With the publishing of my new woodworking plan, You Can Build The Sarah Side Table, I have reached a milestone: this is my 20th woodworking plan. I may have a celebratory cold beverage with dinner tonight. The Sarah Side Table reflects a new design trend for me – contemporary furniture made from natural materials. But still rooted in traditional shapes. This table is an exercise in curves. For the curves, the design process started with the arched base which incorporates slight vertical elements or end points. The hope is that these help establish feet for the table. Then, the same or very similar curves were added to the both ends of the top, the drawer pulls and a very distinctive cut out for the sides. About the sides, they get an additional design feature from a slender vertical separation, or gap. The shape of the pulls and their contrasting wood helps give the table a modern feel. A couple of my friends have been encouraging me to make a woodworking project which is much easier …

Today, I launch my 17th woodworking plan and the second plan to be sold in my Etsy shop. The plan titled “You Can Build the Lynne Coffee Table” details the construction process for building the table which gains some bold styling from the combination of mahogany and tiger maple. The table measures 34-1/2″ wide, 17-3/4″ tall and is 18-3/4″ deep. Our family room is on the smallish side and this table is designed for such a room. The primary joinery is via dowels; a strong and easy joint to make. The lower shelf is attached by way of mortise and tenon joinery and the top is attached with wooden clips which fit into slots. See this preview of the plan and guide… Space The plan includes the SketchUp model, links to online resources and even ways to alter the table to make it your own. I consider this to be a beginner to intermediate project due to the simple dowel joinery, but the maker will also get more practice with mortise and tenon joinery and …

Today I launch my sixteenth woodworking plan. This new plan, titled You Can Build the Gustave Side Table details the construction of a side table in a style which I call “Craftsman Lite”. The design blends basic elements found in Arts and Crafts furniture, but some of the classic A & C details are missing. Details like exposed joinery, ebony accents, the look of mass and bulk like what you see in Stickley furniture. My home is pretty traditional and something like a full-blown Greene and Greene style table wouldn’t fit the overall style of our home. But a more mild version of Arts and Crafts furniture would. And that is the goal with this design. And this plan will be the first in a long time to be a paid one. If I am going to continue to explore making higher quality plans, I am going to have to start making some money to help pay for the software upgrades I need. I still have fifteen free plans, but new plans going forward will …