First, I assumed that you want to build furniture projects and not a house or some other large-scale construction project. For that, you’re probably better off with a book on carpentry, because if you apply all the little details that go into a good piece of furniture to framing a house, for example, it’ll take you too long to get the job done. (Of course, it will look awesome and be a work of art when you’re through.)
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 a second 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. Twelve-inch-wide shelving is available in various lengths and finishes at home centers and lumberyards.
Yes Seriously! You can build an easy bed frame yourself without any other’s help. As everyone knows the starting point of any bedroom is a gorgeous bed. However, you also need something that lets you enjoy peaceful slumber in comfort and warmth, but since the bed took as the focal point of the room, you may need something that looks really good too.
No joke. As you get into building you’ll discover that woodworkers use jigs for everything, and that can be intimidating. The Kreg Jig company has absolutely knocked it out of the park in making jigs accessible, easy to use, and so incredibly useful that you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of that. They are affordable, and after just one build you will be singing the holy Kreg praises. I won’t go into each one, though I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Here’s a list of the jigs I have used and found incredibly helpful. (It’s a growing list!)
Quarter-sawn: Quarter-sawn milling is the least efficient way to cut a log, but it produces some of the best boards. You can mill a quarter-sawn board in two ways: the preferred way (Figure 2-3 left) and the practical way (Figure 2-3 right). Unless you have a mill of your own or you own the log and have it milled to your specifications, you’re going to have to live with the practical method of quarter-sawing wood. Don’t worry, this is still a great way to mill a log and, because it’s more efficient than the preferred method, it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to buy (maybe just the arm).
