a breeze. You also have lots of help — another 10 to 20 people who can help you muscle the stock. For each class, I design a new workbench from scratch that is suited…. Roger Holmes. Reclaimed Lumber Back at the beginning of April I wrote about some household items I made using leftovers from a commissioned project.

Well, I thought I'd show you the original project. It's actually two pieces — two ridiculously heavy conference tables. One of them is roughly 4' x 8' and the other is 4' x…. I started a project with it today; a long, slender dovetailed box with a sliding lid. I'm a big fan of boxes; particularly boxes with sliding lids because I love the sound that they….

So my early-morning giddiness about the Benchcrafted Crisscross is worth note. The only downside to the Crisscross part of the assembly is that you need a vise chop that is…. A Little Bit of Buried Treasure A friend of mine had an old two-seater Adirondack chair that she figured was rotting and ready for the landfill. But she liked it so much, that she asked me to copy it for her, but build it using composite decking material.

Not my favorite material to work…. Cordless Jointer. Yup, it's late. But it's still Friday. It's been a whirlwind of a week. While working on a project today, I got to use one of my favorite techniques.

Most seasoned woodworkers are well aware of this one, but not everyone is a seasoned woodworker, and this is just one of those things…. Turns out they're now distributing Shapton sharpening products.

If you're not familiar with them, they are the cream of the crop ceramic stones. I was drooling over their glass-backed versions today. I'll be talking more about these, their traditional stones and a Shapton….

The Right Boards I've been planning out a bowfront wall cabinet with coopered doors for a few months. Originally, I was set on making it of walnut or cherry — two of my favorite woods to work with because they're very hand-tool friendly. I took a trip to the local lumberyard, and unfortunately, none of…. One of the unanswerable questions in woodworking is: What type of bench dog is best? Other unanswerables: What does Peter Follansbee hide in his beard?

At least on the bench dog question, I have answered it for myself…. Making a change to my blog posts. Instead of posting old tips from the American Woodworker archives, I'll be posting a wide variety of stuff, including projects on which I'm working, new tools that I'm putting through their paces, or maybe just an interesting piece of wood.

When I'm not working on a commissioned…. Cutting Multiple Parts One day my wife asked me if I would make her 58 shields for awards day at her school. Usually when I cut multiples on my scrollsaw I tape or screw the parts. This time I hot-melt glued them together.

It not only worked great, but was much faster and easier. Clean Up Squeeze Out Q. I saw one of those woodworking wizards on television the other day. As I watched the guy build a three-day project in 30 minutes, I noticed he washed off glue squeeze out with a wet cloth immediately after clamping….

Retractable Chuck Key After losing three chuck keys I attached the fourth to a plain, old retractable key chain. Now I don't have to turn my shop inside out looking for my chuck key because it'salways within easy reach. I truned the holder upside down because the chain pulls out mor smoothly that way. Versatile Center Gauge I wanted to add accent dowel "dots" down the center of some slightly curved, tapered table legs.

Sounds simple, but I nearly pulled my hair out trying to accurately find the center of these legs using a ruler! Here, in my opinion, are the most common missteps woodworkers make when…. No-Hassle Filter Cleaning My air filter works great and sure makes my shop a cleaner and healthier place to work. But cleaning the pleated filter was always a problem. Blowing or shaking it out just made a big mess.

I tried vacuuming it but my vacuum wand would attach itself to the filter like a…. Knot-Free Planing I use a lot of 2 pine boards, but when I plane them, the knots often nick my knives. I found a way to prevent this by cutting out the knots before I plane. Because most of my projects require only short pieces, this works fine and my knives last a lot longer….

Stable Roller Stand I bought a roller stand to support my lumber when sawing. It worked okay, but sometimes the rear leg would fold up and the stand would collapse.

This was very annoying. I fixed it by adding some plastic cable ties at the top and bottom of the leg and stretching a bungee…. Discussions about the proper height for a workbench always crack me up because they are usually myopic in the extreme. When you look at workbenches across long periods of time and across cultures, there is a lot more diversity. Roman workbenches, for example, were about knee high.

