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Vinyl cabinet
Project challenge: Working with maple
For her woodworking project, student Sian chose to work with maple, a hardwood known for its strength and durability but also its difficulty to work with using hand tools. This decision presented the main challenge: maple's toughness tested her patience, as every step of the process—from cutting and chiseling to planing—took a significant amount of time and effort.
The approach: Back to basics with a twist
To keep the structure straightforward yet sturdy, Sian returned to the basics and utilised the housing joint, a technique mastered in Module One. To add some flair, she incorporated doweling and decorative oak panelling, which gave the piece a unique and aesthetically pleasing finish.
Lessons learned: Patience and practicality
Working with maple was not only a test of Sian’s carpentry skills but also a lesson in patience. The heaviness of the wood added another layer of challenge, making transport from the workshop to home quite the task!
“Despite the time and effort required, I am incredibly pleased with the final result. This project reaffirmed my belief that hard work and attention to detail are always worth it, especially when working with challenging materials.”
Toy chest
Project challenge: Mastering dovetail precision
This project involved creating 36 dovetail joints, arranged in rows of nine. While dovetail joints are known for their beauty and the opportunity they provide to showcase woodworking skills, achieving a neat and precise look was incredibly challenging. Midway through the project, student Sian made a significant mistake by confusing the face and edge marks on two of the panels, which caused the dovetails to misalign. What could have led to a small breakdown was salvaged with the help of the instructor, Anne, who guided her in correcting the mistake. Thankfully, it's barely noticeable in the final result!
The approach: Building on basics with a personal touch
The approach utilised the dovetail joint technique learned in Module Two but took it a step further by incorporating rows of dovetails. She decided to add a separate lid, which was created using a simple breadboard structure. To personalize the project, she engraved her child's initials on the box lid and explored several engraving techniques before settling on the one that best suited the design.
Lessons learned: Handling mistakes and building resilience
This project taught Sian how to handle situations when things don't go as planned. Patience is crucial, but so is resilience—working calmly and remembering that most mistakes can be fixed.
“Having an experienced instructor like Anne on hand to support and guide made all the difference, showing me that almost any project can be salvaged with the right approach.”
Piano stool
Project challenge: First own design
Following on from the three beginners modules, this was the first piece of furniture Becky designed with a specific purpose and space in mind. It was a new challenge to learn how to choose the joints for strength and design.
The approach: Simple and modern
The stool needed to be able to hold music books and tuck under the piano. The build had mortice and tenon joints for the main frame, and dowel joints for the arms. The arms were shaped on the underside to have a place for hands to easily move the seat when in use. The design was relatively traditional but not as ornate to keep it achievable for a first project.
Lessons learned: Adapt the design and learn for the next project!
The drawings and plan for the project had not captured all the functional and practical elements needed. These were identified and lessons learned whilst making the stool – all valuable learning for the next project!
“It’s great learning through doing; reading it in a book is not the same! I learned so much through using hand tools, and the tips and tricks from Anne to work out what needs adjusting.”
The coffee table
Project challenge: Embracing the imperfections of reclaimed wood
For her woodworking project, student Katie opted to create a coffee table using donated, reclaimed oak—a material full of character but not without its challenges. The wood, which had not been planed and was warped and twisted, required significant adaptation throughout the process. Additionally, the hardwood had to be chemically treated to address woodworm.
The approach: Simple, adaptable design
Katie kept the design straightforward, allowing the dimensions of the wood to guide the final shape of the table. She used three-way mortise and tenon joints for the corners, ensuring a solid and sturdy structure. The tabletop was secured with dowels, and shrinkage brackets were added to accommodate the wood's natural movement over time, ensuring that the table would remain stable despite the wood’s tendency to warp.
Lessons learned: Adaptability and acceptance
Working with reclaimed oak was a lesson in flexibility and acceptance for Katie. The unpredictable nature of the wood meant she had to adapt her approach mid-project, especially when dealing with the warped lid. With the guidance of her instructor Anne, Katie learned to embrace the imperfections and work with the wood’s natural tendencies rather than against them.
“Using unmilled wood added additional complexity, but the character that it has given the piece has made it personal and unique.”
Coffee table with angled legs
Project challenge: Complexity due to angles
Excited to make something you can’t buy in a shop, Becky decided that angled legs and drawer fronts would be a great idea! This led to unexpected challenges at each stage including using trigonometry when designing, adapting joints at an angle and learning to achieve precision without a tri-square. Added to this…Becky hadn’t made a ‘normal’ table and drawers before, so also was learning the basics!
The approach: Angled legs and two sided drawers
The design has angled legs with a slight over-hanging table top. The table will have two drawers, which can be accessed from either side of the table, and the fronts will be angled to be in line with the legs. The drawers have angled dovetails and the table frame will invovle angled and normal twin tenons and lapped dovetail joints. The table is also being made from two types of wood, cherry and beech, for an added design feature.
Lessons learned: Precision and giving it a go!
This project has helped Becky understand the importance of face and edge marks and being precise when marking out. A slight incorrect angle can grow to a large difference! The repeated angled dovetails and twin tenon joints also provided plenty of practise for the chiselling skills!
Tutor Anne was super encouraging and on hand to guide a solution for each complexity. Various test pieces helped work out the details.
“I am really enjoying working things out as the project progresses. Anne’s help and wisdom every time I have a design or construction crisis is invaluable! The unconventional design has also provided extra opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge.”
Other projects
Dining table and chairs
Magazine rack
