In the first installment of this series, we covered the physical geometry of the vessel—taking a raw, rustic tree branch and hollowing it out to create a vaulted pedestal box....

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In my high school “Mechanical Contraptions and Automata” class, I’ve found that the best way to get students hooked on mechanics is to keep the materials humble and the movements...

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A New Lightsaber Walking Stick Not long ago, in a small workshop far, far away… It was a period of unrest in the woodworking world. With new technologies entering a...

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Pop Wood is getting into the halloween spirit, and what better way to do that than making a halloween decoration? I decided to recreate a wooden ghost my grandpa made more than two decades ago. Follow along in the video …

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And so we arrive at the final stage of our boat project. By now, the hull has been carefully shaped, the spars have been crafted, and the masts and booms assembled. What remains are the final touches that bring the …

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Masts, Booms and Yards After my students finish shaping the hull, they move on to thorough sanding—working through a progression of sandpapers until they reach a smooth finish with 220 grit. At this point, we consult our historical boat …

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In part 1 of this project, I described how my students begin their boat-building journey by sketching and transferring a symmetrical deck design onto a blank—typically a 2×4 or 2×2—and then using gouges, chisels, and rasps to shape the …

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A Hands-On Sailing Project in 2×4 A wooden boat is one of the most inspiring projects a child can build. It’s an object of grace and adventure, deeply symmetrical yet full of creative variation. And in the woodworking shop, it’s …

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After all the hard work of shaping and sanding our wooden swords, we needed to give them a comfortable and secure handle. For this, we used a reliable method called “Common Wiping.” This technique allows us to wrap a cord …

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Professional-sized ladder golf sets are larger and more robust than the chintzy ones you usually find in yard game kits. This project is a great way to use some long skinny scrap pieces too.  I love playing ladder ball …

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Turning a live edge bowl is the perfect way to showcase a special piece of wood, such as this Burr Elm. Project #2414 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 1 Day • Cost: $5-200 Turning a live-edge piece of wood…

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Once the smokestacks were glued in, it was time for the paint job. My plan was to leave the deck floors in their natural wood look and only paint the ship’s elevations. Check out part 1 and part 2.…

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After finishing all the work on the bandsaw, I clamped the hull in a vise and, with the help of a rasp and a file, fine-tuned the bow and stern. Be sure and check out Part One of this project.…

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Only a handful of tools are needed to recreate this iconic vessel. A few years ago, I crafted three identical waterline wooden toy ships based on the iconic design of the RMS Titanic and its sister ships, the Olympic and …

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These stylish amplifiers not only boost volume but can also improve the sound quality of your phone’s built-in speaker. Project #2412 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $5 Plastic smartphone amplifiers can be had for about …

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People ask, “How in the world did you make that weird wiffle thing? ”The truth is, it’s really quite simple: it’s just a hollow cube with the corners cut off. Can you figure it out?…

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