And lest you think that bench went out…. About six months ago, I became crazy annoyed about my workbench moving while under heavy planing. For some…. Flip-Top Sawhorses I got tired of rummaging around for a blanket or anything soft to lay my finished projects on, so I rigged up these simple carpet caps that fit on top of my sawhorses. They just flip out of the way when I'm back to rough work.

James Blandford My Take Now that's just…. Jacques writes: I have your workbench book, and I am currently working on my version of the French bench. I had soft maple cut down from my woods, so I had it sawn, and I am working with it for the top.

For the legs, a friend of mine gave me four beams that are…. Photo 1 …. Plane Stand Every so often I need to plane down a piece of wood that is too small for my jointer. To handle these small jobs, I devised a stand for my No. The plane rests upside down on two wood blocks that fit up between the ridges on the sides…. Last summer I built a workbench that was as close to the bench shown in A.

While I still have three details to add to my bench a drawer, a tool rack and a grease pot , the rest of the bench has been up and running since August….

Behind the Stairs Storage In my basement shop every square inch counts! Out of necessity I found a wealth of unused space tucked right under my nose, or should I say feet. That awkward space under the basement steps can easily be turned into a set of deep shelves perfect for storing everything from…. Most of the skills we need and tools we use come from earlier times when everyday items that are now mostly plastic or cardboard were made of wood.

Straight-Shooting Drill Jig You may not face this problem often, but when you need to drill a hole nice and straight but the part is too big to fit on the drill press, here's what to do: Make this nifty little jig. Line up your drill bit in…. Double-Decker Mini Clamp Here's a great little clamp for those light-duty hobby or craft jobs. Start with two ordinary clothespins, then modify and combine them as shown above.

You now have a clamp with triple the capacity of a single clothespin. Alan Dooley My Take Who thinks of this stuff? Well, obviously, Alan Dooley did,…. Workbench Joint Plans for my knock-down workbench called for the 2 x 4 stretchers to be fastened with bolts and hex nuts. I'd have to rout huge pockets, weakening the stretcher, in order to get a wrench on the nuts.

I rummaged through my jelly jars of spare hardware and came up with this…. One of the gripes I hear about French workbenches is that the benchtops are difficult to flatten because of the end grain protruding through the top. Here are a few simple tricks that deflate that argument. Edge-Banding Clamp I ran out of clamps and patience the last time I applied a veneered edge to a long piece of plywood. The tangle of clamps to hold the veneer and cauls in place was more than I could take!

To make life simpler, I came up with a slick way to clamp edge…. Glue-Up Helper I've always struggled with the rubber bands I use to hold jewelry box sides square and steady during glue-up. The biggest pain in the neck was cleaning the glue squeeze-out from under the bands. When I lifted the band the box would shift before my eyes!

I was ready to chuck the whole…. Tabletop Connection Steel tabletop fasteners are a great way to attach a tabletop to its base while still allowing for seasonal changes. On a table with straight aprons, it's easy enough to saw a kerf to hold the connectors with the tablesaw, but on a curved or molded apron that's not feasible. Instead, I've found…. Tablesaw Sled Cutoff Block My sliding cutoff sled gets lots of use for repetitive cuts.

In the past, I clamped a board to use as a stop, but moving it for different cuts became cumbersome. To make a quickly adjustable stop, I routed a dovetail slot into the back edge of the sled and made…. Getting the Point I frequently use awls in my work and like to keep them needle-sharp. This little jig takes only a few minutes to make and guarantees a fine, tapered point.

The magnets keep the jig securely in place while in use. Jay Wallace My Take Judging from the "down" arrow on the illustration,…. Cross-Grain Trim I recently needed to attach molding across the sides of some bookcases. Because the sides were solid wood, I had to allow for some seasonal movement.

I used a table-mounted router with a keyhole bit and cut slots in the back of the molding, as shown above. I installed round-head screws and adjusted…. Repairing Ripped Belts Sanding belts can rip at the worst possible moment — such as when you're out on a jobsite with no spares. When this happens I remove the belt, turn it inside out and cut the torn spot into a diamond-shaped hole with a utility knife.

This adds life to the belt without…. Tablesaw Jig Clamp I added this hold-down to my tablesaw's sliding cutoff jig and find it a great convenience, because the height of the clamp is easily changed.

This clamp uses a standard bar-type caulking gun, cut in half, as shown. The mounting block slides to apply clamping pressure where needed, and I covered the….

No more! I found a clever way to protect them. I cut the fingers off some old leather work gloves. Then I poked holes with an awl and threaded a drawstring through the holes.

Now I just slide…. Once you are able to rip your eyes off of H. Router Base Transfer Points After I lost track of the base plate for the router that goes in my router table, I had to make a new one with accurately marked holes for the mounting screws and a centered hole for the bit.

I figured out how to do it while flipping through a machinist's…. Vise Crank Handle I'm getting up in years but I still love woodworking. My hands aren't as limber as they used to be, so it was uncomfortable to twist my vise handle.

I remembered the crank on my father's Model T, so I made one just like it for my vise. I drilled a hole…. The two-hour video show you how to build a sturdy workbench using home-center materials and a benchtop made using solid-wood kitchen countertop from IKEA. It really can be built in two days — I built it…. A Brush for Tight Spots Q.

It seemed like a great idea until I went to varnish the piece. That's when I realized I couldn't get a brush in that little space. What should I have…. And the plates were almost certainly copied…. Temporary Zero-Clearance Insert My small tablesaw and accessories follow me to jobsites every day. One morning I needed to rip thin slats from a 2 x 4 and wouldn't you know it, I forgot my zero-clearance insert.

Tape to the rescue! First I lowered the saw blade all the way. Then I laid a strip…. I always sharpen them. So why should workbench accessories be any different? The aluminum ones are terrible for too many reasons to even get into here. The iron…. Super Chop Saw Stop This stop slides along a rail that's screwed to the top of my chop saw fence, and I can lock it in any position. The hinged block is locked in the down position with a trunk latch.

When not needed, the stop can be flipped up out of the way or…. Groovy Dowels Have you ever tried gluing a pin made from dowel rod in a blind hole? If so you've probably encountered the nasty air pocket that forms at the bottom of the hole and makes insertion difficult.

I've got a solution: tighten the dowel in a drill press chuck to create three grooves in…. Traversing boards without a tail vise can be tricky. It works fine, but it requires a long batten and two holdfasts to work. Workbench builder Richard Maguire published a tip on his blog this summer that allows…. Large Sheet Crosscutting Crosscutting large sheets of plywood on the tablesaw can be difficult, and I usually end up binding the blade, burning the wood, or worse.

To get around this, I clamp a board under the plywood, and use it as an auxiliary fence which rides against the left edge of the tablesaw to…. Bench Helper I use this simple device when planing the edges of long boards. It's especially useful when the board is too springy to be clamped between a bench dog and a tail vise. I hold the board in the v-shaped notch with my left hand and plane with my right. Glen D.

Because we have just about put to bed the current issue and due to the upcoming holiday weekend, I had a little free time to be out in the shop. Look out workbench, here I come — again. Today I worked on the shop drawers that slip into boxes that will eventually fit inside the…. Two magnets keep the jig securely in place while in use. Jay Wallace My Take Not only do jigs help ensure accuracy and…. Veneer for Edging Instead of buying veneer or edge-banding material for plywood, make your own from scrap left over from the project.

This is not only inexpensive, but the edge banding will match exactly. First install a zero-clearance throat plate on your tablesaw.

When building a workbench, boring the dog and holdfast holes is a drag, even with an electric drill. Last month, however, that all changed. While building a French oak Roubo workbench at an event put on by Benchcrafted details here and the movie is here , Jameel Abraham introduced me to Japanese-made WoodOwl Nail Chipper bits…. My bandsaw tires have a builup of pitch and sawdust that seems to be embedded right into the rubber.

What's the best way to clean my tires? George Satter A. An excessive buildup of sawdust and pitch on your tires…. Router Table Spring Board I saw this device in an old woodworking book. I gave it a try and now I use it all the time.

With this spring board you get even pressure along the entire fence and better results than either hand feeding or just featherboards. I still use a featherboard on the…. It sounds like a supermodel complaining about a photo shoot for the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine. Getting a good workbench usually takes loads of money, time or both of those things. But what if you tried to be really clever and you used inexpensive construction and home renovation materials to build a massive traditional bench for a fraction of the cost of a commercial bench and with only two days of….

I know. After knocking out my dovetails, I laid out…. Double-Duty Sanding Drum I sand a lot of thin wood on my drum sander and as a result, I only wear out the bottom part of the drums. Flipping them over allows me to use the top but the middle remains unused. Call me a cheapskate, but I hate throwing away anything that's still usable! Zero-Clearance Bandsaw Table I like to cut tenons with my bandsaw, but the little cutoffs tend to fall down in the space by the blade and get in the way or bind the blade.

I found a slick fix. Tape a piece of thin cardboard from something like a manila folder or old cereal box …. Plywood Carrier You don't have to be built like an orangutan to carry plywood! This simple carrier extends your reach and turns an awkward job into an easy one.

Clarence C. Kositzke My Take Well,…. Thickness Gauge I use this handy device constantly to check and compare thickness on a variety of projects. Slide the gauge over the edge of the stock, keeping the graduated edge flat on the surface of the board, and read the thickness. You'll have to make the graduations yourself, based on a board you gradually…. Roman workbenches have not left this world. In fact, some people might argue that they are still used today and are called shaving horses.

Router Dado Jig In the course of my work as a contractor, I often need to build cabinets and bookshelves on site — without the luxury of shop tools.

I gave up on the flimsy router fence supplied with the machine and made the jig shown in the sketch. The router base now slides between….

The first time I saw an 18th-century workbench, I thought: Wow. That will never work. So the first time I saw a Roman workbench from 50 A. That would…. Machine Floor Locks Anyone with a machine on wheels — especially a tablesaw or planer — understands the necessity of locking it in place before using it. I use a pair of toggle clamps connected to rods.

I position the machine where I want it and lock the toggle clamps down, as shown above. Smooth-Cutting Hole Saw I cut a lot of discs and large-diameter holes in my shop. I was puzzled for the longest time because I was getting vibration and smoke. It even happened with new hole saws.

Eventually, it dawned on me that the culprit wasn't my antiquated drill press, but the simple fact that a…. Dovetail Marking Jig This little jig greatly speeds the laying out and marking of dovetail pins. Make the jig so the thin piece is exactly the same size as the pin you plan to use.

Then, mark a half-pin on the left side, and divide the remaining space into equal parts according the the number…. Then my neighbor turned me on to a technique that solved my problem. As you can see, I did get into the shop this week to begin on my workbench storage boxes. Bevel Gauge For years I ground a way-too-shallow edge on my favorite chisel. It wouldn't hold up worth beans, so I dug through the junk drawer for something I could make a bevel gauge out of.

What I came up with is this simple jig. Just place the chisel's bevel into the angle formed by…. To heck with my computer, I need to make dust or something.

I need a place to store my tools when I…. Rubber Band Veneer Clamp I had tried everything to successfully glue veneer on curved surfaces: cauls, three-way clamps, string and tape, you name it.

Nothing ever worked as well as this homespun solution, which requires only simple shop supplies. Nail a row of brads into two boards and clamp them to both sides of the….

Adjustable Curves Laying out a large curve with a cobbled-together, oversize compass is a pain in the neck. Instead I use a bowed slat that can be adjusted to any curve. I used to bend the slat with my hands and draw the curve with a pencil in my mouth. That didn't work very well! Comfortable Dovetails Like the majority of wokbenches, mine is fine for planing but too low for cutting dovetails without prolonged stooping.

My answer is to clamp a heavy backing board, as shown in the sketch, and clamp the workpiece to it. I have been designing a bench in my head for six months now and am getting ready to tackle it this spring workshop is in garage and its too cold out there right now.

I am considering using another manufactured wood product called TimberStrand by Weyerhaeuser. Right now I am waiting for a piece of it to experiment on but am curious if you or others at PW have run across it. Around here it is about half the cost of LVL.

What a wonderful design — easy to build, solid as a rock, and looks great too. A very nice compromise for those of us for whom a monolithic workbench is not practical, or who live outside the yellow pine zone! Love that bench and especially the vid of thee hopping up on top of it. Hope you had a great Christmas. Thanks for the plans.

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